What chores do you kids do? how often? what age are they?

[Stacey in MA]

Just curious what you guys are having your kids do for chores. I'll start:

 

DS9: Daily wake, dress, get his breakfast, make bed, brush teeth, then school work. Throughout the day, he watches baby DS for me when I need him to for 5 or 10 min. at a time (if I need to use the bathroom, throw in laudry, whatever....).

Also, he takes kitchen trash to the outside can and replaces the bag (when I request it), as well as bringing out the recyclables to the garage (when I request it).

He throws laundry in the wash or dryer when I ask, but for this chore he marks a chart and gets paid - and he may refuse if he wants (but the money is pretty motivating!).

I think there are other things, but can't think of them now. Used to have guinea pigs, and he was responsible for daily feeding and watering 2x/day, but the last one just died, and now DS doesn't have that responsibility.

 

DD6: Daily wake, dress, get breakfast (with assistance), make bed, brush teeth, put up hair in clips or headband, put away the clean silverware (from the dishwasher which ran at night), then school work.

 

DD3: Daily wake, potty, dress, get breakfast (with assistance), working on bed making, clean toys on request, put things away on request.

 

Daily, all 3 olders help with setting the table for dinner (it is in a different room than the kitchen, so this is a little bit of work), and tidying the whole house of toys and school mess just before dinnertime. They must also help clear the table after dinner.

 

Weekends, all 3 older kids take their sheets off for me to wash (I put them back on). They also each have bathroom cleaning chores (change trash and get TP and handtowels for the younger 2, and toilets for the older kiddo - we have 3 baths, so this is a decent sized job. I do the rest - showers, sinks, floors).

 

OK, what's on your kiddo's chore list? (I'm actually looking for some ideas on morning daily extra chores for DS9 and DD6. I want to pass the silverware job to DD3, so that leaves DD6 without that daily chore. And DS9 lost his piggie caretaking job when the both died recently - so he needs something more for daily mornings too.)

 

Thanks for sharing! - Stacey in MA

[angela in ohio]

Instead of chores, we have a philosophy where everybody just does whatever needs done. I can tell you what each dc usually does, though.

 

Each dd seems to have taken to certain things. Older dd (12) does all of our laundry and younger dd (almost 10) does most of the dishes, with older doing to rest. They both like vacuuming and dusting. They both are responsible for their personal belongings and they keep their common property picked up together (and each other's things often :D.) Ds (5) looks for odd jobs to do. He tries to beat the girls to the vacuuming and sweeping, LOL. Just picking up after himself is enough, though. They all like to cook and help in the kitchen and set the table, so usually the person closest when I say that we need to get ready for dinner will do those.

[Guest mommytobees1]

::delurking::

 

I am big on chores. I wrote a blog entry on it.

 

Chores

 

I hope this helps.

 

Kris

[gandpsmommy]

But my two children, ages 6.5 and 4.5, do help out a lot around the house.

 

I am trying to teach them to clean up after themselves. So, when they are done with their dishes at a meal, they need to take them to the kitchen, dump any scraps in the trash, and put in the sink or dishwasher. If it is something really messy, I will help, especially the 4.5yo. When they take off dirty clothes, they need to put them in the hamper. When they are done with something, it needs to go back where it came from. After they brush their teeth, they should rinse out the sink, etc. We are not perfect at doing this yet, but we are working on it. :001_smile:

 

Dd has always naturally enjoyed helping me. She likes to help put laundry in the washer. She likes to help fold laundry when I get it out of the dryer. When she turned five or six I started requiring her to put her own clothes away. She also likes to vaccuum and dust with me. She likes to clean windows, too.

 

Usually about once a day I require them to pick up anything of theirs that is out in the living area and put it away in their rooms.

 

Dd is in charge of feeding her pet chinchilla daily.

[Cindy in NY]

10 (almost 11) year old: Make bed

brush teeth

clean downstairs bathroom

take trash to cans

sweep stairs

take recycling to curb (once a week)

 

9 year old: Make bed

brush teeth

cleans upstairs bathroom

take trash to cans

sweeps kitchen

take recycling to curb (once a week)

 

7 year old: Make bed

brush teeth

feed dogs

take boys laundry to laundry room

 

These are there regular chores, i will sometimes ask them to do other things and I expect them to do it. Everyone is also expected to wash any dishes they dirty and clean up after themselves in the kitchen. This takes some reminding, except for the 7 year old, he cleans up after himself without prompting.

