What does your chore list entail for 7 and 8yo?

[RosieCotton]

Hello hive,

 

I'm wanting to add to the boys chore lists this year, and would like to hear some of what others are doing for hints.

 

While we've gotten a little off track the last month (3 week trip and haven't gotten back in it) they enjoy taking their chore tags off their charts every day and putting in the done basket.

 

Right now they are: making beds, sweeping floor daily, emptying bathroom garbages daily, helping 4yo old sister with jobs, putting away clean dishes, and setting and clearing the table. On laundry days they put away their clothes I fold and stack.

 

I guess they could start dusting for me. :) I was thinking they could help me sort and start washing the clothes this year maybe.

 

Everyone helps with toy pickup each night, but a think I need to set a timer because this is the thing that seems to not get done in time for bed.

 

What do your kids do or did they do at these ages?

 

 

 

 

[AimeeM]

I think your existing list sounds like plenty.

[zoobie]

Clean their bathrooms with supervision/assistance

Fold towels and napkins

Clean "dog nose art" off of the glass doors and window bottoms in the family room

Dusting (they love the Swiffer dusters)

Vacuum their rooms

Straighten mud room (mostly their stuff dumped not in its assigned place)

[Sasharowan]

For my older kids, they were folding their own clothes at those ages, but didn't start doing their own washing until about 10-11 yrs old. My ds8 just started folding and putting away his clothes this year. Cleaning mirrors and windows, dusting, wiping cupboard doors and baseboards are all things that my kids have done on occasion but not as regular weekly chores (except the mirrors).

[SKL]

My kids don't have enough chores.  Theoretically they are supposed to sweep all the non-carpeted floors, pick up after themselves, take care of their stuff (e.g., muddy riding boots), and help with laundry and kitchen work as asked.  In reality, I do not enforce any of these regularly.

 

I would like to add some actual responsibilities, i.e., don't wait until you are asked to do a load of laundry, just do xyz on a set day.  We'll see if I can make it happen.  They are very busy and don't get a lot of down time.

[J-rap]

I think your list sounds good as is for a daily list!  We might add a few extra jobs on the weekends or before company comes over.

 

Oh, how about clean up dog messes in the yard?  Also, I like the term "dog nose art" in the earlier post.  :)

[Catwoman]

No chores at all here.

 

What's the point of adding more chores to what they're already doing? Do you just want someone to do the housework for you?

 

I'm not trying to be snarky. I just don't understand the point of giving young kids lots of household chores. They'll have plenty of time to do those things when they get older. It sounds like the things they're currently doing are relatively quick, easy, and age-appropriate if you believe chores are important, but I wouldn't add to the list.

 

I know I'm in the minority here, but I am a big believer in childhood being fun and carefree, not filled with chores and responsibilities.

[RosieCotton]

Thanks for the input.

 

My major hot spot of mine is the kids room.

We walk thru their room to get to ours, and rarely is there a path . . . :cursing: and it just gets to me.
 so I need to try to figure out a better way as there is not currently another room to put toys in (working on that)

 

I think I'll add wash the table to daily after dinner, and the windows for once a week for sure. :)

No dog anymore to pick up after, snif snif and another big snif.

 

[SKL]

No chores at all here.

 

What's the point of adding more chores to what they're already doing? Do you just want someone to do the housework for you?

 

I'm not trying to be snarky. I just don't understand the point of giving young kids lots of household chores. They'll have plenty of time to do those things when they get older. It sounds like the things they're currently doing are relatively quick, easy, and age-appropriate if you believe chores are important, but I wouldn't add to the list.

 

I know I'm in the minority here, but I am a big believer in childhood being fun and carefree, not filled with chores and responsibilities.

 

Difference in philosophy.  Doing down-to-earth, physical, not-just-for-me activities is good for the mind and soul.  As is learning to manage responsibilities independently.  I am sure there are other ways to make that happen (e.g. volunteer work), but starting them at home seems a logical choice.

 

I don't push it as much as some people because we don't have a lot of "carefree" in our usual routine.  Also, some of their extracurriculars include chores / responsibilities.  Not sure if I'm getting the balance right or not.

