A big part of being a part of a family is pitching in. We all work together so that we can all enjoy together. “Many hands make light work”, right?! That saying is often on my lips as I encourage my kids in their chores. Not only is their contributions good for the family, its also good for them. They feel a sense of accomplishment and a sense of purpose. They develop a “can-do” attitude and fills their life-skills tank. Truth is we won’t always be right at their side, we want them to do and be able to do, everything they can to help themselves and others.
Chores are a great way for them to build independence, become more responsible, build a better work ethic, feel needed and therefore be given a purpose. The list of benefits can go on and on, but the main one for me is that we are a family and we work and play together. I always tell them first we do the hard things so then we can do the fun things.
The attitude with which we do our chores matters. Grumbling about doing laundry only gives your children the right to grumble about theirs chores. So be careful with the words you use when completing task. It might not be your favorite task, I get it… laundry is my least favorite! But this is when just focusing on the positives is your friend. Im sure you’ve heard these millions of times but they are worth repeating. You have laundry because your family has clothes to wear. You have dishes because your family is fed. Toys are tossed because kids were playing. This doesn’t mean we can’t develop better systems to help lessen the load. Having your kids help with chores lessens your load which is not just beneficial to you but also for them.
In the little years, pretty much as soon as they can put something in a box, it’s all about training. I often find moms complain about their kids chores because they have to go after them and redo it. I often wonder if they took the time to teach them how? I know i often fall in the trap of thinking they know this specially if older, but the truth is if i have not shown them how, how would they know. So use the little years to train them, where do the forks go, forks go with forks and spoons with spoons. If having an older child do a new chore I usually do it with them a few times before I hand it over to them to do on their own.
I tried to do chore charts and cards, but it just didn’t work for us. What has worked for us is a list. I keep a main list of all the chores that need to be done throughout the week and then hand to them their list with the chores they’ll be tackling that day. I decided to make a cute little printable for cuteness sake but please know my main list is on my phone and usually I just write down what needs to be done either on our school board or on a regular sheet of school paper.
They all have their daily responsibilities that don’t count as a chore, such as:
- Getting dressed
- Brushing teeth
- Making their beds
- Picking up their room
- Putting away their shoes
- Putting their plates in the sink
We also have daily task that are just automatic:
- Night before: Load washer set on delay so its ready to transfer the next day
- Night before: Load dishwasher
- Unload dishwasher
- Transfer dryer to hamper to fold
- Transfer washer to dryer (next day fold)
- Wipe down bathroom counters
- Morning pick up (this is a quick pick up ie. blankets on the floor, pillows)
- Evening pick up (this is a quick pick up ie. blankets on the floor, pillows)
These are all things that should be a habit by now and they know to do it. Then we have chores, we split our house into “zones” but I don’t follow a zone cleaning plan. It’s sort of a mashup off all cleaning plans that have worked for us and I just go room by room. Every room has its day and every task has its day, here’s a small glimpse of what it looks like:
- Monday: Floors (vac, mop & sweep)
- Tuesday: Bathrooms (counters, toilets, mirrors etc.), Clean fridge and pantry (bi-weekly, I usually do one a week and then switch), take out all trash (trash day is the next day).
- Wednesday: Playroom clean up (dusting bookshelves, making sure all papers and homeschool resources are kept tidy), Declutter toys and books (anything broken or no longer working), living room (dusting, wiping etc.)
- Thursday: Dining room, Piano room & Laundry room (wipe down, put things back where they belong). These are smaller rooms and can be easily done.
- Friday: Kids rooms and closets declutter (biweekly), Bathrooms, Take out all trash.
- Saturday: We rest
- Sunday: Reset: every area gets picked up so we can start the week fresh.
So what can the kids do? Anything and everything you have taken the time and taught them to do. We usually try to divide and conquer but sometimes we all get in one room together and each one has something to do, whether mirror, counter etc. Those little hands can work hardly, from 2-10 everyone in our house contributes in their own way.
I hope this makes sense and it give you an idea of how to incorporate your kids into chores. Kids are capable of so much and are such great helpers. Of course the most fun part is finishing together and being able to go and play with a sense of accomplishment knowing your home is clean. And because we did it together it probably took us under 20 min to complete. It is so worth it to put in the work and show your kids how to clean and stay on task. It is a life skill that they will use for the rest of their lives!