Chores?????

[mom23boyz]

Do your kids do chores? If so what? How often? Age of the child? I have 11,12,13 boys and I am doing chore chart tomorrow

[LastDragonfly]

All of my kids have always had chores. Emptying/reloading the dishwasher comes to mind. My 11 does this. She also does her laundry. A few years ago we got a new washer and she asked to learn how to use it, because she didn't want to wait till Sat for her favorite pairs of jeans. Well girl, you better believe I taught her how to do it! She's done it ever since. It's been wonderful I tell ya.

My 7 yo is learning how to load the dirty utensils the right way into the dw.

She also is responsible for dumping bedroom and bathroom trash cans into the large garbage can so we only have to take out one bag of trash to the dumpster.

She keeps the cabinets wiped down. I follow up with scrubing bubbles.

Your boys are big enough to do lots of things for the good of the family. You don't want to send them out into the world not knowing how to cook and to do their own laundry and clean a bathroom. You will sleep better at night knowing they can take care of themselves to a certain extent.

My youngest was promoted to become the sock fairy when she was 6. She had to match all the socks.

We have chores that are "for the good of the family chores" and other chores that are $$ chores.

[JessieMom]

My children all have chores, they have since they were small (of course they have changes as they have grown, lol)
DS (17) cleans the bathrooms, feeds the animals
DS (14) vaccuums, does the laundry, takes out garbage
DD (10) cleans up the kitchen (dishes in dishwasher, washes down countertops)

[Neeley]

Mine have had chores since they could walk. When they were just toddlers they had to keep their toys put away, carry their clean clothes to their rooms, take their dishes to the kitchen, etc...

Through the years their chores have changed/added to according to their age.

DD is 15. Her current chores are:
*take out the trash (this is a daily chore here - I don't like trash in the house overnight)
*Sweep the house (no carpet - all hardwood/ceramic tiled floors)
*Feed/water the dogs
*clean the big dog's kennel
*bath the big dog
*keep her room clean (everything picked up, floor swept & mopped, room dusted, bed made, sheets changed)
*help wash/dry/fold/put away clothes
*vacuum the pool(we keep the pool open all year)

DS is 13. His current chores are:
*load/unload dishwasher as needed (roughly 3 loads a day)
*clean the counters and cabinets
*feed/water the cats
*clean up after the little dog (she uses a puppy litter box)
*keep his room clean (same things as listed above for DD's room)
*help wash/dry/fold/put away laundry
*cut the grass/edge the yard/blow off the drive(we have to do grass and yard work all year)

On the weekends they both pitch in and clean the bathrooms and other areas of the house as needed.

DS cooks dinner for the family as needed.

[Starlight9803]

both my children have chores. Daily chores (for both) are making their beds, picking up their rooms, setting out their clothing for the next day, and feeding/walking the dog. They also help with dusting, glass cleaning, vacuuming, laundry, yard work, etc as needed. DD (10) also helps with dinner prep and washing dishes from time to time. She actually asks to do this, so whenever she asks - I let her!!!

[zakity]

My guys are 12, 10 and 10. They are almost 13, 11, and 11. I am working hard to make sure they know how to clean a house and cook before they move out.

We have a chore matrix. It is written on a wipe off board and I mark what chores need to be done the next day before I go to bed. They switch schedules every Monday.

We used to just have a chore board and they just picked and did the chores. Then, they were only doing some of their chores and not everything was getting done. And, they were complaining because some of the guys would get all the easy fast chores and the others were complaining. They were also complaining because they always got stuck with the same chores.

The matrix fixed that. They have to do all the jobs (so they get to practice doing all the chores). If the chores aren't accomplished, at the end of the day when I am checking off the chores for the next day, I give them a red chip (takes away one of their chore chips).

Each chore is worth a chip (well, some are worth more). Chips are worth $0.20. They do not get an allowance and have to earn their money.

Their chores are:

Schedule A:
DAILY
kitty water (cleaning the cat bowls, including the food dishes, and refilling the water bowls)
compost

WEEKLY
living room (sweeping, mopping, general pick up)
bins to house (bring the garbage bin to the house and the recycling one if it is a recycling week-side note: we have a 200 ft long gravel driveway)

OCCASIONAL
water bottles (emptying them after we get home from somewhere)
recycling to curb
hang out clothes
weed (the garden)

Schedule B:
DAILY
recycling (from the house to the bin outside)
kitty litter (scooping... we have 5 cats)

WEEKLY
kitchen (sweeping, mopping, general cleaning, want to expand this to wiping down the cabinets and the stove/range hood, but it hasn't happened yet)
garbage to curb
kitty litter to garbage

OCCASIONAL
clothes (folding and putting them all away)
microwave (cleaing it out)
take down clothes
wood (bring wood to the house from the wood pile and filling the bins in the house)

Schedule C:
DAILY
table duty (cleaning off the table before and after a meal, making sure everything got put away after a meal, wiping off the table, sweeping the floor/spot cleaning if need be)
kp duty (this person makes biscuits if I need them made for dinner or muffins, help out with cooking dinner, they are also supposed to help load and unload the dishes, but they haven't been lately)

WEEKLY
bathroom
garbage

OCCASIONAL
towels
gather cans (to take back to the store)
pick (harvesting, harvesting wouldn't fit in the alloted space)
water garden


There is also an extra column for extra chores. Those are usually worth more than one chip. They are things like cleaning the garbage cans, specific yardwork things, re-organizing the pantry, and other random things that need done around here.

