In how to create chores for your kids, I am going to tell you how I went about creating chores for my kids. My hope is that telling you what I did, can help spark ideas for how you can create some for your own kids as well!
Right now my kids are at the age where chores seem like a fun thing to do! So I have been on a mission to find a way to cultivate that curiosity and interest to not just benefit our home, but their future selves as well.
Why Kids Should Do Chores
Doing chores shouldn’t be seen as a punishment of any kind for children, or to be only for the benefit of the parents.
As adults we do chores everyday. We just don’t always see or call them chores anymore. It’s just what we do everyday. Our to-do list.
When kids do chores, it is to help them learn and build basic life skills that they will use when they’re older and out of the house.
When they’re young, chores are ‘easy wins’ that can help build their confidence in everyday things.
The purpose of creating chores for your kids is to create a sense of self discipline. A discipline that says sometimes you have to do things that you don’t want to do before you get to do the things that are fun that you want to be doing.
Resistance
The younger you’re able to start, the easier it is to set the foundation of the chores you have. (EX: toys go here, laundry goes here, chickens are fed like this, ect.)
They won’t get it right all of the time but they’ll have a little bit of an understanding.
Like with many things, sometimes chores can be met by some resistance.
“I don’t want to pick up my toys.”
“I don’t want to feed the chickens.”
So what do you do when this starts happening? This when consequences come into play. Using consequences can help teach a child self discipline lessons and growing in areas that they don’t particularly like.
Consequences are used when resistance is becoming a habit. And in return as the parent, you have to be consistent with the consequence that is chosen for your kids. (Each kids consequence will probably be different since they’ll value different things/activities.)
Sometimes a consequence can look like more chores or sometimes it’s sitting them on a chair or stool, and telling them they don’t get to go do anything until they have completely their chores properly.
An important thing to remember is to give them every chance you can for them to succeed. Once they’ve made the connection that when they do their chores right, then they’ll have more time do what they really want to, and you’ll start seeing less of that resistance.
Age Appropriate Chores
You’re children watch you. Probably more than you think too. Even when your kids are too young to actually do any chores, let them be along side of you so they learn a sense for these are the chores we have to do around here.
Depending on your child’s age, also depends on the kind of chores they can do. My 6 year-old can handle more than my 2 year-old. Most of the time the 2 year-old just follows along and can help put away toys, hand laundry over, put his dish in the sink, and just simple things.
You also know your kids better than anyone else so you’ll be able to tell what they can do with and without supervision and help.
If they show interest in helping, let them help. Will it slow you don’t? For sure! But helping is the only way they’ll learn how to do it.
There has been plenty of times when my 4 year-old has helped me do the dishes and I’ve thought, “I would have been done with these by now.” But you know what, he is so happy to help me and very proud of a good job done when we’re finished. So the slow down is definitely worth it.
When you allow your children to be along side you from the beginning, they won’t be shocked to know that we have these chores to do.
How I created chores for my kids
So the first things to do when creating chores for kids, is looking at where and how you live.
We live on an acreage. We have animals (chickens, cows, cats, and a dog). I like to garden so we also have plants to tend to outside.
Then we have our home. Things to do inside the home like everyone else’s.
Depending on where you live and your home, you may have more or less things to do than my family does.
I also liked the idea of creating lists catered to the morning, evening, and my weekly cleaning list. (You can find my weekly cleaning list here.)
I have 3 kids, so some daily chores are rotated among them while others each has to do by themselves or with a little help from me.
If a child ever shows interest in helping with something, I allow them to help. This helps them learn that their help is valuable and wanted. If you tell a child no too many times, eventually they quit asking.
They will need help and supervision with certain chores but once you know they have it down, you won’t need to supervise that chore as much.
Daily Chores list
Morning List:
- Make bed
- Get dressed/pajamas away
- Eat and clean up breakfast
- Brush hair and teeth
- Feed dog, cats, chickens (rotated)
- Pick chicken eggs
- Do a 15 minute learning activity
- 1 task for weekly cleaning schedule (rotated)
My weekly cleaning schedule is the days of the week laid out with daily tasks pertained to one room of the house. Having the kids help with a task or two from this list helps mix it up and keep them from getting bored with doing the same thing everyday.
As they get older, the more things they’ll be able the help with more, and the more can be added to their list.
Evening list:
- Clean up toys (inside and outside)
- Clean up dinner
- Shower/baths
- Pajamas on/dirty clothes away
- Put away clean laundry
- Lay out clothes for tomorrow
- Brush teeth
The evening list I see as a winding down for the night, and getting into bedtime mode. When school is in session, I set an alarm for 45 minutes before bedtime, giving them enough time to finish their evening chores and get ready for bed.
Your lists might look similar to mine, or completely different depending on the chores you have at your home.
I print off a checklist for each child, and as they complete a chore, it’s checked off. At the age my kids are now, they love seeing their chores be checked off. As they get older this may not work anymore and we’ll have to try something different.
Try different things and see what works for you and your family. Every chore is a learning opportunity for your child and you get to help them grow and learn.
I hope this helps you with how to create chores for your kids!
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