[Grover]

My guys (7 and 5) clean up after themselves and help out as asked.  Bedrooms need to be tidied on Sunday afternoon.  Living areas ech evening.  DS is in charge of feeding the dog, DD the cat, and they put their laundry in their drawers after I've folded it (DS does - DD still needs guidance on this).  They run around and shut the curtains at the end of the day for me most days and take turns to vacuum our school room at the end of the week.  They take turns to fetch eggs / take scraps to the hens and help out with bringing in firewood as needed.  Sometimes they set the table or loa / empty the dishwasher.  Mostly they look at that stuff as being "allowed" to do it... "I'm allowed to vacuum the school room this week"  rather than chores though. 

[SKL]

Maybe if the bedroom is the big issue, you could drop the other chores and have them focus on just the bedroom for a while?

[SKL]

Cleaning their bedrooms is a hard job for kids that age IMO, unless they hardly have any stuff.

[RosieCotton]

Oh - thanks Catwoman. For me it's a parenting issue. I want them to be responsible for their own things, help each other, teach each other and work as a family. When they don't have this time dedicated they get in trouble and tend to argue with each other more. (Idle hands or whatever it is) For some reason it helps them get along better. :)

 

They have more than enough time for play each day and have their own time, more than the average PS child for sure during the school year. ! And summers are laid back here big time. For everyone!

 

 

[Soror]

We are doing rotating chores now, so it varies:

 

things dd7 could possibly do in a week:

clean bathroom

check mail

dust

trash

vacuum

set table

help with breakfast

 

things expected:

clean up messes as able

clean room 

pitch in when help is needed

 

Why my kids do chores, well I'm not wealthy enough to have a maid. and I think teaching independence is a good thing, not just in responsibilities but in privileges as well. We do things together, the fun stuff and the hard work.  

 

I see our favorite one star rater has come to this thread, not surprisingly.

[zoobie]

No chores at all here.

 

What's the point of adding more chores to what they're already doing? Do you just want someone to do the housework for you?

 

I'm not trying to be snarky. I just don't understand the point of giving young kids lots of household chores. They'll have plenty of time to do those things when they get older. It sounds like the things they're currently doing are relatively quick, easy, and age-appropriate if you believe chores are important, but I wouldn't add to the list.

 

I know I'm in the minority here, but I am a big believer in childhood being fun and carefree, not filled with chores and responsibilities.

Most of mine are directly related to the kid. By 7-8, DS was perfectly capable of aiming or wiping up if he missed, and yet he didn't until he had to clean his toilet. Same with the toothpaste gobs in the sink and mirror smears. They've both gotten so much better about rinsing the sink, etc. so that cleaning the bathroom is not much more than a little extra wiping. They each have their own bathroom, so they're not cleaning anyone else's mess. Once the little girls start using the girl bathroom, we will revise it. One of my friends had to clean her parents' room and bathroom. I always thought that was super weird. I (and/or DH, hahaha) clean our main bathroom and our master bathroom. I gladly would hand this all off to a house cleaner if we had one!

 

Same thing with straightening the mudroom (which entails putting shoes in correct basket, putting bike helmets and balls etc. in the correct basket)

 

The window wiping, the older two love to do this. I started to and they both jumped up and asked to help. Um, sure! Same with dusting. Little weirdos.

 

Folding towels and napkins--usually I'm standing right there doing it with them while we chat or they do it while watching Spongebob. ;)

 

Now the dishwasher unloading, I fully admit that I farm that out because I haaaaate it. The two big kids alternate and it takes them 5 minutes.

 

I think mine still have pretty fun childhoods. I don't go wire hangers on them, though when they complain about picking up their own shoes, I will sing "It's a Hard Knock Life" to them... ;)

[JumpyTheFrog]

I'm a "mean mom" and make my boys do more chores than most non-farm kids their age. Why?

 

1. They are little tornadoes of mess making, also known around here as "slobnadoes." We've all read threads here with wives complaining about their husbands being slobs. I am not their maid and if they marry, their wife won't be their maid, either. The world would be a happier place if everyone cleaned up after themselves, as much as they are able.

 

2. This is one way I can do my part to help give them a good work ethic. Having a chores list gives them a chance outside of schoolwork to practice staying on task, working in a timely manner, and being thorough. If we are doing yardwork, I can remind them that when they are adults, they will either have to work hard with their minds or hard with their bodies. If they prefer a trade that's fine, but many people end up working construction or other body-wrecking jobs not because they like it, but because they have few other options.

 

3. I am teaching them habits. It is better to learn to clean up after yourself as a child than to try to reform bad habits as an adult. Sure, adults can change, but why let bad habits take root for 18 years first.

