LauraBeth475 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 What and how much chores would you consider age appropriate for a 13 yob, 7 yog, and 6 yog? Chore assignments are causing a lot of conflict around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiara.I Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I can really only answer for the 6-7 year old age. And this isn't what I'm making stick around here, necessarily, yet. But working on it. I don't see that boy or girl matters much, they both need to know how to do stuff, and they both live in the house. Fold and put away own laundry. Set table for dinner (when plates/glasses have been got down, they're too high in a cupboard here.) Clean bathroom. (This came about because I, I am not the one who sprays on the seat and off the sides. So I got tired of being the one to clean it.) Make bed. Tidy toy area floor daily (but only if it's daily. If it's been let go for weeks, I help them with it because it overwhelms me--how much more them? Then they can maintain it daily.) Empty dishwasher. Help with dinner prep. Those don't all happen all the time, yet. I wouldn't expect helping with dinner prep every day, for instance. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer132 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 My oldest is ten, but he takes out the trash when it's full, takes the bins to the curb, and helps with the weeding on a regular basis. He's also learning to mow, but he still need guidance in that. By 13, I'm certain he will be mowing regularly on his own. Occasionally he will vacuum a few rooms for me, if asked. He and his just turned 9 yo sister wash the dishes together (by hand, not in the dishwasher) and sort, fold and hang their own laundry. My 9 yo girl also makes breakfast for us every morning (smoothies and dry Cheerios and a piece of fruit) and empties the dish drainer. I pay them to scrub the showers if they get really bad. They are also expected to clean their rooms when asked, and tidy up the school room if I mention it. They are sometimes asked to wipe the table or counter down or sweep the floors. The three year olds don't do much but help clean up their toys. And if I let them help in the kitchen or with folding wash cloths, they are overjoyed! :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 My 13 year old's daily chores are animal care for a dog and a rabbit and emptying the dishwasher. In addition to that she does her own laundry and takes care of her room. She sometimes will cook dinner for us. She is capable of doing any other chore around the house and often is asked to pitch in but those are not set chores but are done as needed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Are you city or rural? I have kids that are 11-27 but given 3 have special needs they are in the 10-14 year old range developmentally. I have daily chore charts for each child. They include: Morning make bed, brush teeth, comb hair, take meds (for those that do), eat, pick up belongings Before FUN rotating chores like vacuuming, dusting, dishwasher, pulling weeds, weed wacking, shoveling (winter), cleaning their bathrooms, bringing down laundry, putting away laundry, cleaning the mini van, washing the van, cleaning the garage, taking care of inside pets, etc. My girls also usually have to scoop one wheelbarrow load of horse poop a day as they each own a horse. Before bed shower (on an every other day basis or more if needed), take meds (again those that need it), pick up all of your belongs from around the house, all dishes to dishwasher, read for 20 minutes (could be done any time of the day), etc. My kids each get allowance. Oldest 2 get $10/week, next one gets $6/week (but other $4 week goes to her cell phone bill) and youngest gets $5/week but he has less chores overall. He has 3 weekly visits with bio parents and counseling so isn't home as much and gets other treats that way. IF my kids don't want to do their own chores, that is fine with me, but then they can pay a sibling 50 cents to $1 to do the chore for them.. 95-99% of the time they quickly reconsider and just do the chore in order to save their money. They can also earn extra money by doing more/extra chores. There is always $1/load of horse poop :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I can answer what my kids do. My 10yo loads and unloads the dishwasher and hand washes what needs to be hand washed (I have some ceramic cookware...) except the cast iron. It's too heavy. She also sweeps and mops the kitchen floor. She loves the steam mop. We also have a dog and chickens, and she feeds and waters both first thing in the morning. My 9yo folds and puts away laundry for everyone. I help when there is more than expected, but the usual amount of clothes is her domain. She handles the dog and the chickens in the evening. My 6yo picks up trash in the dining room, living room, and hallway and preps it to be vacuumed. He is responsible for making sure the dog gets the supplements she needs for her urinary issues. (I put her meds in a little tray for each day of the week, and he puts them in pill pockets and gives them to her.) Of course they keep their rooms tidy, but that's their living space and their responsibility. They are compensated for their chores so that they can learn the value of money and make their mistakes early. We buy needs and special things on Christmas and birthdays, but aside from that if they want it they earn it. Right now I am dealing with a pretty severe injury to my dominant shoulder, so they are doing more to help out and are being compensated for that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 None as long as they are busy and willing to come help you or dad when needed. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I just set up a chore chart for my kids this week. So far it is working but we'll see. DD14 and DD13: sweep, mop, pick=up, laundry, dishes, clean room, mow lawn DS9: sweep, room, laundry, and helping dad as much as he can. Getting all of this done is allowing me to spend time doing more deep cleaning. At least that's the idea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I expect a lot of my kids. I think a good dose of responsibility is important, and they need to be contributing to the household. I only have the younger crowd right now, no teenagers, but even my 2 year old has chores. Imagining I had a 6, 7 and 13, chores would probably look like 6yo Clean lounge room, bed room, and play room daily. Empty Dishwasher daily Clean outside veranda, put away outside toys, etc. Put Away own Laundry, and share hanging out duties with sibling (hanging washing on a line is still standard in my country) Weeding/Garden work once or twice a month 7yo Clean lounge room, bed room and play room daily. Help fill Dishwasher Clean bathroom (obviously not bleaching the shower, but benches and sinks etc) Put Away own Laundry, and share hanging out duties with sibling (hanging washing on a line is still standard in my country) Weeding/Garden work once or twice a month 13yo Clean bedroom Fill dishwasher and hand wash extra dishes daily, clean kitchen Vaccum (and mop as needed, in our house that is once or twice a month) Prepare breakfast (when I can hand this chore off to an older child it will help my mornings SO much. Right now I'm so busy in the morning I don't even eat breakfast because I just don't have time if I want to get a good start) Mowing and weed wacking once or twice a month. That leaves, for me, lunch and dinner, and running the washing machine/dryer, and picking up my own room, plus the school room and craft room. Plus grocery shopping and all those other mum things. And my husband, heavy yardwork and deep cleaning/chemical cleaning the kitchen/laundry as I am allergic to strong chemicals. I'm ok with the children doing more housework between them than I do, because at these ages I will be spending a lot of time homeschooling, especially spending one-on-one time with students while the rest do their own thing. I also spend a lot of time researching and planning, not just schoolwork but we are very intentional about the toys and books we buy, and I am usually planning some sort of trip or special outing. Plus I work part time and hope to continue. As it is, with only younger kids, my husband does most of the chores and there's still no such thing as 'me' time here. I'm hoping in a few years, when the kids can step up a bit more, my husband can help a bit more with my workload instead of house cleaning, and I might get an afternoon once a week to do a craft project or something lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 My kids have no chores but our home (condo) is so small that even I have no housework to do other than cooking hubby's lunch for work and cooking the family dinner. Kids put away their own clean laundry and put their dirty laundry into the dirty laundry basket. They clean up their own mess and make their own lunch. Hubby does the laundry and the vacuuming. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I work on my kids picking up after themselves and pitching in when I ask as needed. They are 13 and 10. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 By 13, my kids can do anything I do, although perhaps not super-well. Since my teens have been in high school, their weekly chores have not been as well-planned, meaning, many weekends would pass with them getting no list of tasks to complete. Some weekends, I would just tell them to please do their normal weekend chores, but I didn't go behind them to check that they did each thing. Daily chores revolve around evening meal and all kids who are home do those almost always. So, here are some examples of their chores: Teens might: Vaccum out cars Do yard work Vacuum house Sweep/mop Dust specific rooms (we say "stations") Clean bathrooms Make dinner Make dessert Groom or feed pets Work in the garden Do laundry My 10yo does any of these: Clean bedroom Clean studio (school room) Pet care Vacuum stairs Pick up belongings Empty trash Dust stations Clean appliance fronts Clean trim boards Dinner chores rotate and are: Table setting/clearing Save leftovers Sweep kitchen Wash dishes Clean counters Say evening meal prayer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 At 6-7 they picked up after themselves and helped fold clothes. I don't remember having many chores for them at that age..... making sure the dog's food/water was filled type thing. Usually it was just general pick up. At 14 DS takes out the trash, unloads the dishwasher, cleans the living room (1 time per week), helps me in the kitchen (including with cooking prep) and if there's anything else that pops up. He would be mowing the lawn but is highly allergic to grass, I may start having DD do it. DD does all the same things as DS except the trash. They both take care of their rooms and laundry. They could both do more but then there wouldn't be much left for me to do ;) . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I'm not big on assigning. We work on the nearest person do it plan. My 7 yo can do her laundry, dishes, sweeps (badly), vacuums, does cat box and feeds cat. My 11 yo does all that plus push mow, cook simple foods, run errands,bathrooms. My 14 yo all that plus riding mower, heavy lifting things, trash, babysits. They obviously get better at these jobs with experience. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 No chores at all in our house. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Care of self (in order of progression):get dressed brush teeth pick up toys make bed clear dishes from table vacuum room dust room laundry Care for others/common areas: wipe bathroom counters set the table vacuum/sweep common area dishes mow the lawn weedwhack & lawn care cook dinner clean a bathroom We break it down into two groups and teach that once you learn to care for yourself, you will be expected to help care for others and/or the places we all enjoy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I didn't even think to put self care stuff on my list of chores since my kids are teens. They do that as a matter of course. But when they were little, it was included in our list because it helped me to keep up with making sure they did it all. Even housework is becoming less of a specific chore thing because as they get older they are doing more of it as a matter of course. I may sometimes point out a need but it isn't something that gets argued over or needs a chart or anything any more. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I work on my kids picking up after themselves and pitching in when I ask as needed. They are 13 and 10. This is what we do. DS is getting quite good at getting the house tidied for house showings. :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraBeth475 Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 Thank you all for the ideas. Going to try and think these over and look at the ideas in the context of our family. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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