Ages, Stages and Chores

Matthew loves to "mop" 

I was recently asked a question regarding chores and a 4 year old child.  This mom wanted to know what she should expect of a 4 year in regard to helping around the house and even assigning her chores.  I know this goes against the current culture, but we really believe that doing chores and helping around the house is good for children.  I think it's so neat how my 19 month old even wants to sweep : ) Actually, I think he just wants to feel big and loves to whack the cat with the broom, but that's a different story.  
Anyway, here is a list of ages, stages and chores that I quickly thought of.  Please feel free to add more suggestions in the comments, as I know that I've probably forgotten something or just haven't been enlightened yet.....smile

2 year olds:
-Help clean-up toys.
-Hand dishes to you as you are unloading the dishwasher.
-Bring me the dirty clothes that an older sibling has thrown down the stairs and even help shove them in the washer.
(these last two Patrick loves to do even though he is not yet 2 years old yet)

3 year olds:
The above plus
-set the table
-unload utensil section of dishwasher 
-collect dirty clothes (we throw them down the stairs at our house)
-dress themselves and put dirty clothes in hamper
-start trying to make bed
-put shoes in cubbies
-stack books neatly

4 year olds:
The above plus
-feed animals
-straighten-up living room before Dad gets home or before bedtime snack
-clean windows and mirrors (with something non-toxic, of course)
-bring down small waste baskets on garbage night to be emptied.
-help with dinner prep

5 year olds:
The above plus
-unload and load complete dishwasher with help.
-make bed neatly and completely.
-clean toilets with toilet brush and wipe off counters in bathrooms.
-help sort clean laundry.
-dust

6 year olds:
The above plus
-sweep
-mop
-vacuum with a light vacuum, which we do not have : )
-straighten-up garage
-organize pantry or cabinets

By 7 years of age, most of my children have been able to do pretty much everything even though they will need training, supervising and it still may not be done as well as the mother or father would of done.
It's nice to have the whole family working together on Saturdays to get the house clean (many hands make the work light, and fast!) and we all feel a since of accomplishment.  We have had cleaning ladies or companies in the past, but the kids don't take quite the ownership of the house when they aren't the ones cleaning and keeping it straight.  Now they are more careful about making messes and keeping it clean.  They are also learning life skills (IE, "reality" when they are living on their own one day) and getting exercise in the process!
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Chores, Yet Again

MaryKate begged and begged for me to buy her this child-sized broom.  She calls it her "little sweep" and having child-sized cleaning tools really helps with the motivation factor : )

Well, since my last post was rather heavy and the one before that rather comical, I thought I should do a  practical post.  Plus, it's been awhile since I have talked about chores and getting my children to "help" around the house.  

We are still doing our chore chart that I purchased from "Doorposts" and it's divided up into daily and weekly jobs (see picture below.)  I rotate these jobs monthly so that no one gets too tired of one job.  Their daily jobs should be done in the morning and sometimes afternoon as well (like the straighten living room or school room job and feeding the animals.)  The weekly jobs we all do together on Saturday.  It's been a little crazy lately with soccer season (3 kids' games on Saturday) plus tennis tournaments for my 13 year old but we pretty much get it done.  I do the sheets and my older daughter, husband and I all chip in and do the bathrooms. Everyone else does their jobs. 

 Well, I was getting tired of reminding everyone, especially for daily jobs.  I also got tired of nagging about starting school on time and doing their independent work first thing in the morning, like math drills and handwriting.  So I started a new little chart for allowance.  They each get a quarter for every year they are old for their allowance.  I've been pretty slack about remembering allowance and I don't like paying them just for being my child (that like entitlement payment :)but I do like to pay them for the work they do.  I put the below little chart up every week with the number of circles next to their name representing the number of quarters they get per week.  If they don't do their daily chores, are not starting school on time, not finishing and putting-up their school work up when done, or having a bad attitude about school, then they get a quarter crossed off.  On Saturday afternoon they receive their allowance based on the quarters that are left.  It's been a great system so far (as long as I remember to have the cash on Saturday to pay them : )  I love this system because it keeps them and me accountable and cuts out a lot of nagging and fussing on my part.  Hope this helps someone out there.  blessing!

My little helper in front of the chore chart.  I love using the clothes pins with the children's names on them instead of the sticky notes I used to use.

I make a little list every week of the "quarter chart" for their allowance. 

Chores Revisited

Well, I have to confess.  While I learned a lot from my old chore system and I still highly recommend the book, I have now switched to yet another system.  The funny thing is, it is the one I used about 10 years ago when I had only 4 kids.  We had this same chart hanging in our laundry room two houses ago.  It's a great chart and comes with a little system that is explained in the kit that comes with it.  I ordered it from Doorpost.com and it is really user friendly, especially if you have more than 2 children and lots of daily/weekly jobs.  Here is a picture of the chart that you fill out and then cut/color the little pictures that come with it.  After I filled it out, I had it laminated and hung it up.  Since I had already organized my cleaning with the other system into daily, weekly and monthly jobs, it wasn't hard to put them all on the chart. What was making it hard with the other system, was taking the time every morning to divvy up the jobs.  With morning sickness and summer craziness, it just wasn't working.  Also, since I was changing the jobs daily, it would take me a while to figure out who wasn't doing their job.  Like, if I see that the dog hasn't been fed or the living room not straightened, then I would have to go to the folders and find who was supposed to be doing it.  What I do now to keep things "new", is I change the jobs monthly. So, at the beginning of the month I rotate jobs.  Each child gets one daily job and one or two weekly job rows (there are a few jobs on each row) that have to be done by Saturday afternoon.  For monthly jobs, I am going to put them in a jar and when someone gets in trouble, they have to do a monthly job.  Does this make sense?  Check out the Doorpost website.  They have some cool stuff.  So, this is my current system. Let's see how long this last :o)