 

4. Since they are homeschooled, even an hour of work per day still gives them more free time than they'll ever have in the rest of their life. Also, their life is still carefree since they don't have adult problems to worry about. Having to empty the dishwasher, do their laundry, and sweep the kitchen is carefree compared to worrying about paying bills, working a stressful job, taking care of a baby, etc. Their time is still mostly spent having fun.

 

5. Doing chores helps (hopefully) them remember that Mommy and Daddy are people too, who are not here to serve them all their lives. The world doesn't revolve around them.

 

6. Doing chores helps give them confidence because they see they are able to do useful work. It is an antidote to the helpless attitude my youngest sometimes displays. Schoolwork often doesn't feel useful to them, but they can see when the dishwasher is full that is really needs to be emptied. It doesn't mean they like it, but at least they know that it's useful.

[Catwoman]

I'm a "mean mom" and make my boys do more chores than most non-farm kids their age. Why?

 

1. They are little tornadoes of mess making, also known around here as "slobnadoes." We've all read threads here with wives complaining about their husbands being slobs. I am not their maid and if they marry, their wife won't be their maid, either. The world would be a happier place if everyone cleaned up after themselves, as much as they are able.

 

2. This is one way I can do my part to help give them a good work ethic. Having a chores list gives them a chance outside of schoolwork to practice staying on task, working in a timely manner, and being thorough. If we are doing yardwork, I can remind them that when they are adults, they will either have to work hard with their minds or hard with their bodies. If they prefer a trade that's fine, but many people end up working construction or other body-wrecking jobs not because they like it, but because they have few other options.

 

3. I am teaching them habits. It is better to learn to clean up after yourself as a child than to try to reform bad habits as an adult. Sure, adults can change, but why let bad habits take root for 18 years first.

 

4. Since they are homeschooled, even an hour of work per day still gives them more free time than they'll ever have in the rest of their life. Also, their life is still carefree since they don't have adult problems to worry about. Having to empty the dishwasher, do their laundry, and sweep the kitchen is carefree compared to worrying about paying bills, working a stressful job, taking care of a baby, etc. Their time is still mostly spent having fun.

 

5. Doing chores helps (hopefully) them remember that Mommy and Daddy are people too, who are not here to serve them all their lives. The world doesn't revolve around them.

 

6. Doing chores helps give them confidence because they see they are able to do useful work. It is an antidote to the helpless attitude my youngest sometimes displays. Schoolwork often doesn't feel useful to them, but they can see when the dishwasher is full that is really needs to be emptied. It doesn't mean they like it, but at least they know that it's useful.

I nominate this post for Post of the Week, because I now have a new word in my vocabulary and plan to use it on my ds at least twice today (you know, for practice and all.) :D

 

SLOBNADOES is a great word, and should be made into a TV movie, just like Sharknado.

[athomeontheprairie]

Ahhh! I switched from mobile to full mode, and in doing so touched the wrong part of the screen. Please don't stone me... I didn't mean to rate this as 2 stars, and and if you tell me how to fix it, I will!

[Joyofsixreboot]

My almost 7 yo cleans the cat box, takes out loads of recycling. Picks up, does dishes and helps sweep and vacuum. Not all of these every day. Cat box and picking up are her " assigned" duties.

[DesertBlossom]

6. Doing chores helps give them confidence because they see they are able to do useful work. It is an antidote to the helpless attitude my youngest sometimes displays. Schoolwork often doesn't feel useful to them, but they can see when the dishwasher is full that is really needs to be emptied. It doesn't mean they like it, but at least they know that it's useful.

 

I read a book a while back about implementing chores... and the author said that children who do chores that benefit the whole group are much more aware of and attentive to other people's needs. She gave the example of a culture where the children collect firewood so the whole family could be warm and cook their food. They grow up learning their work benefits other people and they pay attention to what needs to be done.  I think about that a lot, especially when there is a lot of griping about chores and I start to think it might be easier to do things myself.  I want my children to grow up being sensitive to the needs of others. People seem to be more and more self-centered and selfish and I don't want that for my children. So in addition to being able to clean up after themselves, I want my children to be able to look outside of themselves and see where they can be helpful. 

