The Battle of Chores...

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Permalink Reply by MissionChik on February 16, 2009 at 9:32pm

We have a goal chart with stickers, the kids earn an allowance when a certain number of stickers are accumulated. They are excited to do their chores, and I'm thrilled to have the help! My oldest son is in charge of gathering and taking out the trash. My daughter is in charge of keeping the table cleared and wiped down after meals. My baby boy, they are 5.6, and 7, has an affection for the vacuum cleaner :) All the kids help out feeding, watering, and letting the dog out, as well as emptying their laundry baskets in the dirty clothes area and putting away clean clothes in their dresser. Plus, of course, they earn stickers for their everday stuff to do w/ hygeine and room cleanliness.

Permalink Reply by April Welch on February 23, 2009 at 10:59am

JackieMac,

I completely understand your hesitation! I was one of those kids that had tons of chores as well.

Your kiddos are the perfect age to get started on "helping out" with daily chores & toddlers love to feel useful!

So, how do you begin? Ask yourself what you'd like to teach them by the time they are teenagers. For me, I wanted them to be able to take care of their body & personal environment so it wasn't such a shock when they got to college.

At age 2/3/4 (bless your heart!) I was using my bed as a "laundry folding party" destination. I would give them the towels, wash clothes & socks while I worked my way through everything else. These items are easy to fold & socks are a great way to teach them how to group shapes, colors & textures. Once I was done with the rest of the clothes I would have them help me deliver everyone's things. We would then put their items away (remember, it's not about perfection but about teaching a global awareness of helping out as a family).

Another 'chore' that feels like helping is putting their own dishes away from the dishwasher - this requires that their items are at their level in the kitchen though. The 4 year old could be in charge of silverware (once you've removed the knives) as well as any other unbreakable items (measuring cups, pots & pans) with assistance.

The whole point to chores at this age is not responsibility in the sense of "Go Do It!", but in the sense of "we all pitch in to take care of where we live".

I hope this helps get you started!

april

JackieMac said:

I grew up with a crazy amount of chores and, while I agree with the idea, definitely don't want to come out of the gate with too much.

I look forward to hearing from others who are already at that stage. And what age is good to start? I guess I could start now with small stuff... they're 4/3/2.

Permalink Reply by April Welch on February 23, 2009 at 11:01am

MissionChik,

Keep up the good work! Finding what works for your family & creating the lifestyle that feels good is what it's all about!

april

MissionChik said:

We have a goal chart with stickers, the kids earn an allowance when a certain number of stickers are accumulated. They are excited to do their chores, and I'm thrilled to have the help! My oldest son is in charge of gathering and taking out the trash. My daughter is in charge of keeping the table cleared and wiped down after meals. My baby boy, they are 5.6, and 7, has an affection for the vacuum cleaner :) All the kids help out feeding, watering, and letting the dog out, as well as emptying their laundry baskets in the dirty clothes area and putting away clean clothes in their dresser. Plus, of course, they earn stickers for their everday stuff to do w/ hygeine and room cleanliness.