What chores should a 9 y.o. girl do???

[The Mystery Machine]

My 13yo receives an allowance each week. We do not have "assigned" chores as I am not that organized. However she does what we ask from A-Z. She is as strong as me now and DH often has her help move furniture instead of me. Yes, she can beat me at arm wrestling. It is quite embarrassing.

I have her help in the kitchen with dinner, babysits 7yo sister as needed, dusts, etc... Her main daily tasks are her bedroom, dishes, & laundry (folding & putting clothes away).

Oh she complains & eye rolls sometimes but I counteract that with lots 'o hugging.

So start small & find something that works for your family. Good Luck!

 

[ptcruisermom]

my 9 almost 10 year old has chores that she does, I told her and my 13 ds that there would monetary rewards if her swept the whold house and she dusted the whole house but would not be reminding them of the chores and if they weren't done by the time I got home friday at noon I would do them and there would be no pay. these were extras taht I normally do during the schoolyear but was willing to pay them to do. Their unpaid chores include keeping room picked up, empying and putting the garbage out, unloading and reloading the diswasher and keeping the cat fed and watered and litter box clean. Also if they do anything extra on their own I would also compensate for the chore. so far they have been doing pretty good. One morning I had hund out some clothes and told them if it rained to take them down, however my dd took them down, when she told me that when I got home I expected them to just be thrown in the basked, but she had very neatly folded them and placed them in the basket, I was very impressed and told her how mature that was, she also cleaned and straightened the silverware drawer, and the cooking utensil drawer. S thinks he wants to clean the bathrooms we will see. I don't think it hurts them to contribute and it saves me time so that gives us more time to spend at the local swimming pool.

 

[Cindy B]

My nine year old son does:

Set the table (share chore with 6 year old)
Clear the table/load dishwasher (sometimes job share w/sister)

Vacuum room
Clean bathroom (all but tub), he likes to do this

Sometimes he weeds with me..
He packs his own lunch
He feeds his fish
Sometimes he feeds the dogs
And he needs to keep his room straight.
Just yesterday he was helping DH clean the gutters... ok, he wasn't on the ladder but handing him stuff...

 

[Alice28]

This was my list when I was 9/10 and I believe I got $5 a week for doing it. If I didn't do them, I was not paid. My dad kept a chart on his desk.
Take kitchen trash out as needed
Empty dishwasher & put extra cups/plates away when done
Set and clear dinner table
Keep room clean
Fold my own laundry and put it away

Things I was occasionally asked to do and was paid extra for them:
Vacuum
Dust
Help wash the cars
Help clean the pool

 

[Rock'n Robin]

DD#2 is 9 and whines a LOT but she has to do her share or her 12 year old sister thinks I'm favoring one over the other (not to mention how they think I baby DS).
DD#2 is responsible for feeding and watering the dog, but usually has to be told a bowl is empty, doesn't notice it herself. She is supposed to have a clean room but it will never be up to my standards (and if you saw my room you'd know it's kind of hypocritical for me to complain!) She does other things when I ask her to, like vacuum, set the table and unload the dishwasher, and outside she sweeps after we mow.
Her sister will sort and fold laundry and then she will put it in the proper place.
She sleeps in the top bunk so it is no picnic to make the bed, but she makes it look presentable at eye level!
Robin M.

 

[poohtown]

i have a couple comments;

1. next time she ask you to make her something to eat, roll your eyes and say 'in a minute'.

2. my kids clean their rooms but it is never to the perfection level that I would want it. Pick your fights on that - it's a never ending battle. I found as soon as I let up, it became cleaner. Room acceptable to both: clothes put away, bed made, toys picked up, floor vacummed - (I would like to have under the bed cleaned and everything in it's place but thats me)

3. whether or not you give allowance (your choice), there are rules to living in a household. This is what my nine year old does because she is part of the family - no allowance:

clean room: toys, vacuum, put away laundry, garbage, etc.
pick up own toys
help set/clear table
takes turns taking out garbage can
help in garden; weeding, watering, etc.
help me with chores if asked; if company coming and I ask her to dust she does it
feed cat/ help clean box
help unload groceries and put away
next year she'll start doing her own laundry like my older daughter

extra chores for money;

mow lawn
extra weeding
wash dogs

 