 

My mom was the kind of person that wherever she was, she asked what she could do to help, or she would just start helping if she could see something that needed to be done. Because of that, I feel really guilty if I'm sitting around while others are cleaning or putting things away. (and I think that's a good thing)

 

For the OP, my 7 and 8 year old clean the bathroom (nearly all of it) by themselves.  They vacuum, clean windows, wash and rinse dishes, clean out the car... I confess that my kids don't fold their clothes. When they were toddlers I realized how frustrated I would get when they messed up their neatly folded clothes as they looked for something to wear. So I quit folding clothes altogether. Clothes are organized by type (shirts, shorts, pajamas, etc) but this way even the 3 (now 4) year old can put his clothes away all by himself. But I don't care if the clothes are all just shoved inside the drawer as long as it's closed and I don't have to see it!

[JumpyTheFrog]

SLOBNADOES is a great word, and should be made into a TV movie, just like Sharknado.

Yup, I was inspired by that title of that movie. I've never seen it, but I'm glad it was made so I could invent the word.

[HS Mom in NC]

I was raised on farm. I was doing more at 6-8 than most teens do in the 'burbs and city.  City/suburban living is super easy when it comes to chores.  Nuero typical children should be able to do all household and yardwork type chores, with the exception of mowing, by age 6.

 

My kids started with chores by picking up what they got out as late toddlers. They had to be instructed and supervised, but they learned how to put things back in toy boxes and bins.  They learned to unload non-breakables (plastic place settings) by age 2 into bins in lower cabinets in the kitchen after I unloaded breakables and sharps.

 

My kids hang up their own laundry and put it away at age 3. All my kids learn to do their own laundry by age 8. I don't fold laundry.  It hangs because it stays neater when you rifle though hung up clothes compared to rifling through a drawer of folder clothes.  Socks, undies and denim shorts usually sit on a shelf or in a drawer because wrinkling isn't an issue with them. I don't buy clothes that need ironing. Life is too short. We had hanger lessons for a while when they were 3.  I had a lowered clothing rods and pictures on each drawer for what went in there when they were very young. They also sorted their own laundry as I had pictures and a row of hampers for whites, colors, darks and towels in the mater bathroom we shared. We call matching/sorting games "laundry" at my house.

 

I spent ages 4-5 having my kids follow me and "help" clean bathrooms with spray bottles of water and microfiber cleaning cloths. They took it over on their own by age 6. Since that's a large job with many tasks. I gave them a reusable  a plastic covered checklist and a wet erase marker so "I forgot" wasn't a possible response. They knew exactly what I was looking for when I checked that they were done. 

 

I own a canister vacuum so my kids can learn to vacuum by age 6.

 

Everyone 6 and older does their own a laundry at their convenience and is on the rotating monthly chores list. I'm on that list too.  My husband is not because he does things no one else can do including working 10+ hours, 6 days a week most of the time. Chores happen after everyone has been called downstairs and told to pick up and straighten up anything they got out. The chores for the month happen after school (this changes when they're not being schooled at home and have paid work outside the home) and includes things like  litterboxes, unloading the dishwasher, scraping food off the dishes, loading the dishes, feeding/watering the cats, vacuuming, mopping, dusting, cleaning a  bathroom, washing windows, sweeping the courtyard, sweeping the patios, cleaning the refrigerator, etc. 

Chores that require a child to be older include washing vehicles and mowing. 

[HS Mom in NC]

No chores at all here.

 

What's the point of adding more chores to what they're already doing? Do you just want someone to do the housework for you?

 

I'm not trying to be snarky. I just don't understand the point of giving young kids lots of household chores. They'll have plenty of time to do those things when they get older. It sounds like the things they're currently doing are relatively quick, easy, and age-appropriate if you believe chores are important, but I wouldn't add to the list.

 

I know I'm in the minority here, but I am a big believer in childhood being fun and carefree, not filled with chores and responsibilities.

 

I think childhood is training for adulthood. Also, I think we create the wrong mindset when we teach them that they don't have to pick up after themselves, contribute to cleaning up messes they contribute to and aren't expected to do thing they're perfectly capable of things like help taking care of and contributing to the group, not just themselves. I don't believe childhood should only be fun and carefree.  I think that's unbalanced.  It should also include responsibilities, challenges and some drudgery because I don't want childhood to be a fantastical parallel universe to adult life for my kids.

[Ausmumof3]

Thanks for the input.

 

My major hot spot of mine is the kids room.

We walk thru their room to get to ours, and rarely is there a path . . . :cursing: and it just gets to me.

so I need to try to figure out a better way as there is not currently another room to put toys in (working on that)

 

I think I'll add wash the table to daily after dinner, and the windows for once a week for sure. :)

No dog anymore to pick up after, snif snif and another big snif.