[Parabola]

I have 3 main areas of chores that I alternate the 3 kids on.

 

There's Kitchen, which means whoever has kitchen duty has to wash, or rinse while I wash, the dishes depending on their age, they also have to set the supper table.

 

There's Laundry, which means that whoever has laundry duty has to sort and fold each load done that day, which is usally 2 or 3.

 

There's Floors, which means that whoever has floor duty has to dust mop the wood floors in the morning and vacuum a room after lunch.

 

We also have a list posted on the fridge of various chores any one of them can do voluntarily to earn extra money. If I see a chore on the list that needs done and require one of them to do it, they don't get the money.

 

They also have personal things they are required to do daily, such as help clear the lunch table, scrape their own plates and clear their own places at the table, pick up the livingroom before daddy gets home, pick up their own rooms before bed (if it gets really messy, we pick up their rooms earlier as well), put their clothes in the hamper, put away their clean clothes (except hangups, i do that as they can't reach the bar), and they are required to pick up and clean up their own messes.

[Mrs Mungo]

My kids all have assigned chores.

 

In addition to getting themselves dressed, combing their hair, etc. The break-down goes something like this:

 

12 year old dd: cleans and vacuums her room and bathroom (she has her own bathroom), loads the dishwasher (she just started this job and isn't proficient at it yet), helps with laundry and general tidying, puts away her own laundry and all the towels and such, vacuums the stairs and ds's room.

 

9 year old dd: cleans and vacuums her room and the bathroom she shares with ds (she doesn't scrub it though, she just wipes it down), gathers trash from the small trash cans scattered around the house, puts away her own laundry, vacuums the downstairs, feeds the dog (typically her job but dog doesn't arrive until next week).

 

Almost 7 year old ds: cleans his room, puts away his laundry, helps me unload the dishwasher, helps with general tidying.

 

They all have to do things like pick up the yard toys or clear the table.

[Doran]

We just share the work, and the kids (13 and 11), do certain things routinely. They alternate cleaning the cat litter box. They tend our one chicken together. They take out the compost, and wash the dishes. They empty the dishwasher. They clean their room and tidy other areas around the house. They vacuum and dust as needed. They hang the laundry on our clothesline, bring it inside, fold it (I prefer to do the wash myself most of the time). They set the dinner table. They do pretty much anything they are assigned to do (but not always without a groan first!).

 

When we lived on the farm, they were responsible for tending our flock of 130 hens which included lifting 50 lb. bags of feed and large buckets of water. I actually miss them having that particular "job". It was good physical work! :)

 

Doran

[Plaid Dad]

6yo dd: tidies up own room and possessions, puts away clean dishes, sets and helps clear table, sweeps around cat dishes.

[Doran]

My kids all have assigned chores.

 

In addition to gettingthemselves dressed, combing their hair, etc. The break-down goes something like this:

 

I didn't list "getting up and getting dressed, get their hair combed", etc. because I wouldn't qualify that as a chore. Not saying you did either, just happened to notice your mention of it and remembered that I wanted to say that earlier.

 

Also, I failed to mention that they alternate feeding our cats. :001_smile:

 

Doran

[Mrs Mungo]

I didn't list "getting up and getting dressed, get their hair combed", etc. because I wouldn't qualify that as a chore. Not saying you did either, just happened to notice your mention of it and remembered that I wanted to say that earlier.

 

Also, I failed to mention that they alternate feeding our cats. :001_smile:

 

Doran

 

I agree, I don't really consider it a chore either. We actually have chore charts and "wake up, make bed, get dressed, wash face and hands, comb hair, eat breakfast, clear place, brush teeth" is all listed under the "chore" titled "prepare yourself for the day." ;) I can see why those with younger kids would consider each of them a chore.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Both children (10 and 6) make their own beds, tidy rooms, get dressed and brush teeth. Both children put away the folded laundry in the afternoons.

