Diana B Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I was wondering if you could give me some ideas as to what you consider appropriate chores for an 8 yr old. And how much to do a day? We are only a 3 person family, so we don't end up with a lot of stuff that has to be done. I want to have enough for my son that he's got responsibility, but not so much that he's drowning in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersDozen Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 My 8yo's chores are: vacuuming, inside toilets, wash living room floor (at night), load/unload dishwasher/dishrack, sweep porches, help Mama dust, doorknobs and lightswitches. We have daily and weekly chores. Daily chores are kitchen and bedroom upkeep chores (dishwasher, sweep/wash floors, make bed, etc.). I have it so each dc has one weekly chore in addition to daily chores per day. Hope this helps! I also hope I don't sound like a slave driver, lol! Weekly chores only take 15-20 minutes if that so it's a small chunk of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I think 8 is a good age to start kitchen prep -- cleaning, cooking, organizing. Maybe he can take over one or two meals a week, starting small with breakfast (setting table, preparing meal, loading/washing dishes) - or perhaps taking one of those roles and rotating them with the other adults for any given meal. 8 is also good to vacuum, sweep, mop, and do general bathroom maintenance (mirrors, countertops, bathtub, toilet). 8 can sort, wash, hang, fold, and put away laundry - including breaking down and re-making beds with fresh linens. If you have pets, 8 can do most day-to-day pet care for your standard pets. 8 is a fantastic age for almost all chores, IME. My 5 year old does all of the above, but she's a "helper" type who enjoys housework. I'd have her doing all of the above by 8, if she wasn't already such an eager house-helper. Both of my kids enjoyed organizing at that age. I often asked them to help me organize and sort (not a daily chore, but a monthly or seasonally job that might take a week or so to complete). We'd do a deep-clean of the pantry shelves, cabinetry, etc, and they'd re-organize my food items, pots/pans, etc. They'd do the same with the linen closets and bathroom cabinets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koerarmoca Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 We have a few more hands in the chore pot so we rotate. Generally speaking our 9 year old (. Fixes breakfast for the early risers (usually her, 5 year old & 2 year old) Clears the table and scraps/rinse plates. Wipes down the bathroom (with homemade cleaning wipes) gathers her laundry and puts it away after washing. She is also my most organized child so she helps with school filing, organizing and inventory of supplies. She also scoops cat litter and helps with car cleaning and outside chores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsweetpea Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 My oldest just turned 8 in April and her chores have been for the past 6 months the following: -Unload dishwasher daily or every other day (as needed) while dinner is being made. Mommy loads it back up. -Sweep kitchen floor as needed (every day or every other day) - Fold towels and put away - Put away her clothing and her sisters (little sister can put away her undies). -Pick up the girls bedroom nightly and remind her sister to put away shoes (oldest does not get into trouble if little sisters shoes or toys lay out). -Pick up any toys, books and art supplies that she gets out each day before bed. -Vacuum her room weekly My 6 year old (turned 6 in June) does the following: -Vacuums living room floor 1x a week -Keep up with kids laundry. This requres that he makes sure their towels and dirty clothes are in the hamper and not on the floor. When the hamper is full he takes it to the laundry room and lets me know. -Puts away his clean laundry. -Keep his bedroom picked up daily. -Keep up with trash and our recycle bin inside. When a can gets full he takes it out to the larger cans. -Picks up his toys, electronics and art supplies at the end of the day. -Makes sure all pool toys are put in their bin after we swim. -Oh and snuggle with Mommy daily :lol: He added this to the chore chart himself. They both also clean glass, wipe baseboards and other odd chores like that when I am in my OCD deep clean modes. I get that way about once a month or every two months and everyone pitches in to get me over my hump much faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GardenTenders/Kim Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 (edited) My almost 4 yr old has a few chores. I admit I spend more time encouraging her when it comes to some. She feeds our dog and lets him out/in. She needs help cleaning her room. She begs to help load and unload dish washer so I let her we also work on making the bed now She also helps put things in the recycle bins Soon I will be adding helping to pick up laundry Glad to see chores are still encouraged! Also I don't think we will ever give allowance for normal chores. Famlies work together. Edited July 8, 2011 by MommaBear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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