I wouldn't add to that list. I would possibly lessen what they are doing and increase expectations on the bedroom front if that bugs you. Or trade off them doing some of your jobs for you doing the bedroom if they really hate it.

 

Or add more options but on a rotating schedule

[JumpyTheFrog]

I think childhood is training for adulthood. Also, I think we create the wrong mindset when we teach them that they don't have to pick up after themselves, contribute to cleaning up messes they contribute to and aren't expected to do thing they're perfectly capable of things like help taking care of and contributing to the group, not just themselves. I don't believe childhood should only be fun and carefree.  I think that's unbalanced.  It should also include responsibilities, challenges and some drudgery because I don't want childhood to be a fantastical parallel universe to adult life for my kids.

We've all read about "men" in their late 20s still living at home playing video games all day while their mom does their laundry. I just read most of "Boys Adrift," which is about the number of young men who have failed to launch after high school or college. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised there wasn't a chapter in their about kids not doing many chores. In any case, I'm attemtping to raise responsible, future men, husbands, employees or employers, and dads here. I don't want to raise my grandkids, so I better to my best to raise my boys to be true men, and at their current ages, that means chores.

[Catwoman]

I think childhood is training for adulthood. Also, I think we create the wrong mindset when we teach them that they don't have to pick up after themselves, contribute to cleaning up messes they contribute to and aren't expected to do thing they're perfectly capable of things like help taking care of and contributing to the group, not just themselves. I don't believe childhood should only be fun and carefree.  I think that's unbalanced.  It should also include responsibilities, challenges and some drudgery because I don't want childhood to be a fantastical parallel universe to adult life for my kids.

  

We've all read about "men" in their late 20s still living at home playing video games all day while their mom does their laundry. I just read most of "Boys Adrift," which is about the number of young men who have failed to launch after high school or college. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised there wasn't a chapter in their about kids not doing many chores. In any case, I'm attemtping to raise responsible, future men, husbands, employees or employers, and dads here. I don't want to raise my grandkids, so I better to my best to raise my boys to be true men, and at their current ages, that means chores.

None of the kids in our family had chores growing up and we all turned out just fine.

 

We will have to agree to disagree on this one. :)

[rmtzc2009]

Wipe down kitchen chairs

Clean up dog messes in the backyard

Bring in trash cans

Wipe bathroom counters

Toilets

Dusting

Mom helps the kids organize the bedroom, make sure to minimize "stuff" and have places for everything. Then the kids should be able to manage their rooms mostly by themselves.

[SKL]

While I do believe in chores, I am at a loss to remember any specific chores I had before I was 9, other than cleaning my room, which is kind of a joke....

[greenvneck]

At that age mine were also unloading and loading the dishwasher, doing basic bathroom cleaning w/ disposable wipes (sinks, counters, exterior toilet areas), swiffering, vacuuming, dusting, taking out kitchen trash & recycles daily and bathroom trashes as needed, bringing all bed linens to me for washing and putting them back on beds when clean, feeding & watering pets (thank goodness no pets now!). The chores still only took about three hours total a WEEK, so maaaaaybe 20-30 minutes a day, spread throughout the day. IMO, extremely reasonable for a child of that age.

 

ETA: Sorry, got confused about OP and other postings, so I see now that you already included some of mine.

[greenvneck]

Oh, and? My 9yo has the MOST IMPORTANT CHORE EVER. He makes coffee for me. The end.

[RosieCotton]

I also have to share, that my sister, with the best of intentions of course, did my nephews laundry for him thru HS, and only made him clean his bathroom and his room occasionally.

 

Now, in his 3rd year of college, my parents cannot visit his house he is renting (even when he is the only one there over the summer) because of the mess thrown about everywhere. Dishes piled up everywhere, and it's really bad in every room.

The bathroom however is clean. Hmmmm.

 

He cannot do things that were never taught, or made important to him earlier on I think.

Some of this yes typical young man stuff I get that, but I think it is deeper issue than just that too.

 

More food for thought. :)

[solascriptura]

Sorry! I rated this incorrectly and I don't think I can change it! Sheesh. Anyhow, at this age, I have them doing chores for spending money. We don't do allowances that aren't tied to work.

 

Mopping

Sweeping

Cleaning bathroom counters

Picking up the yard

Wiping appliances

Vacuuming

 

I give a certain amount for each chore that is done. If they don't do chores, they don't get any spending money.