 

Ds10: daily recycling, 2x a week sorting the laundry and starting the load of whites, 1x a week vacuum living and dining room, 1x a week works with his sister on cleaning the two bathrooms (he does the toilets and sinks), Friday is "special chore" day - last Friday his chore was to make ketchup for us (we have food allergies) and to organize one cabinet. Every day he is responsible for tidying his own room before dinner and helps his sister tidy the living room. He sets the table. We spend 1/2 a hour every non-rainy day doing yard work. On weekends he helps with everything I'm doing (grocery shopping, errands, etc.

 

Dd6: daily feeding of the two Springer Spaniels, daily dosing of us with our morning vitamins, 1x a week tidying and organizing our "church bag" (has Bibles, pens, paper etc.), 1x a week works with brother on the bathrooms (she's responsible for putting toothbrushes in the dishwasher, cleaning off the counters and helps with the mirrors), 1x a week she vacuums the bedrooms, 1x a week she dusts all the bedrooms, on our last "special chore Friday" she did some kitchen repairs (gorilla glued a knob back on the toaster oven and glued/clamped our knife block back together. She tidies her room in the p.m. and helps her brother tidy the living room. She doses us with our p.m. vitamins and feeds the dogs again. She helps with the yardwork and with the weekend chores.

[Kris]

My 15 y/o does the dishes and keeps the kitchen cleaned up. I figured this was fitting since he's the one eating all the time. I admit it was several months before I was able to pull dishes out of the cupboard without a *thorough* inspection, and it did take him awhile to get the hang of it, but he's doing a great job now. So I added the bathroom.

 

He takes out the trash, takes care of his room and does all his own laundry, takes care of feeding the animals -- and anything else that comes to mind at any given point in time.

[EKS]

Almost 12 yo:

Personal maintenance (shower, teeth, deal with retainer, etc)

Wake up on own (and on time)

Make own breakfast

Make own lunch

Clean up after own lunch

Clean room

Vacuum specified area each evening

Garbage out

Recycling out

Empty wastebaskets in house

Carry firewood around

Help with gardening

 

6 yo:

Clean room

Take compost to pile

Vacuum when asked

 

I think there's more but that's all I can think of now.

[Amy in Orlando]

I use a rotating (weekly) chore chart for the boys - that way no one is totally stuck cleaning the bathroom or doing the dishes. Each week it shifts. My 8-yr-old is not expected to do as much as the older boys. The chores on the chart of fairly minimal and repetitive. I just got tired of saying the same things over and over. But all the boys know and are willing (sometimes grudgingly) to help with what needs done at the moment. One of my 14-yr-olds spent the day helping his dad grout the shower in our bathroom. Later in the afternoon, he helped me tear carpet out of one of the bedrooms. Just depends on what needs to be done that day.

[Melissa B]

My children choose their chores each day (but they have become quite predictable.)

 

dd 10

morning:

room clean/bed made

fix breakfast for 4 children

wipe counters and clean up after breakfast

 

afternoon:

pick up outside after free time

pick up and sweep the porches

mop the kitchen floor (every other day) mop the bathroom/porch (every other day)

 

evening:

dry the dishes

wipe counters and clean up after dinner

 

 

dd 8

morning:

make bed/clean room

feed cats / cat litter box

 

afternoon:

Fix lunch

bathe the toddlers

clean the bathroom (sink/toilet daily and tub weekly)

wash/dry/fold/put away towels (usually one load every day)

 

evening:

feed cats / cat litter box

carry out the trash

 

dd4, ds - nearly 3

 

help make bed and pick up room

help pick up living room

help dry dishes (only because they want to)

help fold laundry

wash all windows (also because they choose to)

[dalynnrmc]

DS9 unloads the dishwasher, takes the trash bag to the outside trash, weekly takes trash and recycling down to the curb, weekly takes dirty laundry hampers to washing area and sorts, cleans own room including making the bed with clean sheets, and helps pick up living room nightly. Oh, and recently folds and puts away his own clean laundry.

