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Please note that we are still amateur parents over here, navigating the waters; this may not work for everyone, but for now, in the stage of life, it works for us. We welcome any and all advice from you more seasoned parents out there!
Let’s Talk Chores…
Faces aren’t always this happy when we are hanging out in the master bedroom each day. It’s our main headquarters to put away laundry together. Life-schooling, or practicing life skills, has become an integral and intentional part of our homeschool curriculum. Through hard days, whining, arguing, and resistance, we have overcome most of our chores adversity through consistency. Now, it’s not so much of a to-do as it is a family laundry dance party in mom and dad’s room a couple times a week!
The Benefits of Chores
Here are just some of the ways our kids have benefitted from doing chores:
–Life Skills (learning to fold and hang clothes, be a tidy person, properly clean a home will come in handy one day-you’re welcome future wives)
–Teamwork (they quickly see if everyone does their part it’s much easier than when one person does it all-and when mom does it all she has no time to play which is a bummer for all)
–Gift of Self (chores help them learn to be a gift of self to others and how good that makes them feel)
–Gratitude (all of a sudden there are a lot more acknowledgements and “thank yous” for what mom and dad do around the house)
–Leisure Appreciation (they see their free time as a privlege, not a given, and enjoy the leisure more after working)
–Time Management (they learn an ordered day and how to work diligently in order to have time for everything else)
–Self-Esteem (being a gift to others allows them to feel important, wanted, and needed as part of our family)
When We Start
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
I have found the earlier their little hands start helping, the more oblivious they are to the fact that it’s a “chore” and the more inclined they are to cheerfully see it as a way of life! When little siblings are born into a family of big siblings already doing chores, they see it as a privilege and family activity they don’t want to miss out on! As difficult as it can be for me to watch messes be cleaned up painfully slow by them when I could do it in 5x the speed, I’ve realized the more I let them do everything they are capable of, the more they learn, the more they appreciate, and most importantly-the better they feel about themselves!
How Often
As much as possible!
When we only do chores once or twice a week, I am pullllling teeth and they are dragging their feet. When there is a 5-10 min “Teamwork Time” two to three times a day every day-it’s all of a sudden an expected part of their everyday life that they don’t know think to resist and the thought of chore time doesn’t seem so cumbersome.
As a wise mom of five grown children once told me, if you don’t have “time” for your kids to do chores each day, you may want to re-prioritize their activities in accordance to their well-being as opposed to in accordance with the hustle of society.
Age-Appropriate Chores
Each individual child is obviously capable of different things, but here is an idea of what each age in our house is currently naturally inclined to:
2 year old
-Puts pajamas in hamper every morning
-Picks up any toys he gets out
-Holds the door open for mom (work on that chivalry young!)
-Dusting (he goes crazy with this dusting mitten all over the house)
-Put his clothes in his drawers when they come out of the dryer
-Puts clothes in the hamper each evening
-Wiping down counter tops
4 year old
-Makes his bed each morning (cries every time)
-Puts clothes in hamper every morning and evening
-Cleans his bathroom sink
-Puts away all of his laundry that comes out of the dryer (he can hang clothes using a step stool)
-Empties all the little trash cans into our big trash cans on trash day each week and refills them with new bags
-Puts away any toys he took out
-Sprays and wipes down windows
-Sprays and wipes down countertops
-Sweeping (we love these little brooms)
6 year old
-Makes his bed each morning (finally it’s no big deal)
–Puts clothes in hamper every morning and evening
-Cleans his bathroom sink
-Puts away all of his laundry that comes out of the dryer (he can hang clothes using a step stool)
-Empties our big trash cans each week on trash day
-Puts away any toys he took out
-Sweeping and mopping
-Cleans the bathrooms (I was super hesitant as my husband taught him this because I’m a germaphobe, but I only allow him to because he’s very germ-conscience and wears disposable gloves and does a light surface clean-we do the nitty gritty)
Spills
Any time they spill food or drink, it’s no big deal they just know it’s their job to wipe or vacuum it up (6 and 4 year old). It comes with whining at first, until it becomes habitual.
If you have any chores tips or tricks please share with us in the comments, we are still amateurs and need all the advice we can get:)
Maggie, these are such helpful, wonderful tips. Thank you for sharing what has worked for your family! It is always helpful to get a glimpse into another family economy 🙂
Oh Melissa, you are so sweet to even read it! I hope it’s helpful and we’d love your tips too!