Afternoon/Evening routine for the children

[Flowergirl159]

Just wondering what others do for afternoon evening chores for the children. We have a good morning chore list happening before we do school and our daily activities. But chores are only getting done first up in the mornings. Three afternoons a week we will be leaving the house about 3pm and arriving home around 6pm, so ideally, I would like to have a similar time each day for afternoon chores. I'd like to include, tidying up, helping with dinner, not sure what else. What to others do and when do you fit it in, particularly if you are out at other activities?

[LindaOz]

We have what I call '5 o'clock jobs' which include:

 

- general tidy of living area

- set the table for dinner

- unpack the dishwasher ready for reloading

- bring in clean laundry (we hang ours out on the clothes line), fold, and put in rooms/away.

- help with or cook dinner (depending on who is doing the job.)

- tidy the entry way (it's usually cluttered with shoes and bags etc by this time).

 

HTH

[happypamama]

In the afternoon, usually around 4:30, since DH gets home about 5:30, my children each tidy an area of the house and put away laundry. They take out trash and collect dirty laundry and put away dishes in the morning, but once a week, they haul the trash and recycling to the curb in the afternoon. They also work any mess in their rooms in the afternoon, if they have time, depending on what else we are doing that day. They like when I have them help me with dinner too. I also sometimes have them vacuum the area they've tidied. Oh, and they get their schoolwork areas in order -- papers, small toys, drawing materials, etc. tend to accumulate on those surfaces, and I like them neat to start each morning.

[Gil]

I wish I could have a more set schedule for the kids, but with our current situation it just isn't possible. However, I can't stand mess, clutter or junk so we have a minimalist sort of household. I devised a set of rules that works because it has us mostly clean-as-we-go. My goal is that by keeping the house clean all the time when we find ourselves together, we can be together talking/playing/joking/mathing/etc. Not cleaning up. Because we usually don't have a lot of time together during the day I have to be super-super strict with the boys about chores.

 

Along with any generic minor task that needs to be done, The boys share the following chores:

Fold and put away their clean clothes
Keep their dirty clothes separated and in the appropriate hamper.
Clean the bathroom sink and floor behind themselves. Every.Single.Time (House of men, none of us sit unless required to.)
Keep their toys out of the floor. (If someone steps on a toy, it is theirs for a week, they can do with it what they want...including donate it.)
Scrape their dishes and stack them neatly by the sink.

Keep their water bottles up (Same 16oz water bottle refilled and keep the bottle filled with water and on the counter. Drink at least 3 bottles daily)

Round up the trashcans 2x a week so that I can compact it into 1 big bag and clean the cans.

Also, they have to keep up with the library books and on Friday they have to make sure they are all accounted for because we go to the library on the weekends.

 

One grandmother thinks that the boys do too much and spoils them every chance she gets  :rolleyes: , my mother thinks that they need to be taught to make their beds also :blush: ! (Whats that saying about pleasing the people...). Also, I don't micromanage them when they do house work. I don't distinguish who should do what, I wake them both up if even 1 one simple thing needs to be done because I want them both developing responsibility and responsiveness because we ALL live here. Not just me. Not just Buddy and Not just Pal.

 

The real secret of how I keep  my house clean virtually 24/7:: We clean up before we go to bed. Like, no matter what. Scream, holler, cry, whine, yell, tantrum--you may not sleep if any room of the house is messy. You will clean up before you go to bed. I instituted a new rule a couple of years ago: Once you are 5y6mo you can NOT go to bed if the house is messy. If you fall asleep, you will be woken up, no matter the hour. I did this because it was becoming overwhelming for me to keep the house up to par, work outside the home and study for school. Honestly? I think it was one of the best decisions that I ever made. Buddy, my slovenly child, cried for almost 3 weeks straight whenever I made him get out of bed and clean up, Pal threw ridiculous tantrums for a while but after the adjustment phase ended, they both learned that if they don't make it to the end of the day in a messy house then they can drop off when they like. Now they pick up pretty regularly, complete their chores with minimal oversight, do a good job and our house stays clean virtually 24/7.

 

I do the cooking, wash the laundry, wash dishes, vacuum, quick clean the bathroom 3x a week, mop the kitchen and bathroom, keep their school binders in order, keep my own stuff in order, wash the car, sweep the porch, organize the closet and everything else that needs to be done.  All of us live here so we all get up when something is amiss. Just a couple of days after New Years the boys had to get up at 2:17 am and help me pick up the living room because they weren't supposed to go to sleep before the house was clean. That hasn't happened again in 30 days and when they start yawning and getting in bed they'll ask one another: "Wait! Is X Y or Z done? Lets just check now. I don't want to see you at 2:17"

 

This summer I am going to fix our rickety sink and give the boys 2 days a piece to wash the dishes. This will be their first individual chore and I think it will be a good transitional step for them. We clean the fridge 2x a month as family simply because I hate doing it as much as they do so the only fair way is for everyone to suffer together. I ditched all paper/plastic dishes and bought 3 complete sets of plastic eating ware. Everyone has a different color and must keep their dishes clean so if I see a red bowl or a green plate I know who to call.

 

 

[My3girls]

We end school about a 1/2 hour before we go anywhere, and that is afternoon chore time. It involves things like empty dishwasher, take out trash, straighten up the front room/ bedrooms. Then we when we get back, they just have help with dinner or clean-up after dinner which rotates. Friday is a 1/2 school day so bigger chores are done then like bathrooms, sheets, bring down dirty clothes, etc... Clothes are put away whenever I fold them which is whenever I have time. Lol

[lots of little ducklings]

Our morning chore routine is fairly extensive, and my dcs are still little enough for afternoon/evening meltdowns, so we just have an afternoon tidy-up session around 4pm, followed by quiet play, reading, finishing up schoolwork, or a movie. (Basically anything that prevents lots of new messes.) Plus the usual set-the-table and clear-the-table responsibilities, but those aren't a big deal. We are all too tired by dinner to add much more to the p.m. chore list just yet.

[...................]

Afternoon:  

Straighten up the living room

3:00-5:00 mandatory play or exercise outside time/trip to park

 

After Dinner:

Ds- dishes, and clear/wipe the table

dd-pots and pans

Mom- counters, stove, floor

 

Evening Routine: (about an hour before bed, listed on their walls)

clean room

pajamas

brush teeth/floss

last glass of water

Math Facts Drill

 

They are usually motivated in the evening by the fact that we will have family time after their evening routines are finished.  They are not at all motivated in the morning and have to be told to go and do it.  

 

My kids both now shower in the morning and it is definitely the best thing ever.  :o)  But then again, I believe after ten years old all people should shower in the morning.  :o)  At your kids ages, the 8 year old could probably begin showers in the morning, but the rest will be at night.   You will have less dishes helpers but age 7 was the age I taught both of my kids to do dishes, how to wash by hand and also use the dishwasher.  At age 8 we added pots and pans.  

 

 

[Flowergirl159]

Great! Thanks for your ideas :) We have been away for a couple of days, just I have just checked in to read your replies. Thanks again :)