[TheBugs]

My kids have to make their beds, pick up their toys/clothes and straighten their desks every morning. They have to put away their laundry. Their other responsibilities include brushing their teeth, showering and getting to bed by 8:30. They also have to come to the table with a sharpened pencil when we start their lessons.

 

They want to have more chores, they would love to dust or vacuum, but they have to be consistent with their responsibilities before I will let them do more chores. I just know that they would treat dusting and vacuuming as playing and I don't know what kind of trouble they would get into. They would love to clean the bath tub and toilets too, but that would probably be a disaster.

[simplemom]

I sway between Cat's theory and hard core work like the Ingalls and Wilders had in the Little House on the Prairie books. I felt guilty when I heard about kids doing all their own laundry by age 7 and doing all the vacuuming and dishes. My kids would be capable of this if I trained them well, but I also want them to have time to play to their heart's content during this brief period of young childhood as well. In addition, I want them to be able to spend time playing an instrument (for my oldest this is beginning piano) and reading lots during the day. For now, I am more lax and mostly require them to clean up after themselves after playing or after meal time, tidy their rooms before bed, put their clothes away, help set the dinner table, help me on the fly whenever I ask with laundry/dishes/cleaning/general pickup, and feed/water the dog. Sometimes it is easy for them to fix their own breakfast or lunch, and they do that once in a while if we aren't pressed for time. They get assigned more chores on heavier cleaning days, I give one task at a time for that because I don't follow a set order in cleaning. Things they know they are supposed to do routinely, like put away clothes or clear their dishes, yet continually forget to do, I have them do 5 times repeatedly because I get tired of telling them to do routine simple things. My long term goal is for them to be independent and able to run a household well by age 16-18.

 

The list OP posted sounds quite appropriate, with a little more or less chores being okay as well.

[SKL]

I also have to share, that my sister, with the best of intentions of course, did my nephews laundry for him thru HS, and only made him clean his bathroom and his room occasionally.

 

Now, in his 3rd year of college, my parents cannot visit his house he is renting (even when he is the only one there over the summer) because of the mess thrown about everywhere. Dishes piled up everywhere, and it's really bad in every room.

The bathroom however is clean. Hmmmm.

 

He cannot do things that were never taught, or made important to him earlier on I think.

Some of this yes typical young man stuff I get that, but I think it is deeper issue than just that too.

 

More food for thought. :)

 

Honestly, my friends who did not have household chores (or whose parents didn't enforce them) are ... I'm sorry .... slobs.  Yep, I said it. 

 

Now, one could question whether their parents just didn't have it in them to fight the slob factor for their whole childhood.  Maybe parents with naturally neat kids give more chores because it's easier, and vice versa.  My parents had 6 kids, and some of them were, are, and will always be slobs.  And these slobs did have chores, though they weren't good about doing them.  I was the kid who was good at cleaning and didn't loathe it too much, so I got most of the cleaning chores.  And now, I'm pretty good at keeping house when I put my mind to it.  I'm just not sure the cause/effect is entirely clear.

 

[LifeLovePassion]

My girls have learned to wipe down and straighten the bathroom sink. They haven't done toilets yet. They both can switch laundry from the washer to the dryer. I have post it's marking the settings. The older learned to start the wash, she is working at learning on folding. They both put their clothes away and some household items like towels. The younger learned the dishwasher. She will empty it and has started learning to load it. They both have to clean their things and do 20-30 minutes of general household chores. All 3 of us do this daily after lunch. That is general clean up, vacuuming, take the recycling outside, etc.

[LifeLovePassion]

Oh and weeding. They help some and can earn more for attitude issues.

[OneStepAtATime]

Since their room area seems to be the biggest issue, consider starting an apprenticeship program.  Tell them they are going to be doing a training program on how to maintain a room.  Do not expect them to know how, no matter how many times you have told them.  First, in a very positive manner, show them and verbally walk through what you are doing and why.  Do that at least a couple of times.  Then have them doing it with you.  Go slow.  Talk through WHY you are doing what you are doing.  Provide scaffolding so they don't feel punished or lost on what comes next.  This is NOT intuitive for many kids.  Then have them doing the cleaning with you offering lots of POSITIVE feedback.  Do not criticize.  Point out what they are doing right.  When they can do it independently, give them a little certificate and have a small party.  Teach them the skills and make this a positive, affirming experience and it is FAR more likely to get done consistently in the future.  Best wishes.