 

DS4 and DS3 pick up after themselves as much as I can get them to do so, in the living room and in their own rooms (and if they make a mess in brother's room). Sometimes one or the other of them will want to help me with whatever (loading the dishwasher, switching or folding laundry, etc), and of course I never refuse the extra "help"!

[Cricket]

9 yo ds:

Unloads the dishwasher everyday but Sunday

Helps tidy up the house (we do different rooms on alternating days)

Vacuums the schoolroom twice a week

Vacuums the living room and bedroom once a week

Cleans the kids' bathroom three times a week (basically wiping things down with a wet rag and antibacterial wipes--I scrub the tub and toilet)

Keep bedroom clean (daily)

Fold and put away his own clothes (every other day or so)

 

6 yo ds:

Unloads the dishwasher on Sundays (he really wanted to do this job!)

Vacuums the exercise room once a week

Sorts the laundry into piles (one for each person) after it is dry (every other day or so)

Folds and puts away his own clothes (every other day or so)

Empties the recycling box when it gets full (maybe twice a week)

Gathers the garbage from small cans around the house (probably once a week)

Helps tidy up around the house (daily)

Keep bedroom clean (daily)

 

4 yo dd:

Helps sort clean laundry

Folds and puts away her own clothes (she loves this job)

Helps tidy up around the house (daily)

Uses the small hand-held vacuum to vacuum the stairs (once a week)

 

My kids love to vacuum. They actually argue over who gets to do it so I had to add it to their chore schedule.

 

2 yo dd:

She does what she can. She loves to help out. She carries her clothes up to her room after they are folded and helps pick up toys, that sort of thing.

[ChrisN in NY]

Current chores in our house:

 

All my dc are supposed to make their beds every day, but since I'm not consistent (AT ALL!) about checking up on it, no one does it. They also fold and put away their own laundry. 17yo has the attic bedroom to himself for this year, however, and he doesn't really put his clothes away -- they're just on the floor. Ugh. He's going to college in the fall. I'm quite sure he'll be significantly neater there.

 

Anyway...

 

17yo: cleans attic bathroom (supposed to be twice a week), sweeps the dining room (supposed to be daily), takes the toter out to the road every week and back, takes the recycing out to the road every other week. Watches the youngers when I need him to and he's home (as opposed to being at work or cc classes).

 

16yo: gets lunch ready (sets/clears table, gets ready what is needed) everyday, washes dinner dishes every day (& puts away the previous washing's dishes, etc.), vacuums stairs (supposed to be twice a week), cleans the 2nd floor bathroom (also supposed to be twice a week), some other odds and ends cleaning-wise, and is reponsible for the younger 3 while I'm at work 4 mornings a week.

 

13yo: sets/clears dinner table, washed breakfast/lunch dishes every day (& puts away the items from the previous washing), cleans the little bath on the 1st floor twice a week, dusts down here weekly, and some other odds and ends.

 

10yo: sets/clears the breakfast table, my plan was for her to help 16yo with those dishes but 16yo doesn't want the help, sweeps the kitchen floor every day

 

8yo: helps 13yo with the dinner table and with the breakfast/lunch dishes, vacuums the living room every day

 

I used to have the youngest 2 alternate vacuum and sweeping each day, but they asked if they could always do the same thing everyday, and they each LIKE the job they have.

 

They all help with yard work now that it's getting to be that time of year.

[Mom0012]

My kids (6 and 8 years old) straighten their rooms each day, do the dishes, unload the dishwasher, bring down the dirty laundry, put away their clean laundry, and vacuum under the table after each meal. They are also responsible for keeping the playroom cleaned up.

 

Lisa

[Tonia]

One dd (4 years old) - makes her bed, picks up her toys, dusts, helps set and clear the table.

[mcconnellboys]

Well, older ds is back in private school now, so has to be up and out very early in the morning. If he gets up quickly enough and gets ready, then he will make his bed and pick up some. If not, then he may leave his room messy until he gets back home, when he generally straightens it, as he doesn't like a mess much, himself.

 

He is responsible for keeping our main, large trashcan in the kitchen emptied, as well as our recycle bin. He takes the garbage cans to the curb on Sunday nights and retrieves them on Monday afternoon and puts them away.

