Age appropriate chores for kids

[dismom9761]

Just wanted to ask for some opinions

My boys(10 and 8) really want MP3 players and want to earn more money.They have never had many chores but do get paid for what they have been doing.There chores are to put away their clothes,keep their room clean,and feed the dog.They also watch their youngest sister and help in the yard sometimes for extra.Today they asked for more chores and I made them a list but my DH said it was too much.

So what are your kids responsible for?

 

[Stacey2grls]

I have been wondering about this myself. My DD is 8 next month, and is very responsible. I was curious what would be age appropriate chores for her to do. I am very curious what other parents think.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

My dd10 has chores. This is her list:

Daily: make bed, pick up room. At the end of the day, gather up all toys downstairs in the basket, and take upstairs, put in appropriate rooms. Straighten up your bathroom.

Saturdays: Dust bannister, tv, and top of fireplace mantel. Clean your bathroom - this includes scrubbing and wiping down counters, tub and sinks. Wipe mirrors (no streaks!)Shake the bath mat and rugs and sweep the floor. Vacuum your room, the boys room and the hallway in front of your room. Empty your trash can, the bathroom and the office trash cans. Enjoy the rest of your day!

We're beginning to add on here and there, like having her put the dishes in the dishwasher after dinner.

 

[jonestavern]

We gave DS 2 sets of chores: those DS had to do & those he could do to get extra money.

from the time he was about 4 or so:
1) make his bed 2) pickup his room 3) dust the living room 4) feed the dog 5) set the table
of course when he was small they didn't look all that great, but that is part of the package

As he got older we added: raking, shoveling snow, take out the trash etc
what he could do for extra bucks: vaccuum the cars, wash the cars (yikes! ), weed the gardens, put away groceries, plant shrubberies etc

I was trying to show him that certain things you do because you are a member of the family & don't get paid for those chores & other things you can do to help out & you can earn some $$ from those jobs.

He has turned out to be a very good saver!
Well, sometimes on the Scrooge-side!

Jean

 

[liamandcaili]

My son is seven and we have a Job Hat. Every week, he picks one chore out (all of which he suggested and is capable of doing) and that is his job for the week. He is also expected to clean his room each night, and I encourage both my children (DD is 4) to clear their plates when they are done eating, but sometimes they need help with that. Some chores that are in our Job Hat include sweeping the floor, vacuuming, picking up clutter in the living room, helping to empty the dishwasher and dusting.

The children do get an allowance but it isn't linked to their chores. They don't get paid for every task they do at home. If I started doing that, they would be negotiating with me for every little thing I asked them to do.

That said, I would pay extra for one-time tasks like shoveling snow, raking the yard, pulling weeds from the garden, etc. My children aren't old enough for those jobs though.

 

[MAKmom]

DD 11 is in charge of trash. She takes the kitchen trash to the can & 2x a week she takes the can to curb & back in. She gets $5 a week for this.

When I ask she brings the dirty laundry down, switches laundry around( not very often)

Cleans up her "stuff" from rest of house.

 

[golfgal]

Well, I guess I am the big meanie mom, my kids pretty much clean the whole house, mainly in the summer but on Sat am they do a top to bottom cleaning. They each have a level of the house and they have to clean it appropriately. They each have a bathroom and they have to clean the bathroom including scrubbing the floor. They also have to sweep, dust, vacuum and pick up the rest of that level. THey also take out the garbage as asked, cook the occasional meal and do other odd jobs as needed.

Daily they make their beds, pick up their clothing and what ever else I ask of them (the boys just got done cleaning the kitchen while I made dinner). They don't get paid for any of this. We do, however, pay for them when they want to go to a movie or out with friends, etc. They have other jobs they can do to earn money like cutting the grass or shoveling the snow. Right now there is an offer of $60 to clean out the garage but so far no takers. If they don't do it by the weekend, then they will help DH and I do it for zero money.

I went to college with MANY people that didn't know how to clean anything. One roommate didn't even know how to change a roll of toilet paper. It was really sad.

My kids started helping around the house as soon as they were able. DS13 could crack an egg with one hand at age 4 (DH taught him that, I can't even do that). They did a lot of dusting and picking up as young as age 2.