Managing Laundry

Does anyone else ever feel like laundry is taking over your house?  You know, not only the daily clothes, but dirty towels, sheets, friend's clothes that get left over here and even doll/teddy bear clothes!  You know I'm glad I have all this laundry to do, I'm not complaining, really :o)  I do like to do laundry compared to other chores around the house though.  I think it's just because I like clothes.  Also, a friend shared this with me a back when I only had 3 kids......she said that as she folds clothes she prays for the person whose clothes she is folding.  I don't always do this, I must admit, but I try to.  Anyway, so as to not get overwhelmed with laundry, I do one large load everyday.  I have a large capacity upright washer and drier and I fill it very full.  I alternate between a light or white load and then a dark load the next day.  I have a basket labeled with each child's name and as soon as it comes out of the drier and is folded, I put it in their basket.  When their basket gets full, then I put it at the bottom of the stairs and they have to bring it up and put their clothes away.  Usually I fold clothes after dinner is cleaned up.  I take the load out of the drier and put it on the kitchen table and my husband and a few kids help me fold.  A child throws down all the dirty clothes from upstairs and I put on another load.  I do sheets on Saturday.  I used to be pretty obsessed with changing all the sheets weekly because this is how I was raised but now I just try to wash everyone's sheets bimonthly.  I know some large families have their older kids do their own laundry, but with only one washer/drier set, I feel like this would complicate things.  My older kids do know how do laundry and now my one son in college is doing his own, thankfully :o) Oh, their is a book by one of my favorite authors called "Lord Meet Me in the Laundry Room."  It is a great mommy book and encourages moms to take laundry time as a quiet time to spend with Him, if you can.  Well, off to fold clothes!

Managing Chores

Well, I have started a new chore system with my kids and I had to share it.  It is actually working! I bought this book by Teri Maxwell called "Managers of Their Chores".  I'm using a version of what she recommends.  I would highly recommend the book, even though it is pricey (and a little preachy), but you can do her system without buying the book.

     Basically, this is how it works.  You make a list of all the chores/jobs that need to be done around your house on a daily, weekly, monthly schedule (the book does help you with this part, but you can brain storm or use another      Well, I have started a new chore system with my kids and I had to share it.  It is actually working! I bought this book by Teri Maxwell called "Managers of Their Chores".  I'm using a version of what she recommends.  I would highly recommend the book, even though it is pricey (and a little preachy), but you can do her system without buying the book.      Basically, this is how it works.  You make a list of all the chores/jobs that need to be done around your house on a daily, weekly, monthly schedule (the book does help you with this part, but you can brain storm or use another list online).  We have 10 daily chores that need to be done, about 40 weekly jobs and about 10 monthly jobs.  Then you buy a little clipper/holder for each child and each day you "divy" up the jobs.  Each child has their regular chores they do everyday, such as make bed, clean room, etc.  Then each of my children gets 2 daily jobs and 2 weekly jobs each day except Sunday.  On Saturday we do daily jobs plus the monthly jobs.  Of course, when we first started this I had to do training on most of the chores for the younger ones and even some of the jobs for the older ones.  The book recommends assigning the chores/jobs to each child that they do each day or week.  But, I like assigning the chores daily and my kids all get excited (well, the little ones do :o) about what "jobs" they have each day.  It keeps things exciting to mix it up a little.  One thing I also do different from the book is that I have a daily kitchen helper.  Each child knows what day of the week that they are kitchen helper.  Kitchen helper gets no other jobs for the day because they are the dishwasher unloader and loader.  They also help me prepare and serve each meal and set the table.  list online).  We have 10 daily chores that need to be done, about 40 weekly jobs and about 10 monthly jobs.  Then you buy a little clipper/holder for each child and each day you "divy" up the jobs.  Each child has their regular chores they do everyday, such as make bed, clean room, etc.  Then each of my children gets 2 daily jobs and 2 weekly jobs each day except Sunday.  On Saturday we do daily jobs plus the monthly jobs.  Of course, when we first started this I had to do training on most of the chores for the younger ones and even some of the jobs for the older ones.  The book recommends assigning the chores/jobs to each child that they do each day or week.  But, I like assigning the chores daily and my kids all get excited (well, the little ones do :o) about what "jobs" they have each day.  It keeps things exciting to mix it up a little.  One thing I also do different from the book is that I have a daily kitchen helper.  Each child knows what day of the week that they are kitchen helper.  Kitchen helper gets no other jobs for the day because they are the dishwasher unloader and loader.  They also help me prepare and serve each meal and set the table.  

     Below you can see a picture of how we hung up their holders for the jobs and how I assign them.  We've been doing this for about a month now and I feel that my children are working more with better attitudes and my house seems cleaner and straighter on a daily basis.  Hope this helps someone out there and if you live near me, you can borrow my book........happy cleaning!