 

He helps my husband in doing the dishes by emptying the dishwasher and putting things away.

 

He folds all the bath and beach towels in our house, of which there are a lot, because he swims daily. He keeps those put away, too.

 

He does his own laundry, mostly on the weekend.

 

He cleans his bedroom and a bath that he shares with my younger son, generally on Saturdays.

 

He keeps the cat litter box cleaned out (it's in their bathroom).

 

He mows the lawn in summer, weekly.

 

That's all I can think of for him right now.

 

My younger son (just turned 10) folds all the smaller hand and dish towels, washclothes, etc. and puts those away. He empties all the small trashcans into the larger one in the kitchen, pulling out recyclables as he goes.He helps put his clothes on hangars and put them away. He tidies his room on command and does other chores as we ask for them to be done. He feeds and waters the cat daily and also helps in caring for her litter box. He is her primary caregiver. When we have other critters in the house (as we will next year), he is also the primary caregiver for those. He tends any plants we have in the house, as well.

 

We are getting ready to ramp up his chores a bit, this summer, as he's finally getting tall enough to be able to do some more things now, LOL.....

[Crissy]

My guys are 14 and 9. They do the same chores, but the quality of the work differs because of the age gap.

 

Every day they do all or some of the following:

 

Make the beds

Sort the laundry

Wash and dry the laundry

Put away the folded laundry

Sweep or vacuum the floors

Load or empty the dishwasher

Take out the trash and recycling

Empty the food waste/compost

Set and/or clear the dining table

Dust the book shelves

Clean their own bathroom (counter, floor, tub and toilet)

 

We don't have a schedule for chores. Instead we start each day with some agreement about which chores will be covered by whom.

[emzhengjiu]

We don't have a specific schedule for chores either but I probably should make one. My daughters are 11 and 7.

 

Both:

make the beds,

pick up and vaccuum

sweep and mop

wash, dry and put up the dishes

take out the trash

clean the bathrooms except for the toilet bowl

feed the fish and cats

sort the laundry

fold and put up the laundry

walked and picked up after our dog before she died this past year

help in the kitchen

 

11 yo

takes care of the cat liter

washes clothes

helps more in the kitchen

 

 

Judy

[Shannon in MO]

ds:

unload the dishwasher whenever it needs it

take out the trash whenever it needs it

sweeps upstairs & down 1x/wk but sometime in between

sweeps upstairs where the muddy boots land whenever it needs it

clean both bathrooms (he loves this job!)

help daddy build/repair fences for horses, feed horses & dogs, stack firewood

 

dd:

fold all her & her brother's laundry 2x/wk (we only do laundry on Mon & Thurs) & put it away

dust 1x/wk

vacuum at least 1x/wk, usually twice

help daddy do outside stuff like ds & feed cats

help cook meals & doing many on her own (whew!)

 

Shannon

 

 

dust

[Stacy]

My kids are:

 

DS 17 yrs - only has to keep his bedroom clean, take out garbage, and keep the downstairs bathroom clean, since he is the one who primarily uses it. He used to do more, but with post-secondary school and work, he doesn't have as much time. He started his first meal clean-up at 5 years, like all the rest of my children.

 

DD 15 yrs - she currently does kitchen cleanup after supper every night. She also has a zone in the house which is her responsibility to keep tidy. And once a week on our cleaning day, she cleans more thoroughly in her zone and helps out anywhere that needs help. She gets paid for doing laundry. $1 a load (wash, dry, fold, put away). She also started out with breakfast cleanup at age 5.

 

DD 12 yrs - she currently does lunch cleanup everyday. Like her sister, she also has a zone to keep clean. She also gets paid for doing laundry. She also started out with breakfast cleanup at age 5.

 

DS 8 yrs - he currently does breakfast cleanup. He also has a zone.

 

DS 4 yrs - he will be 5 by the time school starts in the fall and he will be assigned his first household chore. Right now he just helps as needed, picking up toys, clothes, vacuuming stairway, sweeping, dusting.

 

DS 2 yrs - he makes most of the messes!

 

With joy!

Stacy