[Lezah]

My almost 10 year old DS doesn't like doing chores much (who does ). He is responsible for tidying his room, I like other posters am ok with it as long as there is no dirty clothes or food in it. He puts his dirty clothes into a laundry basket in his room and every couple of days sorts it into the 2 laundry baskets we have in our room. He helps out when asked, filling and emptying the dishwasher, feeding/watering the dog & cat, tidying up his stuff from the rest of the house, loves to sweep and vacuum (though not so good at getting rid of the dog hair that he sweeps into piles!!). He doesn't do any of this of course without "in a minute, Mom" or some eye rolling. I don't think any kid does it without a bit of fuss! JMHO

 

[auntpolly]

We had a weird system that pretty much worked for us -- DD didn't have so much a list of chores, although she was supposed to keep her room neat sad2: not always great), but she knew that she was supposed to help us when we asked her to help.

If we were gardening, she'd be picking up sticks or pulling weeds. If I was doing laundry, she would fold or put some clothes away. If I was cooking, she'd chop something or wash vegetables or...you get the idea.

I wanted it to feel less like a "list of chores" and more like "you are part of this family (in a good way, not just a bad way ) so lets all work together!" I think she felt like more of the "team".

Whatever works - right?

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by auntpolly
We had a weird system that pretty much worked for us -- DD didn't have so much a list of chores, although she was supposed to keep her room neat sad2, but she knew that she was supposed to help us when we asked her to help.

If we were gardening, she'd be picking up sticks or pulling weeds. If I was doing laundry, she would fold or put some clothes away. If I was cooking, she'd chop something or wash vegetables or...you get the idea.

I wanted it to feel less like a "list of chores" and more like "you are part of this family (in a good way, not just a bad way ) so lets all work together!" I think she felt like more of the "team".

Whatever works - right?

I agree with this more than giving a list of chores...I never had one as a child and I would not make one for my child. My daughter is 4 1/2 and she fills the dog dish with water and getsthe newspapers off the lawn if she wakes up before we get them ourselves. If I am outside raking or something she will grab her little rake and help me out and she keeps her playroom straightened up the best she can for a 4 year old....other than that I want her to enjoy being a child, it goes to quickly. Her "job" is to go to school and do the best she can there, I think that is enough for her to do as a kid. Thye get so much homework starting in 1st grade that I think goign to school and doing homework limits their playtime as it is so I want her to have as much time to herself as she can. She gets an allowance every week for her "job" of going to school...I go to work and get paid so she gets hers for going to school. It might not be a popular opinion but I don't go for "chores"...plenty of time for that junk when they are much older.

 

[eeyoreforever]

My dd's never had a list of chores to do, and to be quite honest, my dd11 really didn't do anything. My dd9 (almost 10) has always been more willing to help. But, that all changed the day school was out. I am really surprised at how much they are cooperating with their assigned chores which are as follows:

DD11
Make bed daily
Change sheets once a week
Keep room clean
Vacuum once a week
Clean their bathroom every other day (not the toilet)
(alternates with her sister on this)
Fold towels
Put away her laundry
Take care of hamster


DD9
Does the same as above, except she dusts instead of vacuuming.

Last night, my dd11 was helping empty the dishwasher, so I think we will add that to their chart.

What surprises me the most is that they asked for a "chore chart" and they like putting their stickers on it. I would have started this a lot sooner had I known it was going to be so easy.

 

[tjmw2727]

Just to clarify from before! My girls get allowance, a little spending money just for being a part of the family. As a part of the family they are also expected to do some chores, age appropriate and necessary things not just chores for chores sake. If they do things over and above the chores then they get extra pocket money.

Although I do agree that going to school is the primary job - I also have a primary job in addition to running the household and family as does dh. Personally I have seen way to many kids leave home without so much as the ability to make a sandwich, make a bed or do laundry. (Really!) Many of my friends have older children and had a let kids be kids philosophy - IMHO it didn't work for them. I have the advantage of learning what I like and don't like first hand from my friends with older kids.

TJ