[Michelle]

My daughters are 9 and 11. I don't expect much out of them during the school year as I'd prefer they focus more on their studies. They are responsible for feeding/watering the pets and scooping the cat's litter box. They also set & clear the table for dinner, and occasionally I'll have them unload and load the dishwasher after dinner too.

During the summer I make a list of 4 chores of things that need to be done around the house, and then they take turns selecting the ones they'd like to do. I taught them how to do their own laundry last summer, and they did things like water the garden & plants, vacuum, empty & load dishwasher, etc.

And they are also responsible with pitching in with whatever we ask.

[MommyBliss]

Yes, all of mine have chores, my oldest are 10, 8, and 7. My girls are 10 and 8. They sweep the kitchen floor, do dishes, put dishes away, sort their own clothes, put clothes in the dryer, and fold and put away their own clothes. My son who is 7 takes trash out, takes the big cans out to the curb on trash day and brings them back in. They make their beds, pick up their rooms, help dust, and whatever else I need help with. I do the bulk of the work though, but they help out a lot.

[nvmommyx6]

I run a points system here that works great, so great in fact I'll be doubleing it tomorrow!!!
here is the blog on it!!
http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/blogs/nvmommyx6/172-children-discipline.html

[ladykemma2]

i am not a parent, but i am a teacher. it helps to know that you have to inspect or it won't get done.

[Patty A]

I guess I come from the old school, but I think chores are a must for children of all ages....(age appropriate is a must) I think chores are a very good way of teaching children about responsibilities and how to be reliable. I also think it shows them they can be successful, learn to rely on themselves and many life lessons all along the way.

My kids started chores early, little things like making their beds and picking up their rooms. Little things do add up and it really gives them a sense of accomplishment. I also think it teaches them that when they are out on their own they can handle things very successfully and they don't have to worry about not knowing how to do things. It really is life lessons that they learn.......

Here are some really nice chore charts that are printable, may save you some time in making up your own if you can find one you like. This is some to look though, hope it helps.

http://www.printablechecklists.com/checklist11.shtml
http://successfulfamilychores.com/Chore_Charts/
http://alenkasprintables.com/chorechart.shtml
http://www.dltk-cards.com/chart/
http://www.paintedgold.com/Organize/...ore-chart.html
http://www.chorecharts.com/Gallery.html

[YankeeMom]

Ours have always had chores. They've changed & switched around over the years, but for now it's:

DD16:
-alternate putting away clean dishes with her sister (I wash)
-wash dishes 1x/week
-clean the mudroom 1x/wk
-do her own laundry
-keep her room clean
-alternate cleaning the bathroom she shares with her sister
-babysit when asked

DD14
-alternate putting away dishes w/ her sister (I wash)
-wash dishes 1x/wk
-vacuum downstairs
-take the dogs out 1x/day
-fold & put away her own laundry
-keep her room clean
-alternate cleaning the bathroom she shares w/ her sister

DS10
-feed & water dogs/cats
-help brother & dh bring in firewood
-sort recyclables w/ brother
-keep room clean
-help clean the bathroom he shares w/ his brother
-clear table after dinner
-clean litter boxes w/ brother
-help dh take out trash to the curb

DS7
-help brother sort recyclables
-help brother & dh bring in firewood
-keep room clean
-help clean bathroom he shares w/ his brother 1x/wk
-set the table for dinner daily
-clean litter boxes w/ brother 3x/wk
-help dh take the trash out to the curb

[brenda67]

My three sons ages 16,14,11 all have daily chores that rotate every week and they consist of washing dishes,vacuuming,sweeping the floors and taking out the garbage..

[rasilla]

My kids have chores too...

My 2.5 year old empties the dishwasher and puts the dishes on the counter. She also cleans up the playroom before nap/bed times and puts her own clothes away.

My 18m old puts Daddy's shoes away when he comes home, gets me a diaper/wipes for our infant & lets the dog out (that is his all-time favorite task).

Both kids help do one house cleaning chore a day - they are usually more work than help during these chores, but I have the hope that one day they will be more productive and less of a hindrance (ex: they "help" mop, or hand me eggs while baking, or "help" fold/put away laundry).

[homesteadmamma]

Our 3 youngest kids all have special needs, however they have always had chores. I think it's good training for kids to become responsible adults.

Now that they are all adults, they know their responsibilities and do them well. I expect nothing less.