We have four small kids, ages three, five, six and eight and after lots of trial and error, have finally settled on a chore system that everyone can follow and doesn’t ADD more stress to our lives.
Chores are good for building character
Why chores? Why not let kids be kids? Because it’s good for their character, and this is how I know. A while ago I started noticing a pattern when I asked something like, “Hey, could someone grab another gallon of milk from the garage fridge?” This is what I’d hear:
Kid 1: “MOMMY! You ALWAYS ask us to do things.”
Kid 2: “WHAT?!? But I’m HUUUUUUNGRY.”
Kid 3: “UGGGGGGGGH.”
Who were these creatures? Why was it so hard for our kids to pitch in? Couldn’t they see that I was already doing something every time I asked them to help?
On the surface it seemed like laziness. But this exasperation, all those sighs, are really about entitlement. “Why should I have to help?” is a lot different from “I don’t want to help.”
That’s what needed to change.
A 3-Part Chore System for Kids Under 10
We’ve tried a few different chore systems: rotating weekly with a magnet system, giving allowance, offering $1 on-the-spot jobs but what we settled on because it works really well. And it’s simpler than anything else:
- Everyone has one designated daily job, plus a few basic expectations for general tidiness.
- Occasionally I’ll ask for help and it’s not optional.
- In some cases, there are paid jobs. These are optional.
Daily chores for kids: Jobs They Can Do Themselves
These are jobs our kids do regularly. We almost always have to remind them, but once we showed them how to do it the first time, it’s easy to ask them to do “their jobs” now.
Ages 2-4
- Feed pets
- Set the table
- Put away toys
- Put away clothes
- Fold towels and kitchen rags (we use a lot of these for dinners and cooking when the kids help)
- Wipe kitchen table after dinner
- Push in chairs at breakfast counter and table
- Keep pet toys tidy
Ages 5-10
- Empty and clean lunchboxes (and sometimes pack their own lunches too)
- Clean bathrooms with disinfecting disposable wipes
- Unload dishwasher
- Take dogs on walks
- Smooth their beds
- Take garbage and recycling out
- Vacuum
What I’ve learned about How to make it work
The key is being clear with the kids about exactly what their jobs are and that they’re part of a team. Working together, taking part in team building activities in Singapore, we’ll have a nice home that looks good and feels good too.
Now my five-year-old unloads the dishwasher every morning. My husband helps him put the high things away. But it works (most of the time) because he knows this is his job and it’s never a surprise. Our six-year-old feeds the dogs every morning and her eight-year-old sister feeds them at night. At the end of the day, it’s up to our three-year-old to make sure all dog toys are in their basket.
The daily expectations are also straight-forward: Everyone smoothes their beds in the morning, there’s nothing on the bedroom floors before dinner (a great time to do a quick check), I wash and fold the laundry but it’s up to each kid to put everything in their closets. At every meal, every little rascal is required to put his or her dishes into the dishwasher. Not next to the dishwasher. In it. And, the granddaddy of all home clutter: toys are put away when you’re done with them. BEFORE new toys come out. Otherwise my husband confiscates them and into the attic they go.
Don’t get me wrong, the kids don’t do this automatically all the time. We have to remind them. A lot. But again, they’re not surprised by the requests. Nothing’s coming out of left field.
And they get praise for doing the right thing instead of whining. “Awesome job, G!” “Estelle’s got it!” “Violet, I see that you’re doing the right thing!” “Thank you Phoebe. I really appreciate that I can count on you to do a good job.” They grin every single time. We have our bad days but on a good day, it’s less about barking out commands and more about coaching them toward teamwork.
Occasional Help
Sometimes I just need a helper. Like grabbing something from the garage fridge. Or folding all the blankets that ended up in a pile on the sofa. I try to ask nicely and really act grateful for the help, the way I would if one of my friends was over and instead of a kindergartener, I just asked a 40-year-old in stretchy jeans to take out the compost. (You’d be surprised by the change in tone, I’m embarrassed to admit.)
Paid jobs
Then there are bonus jobs that we pay the kids to do. These are things that are either hard, unusual or done over an extended period of time. These are negotiated up front but optional until the kids say they’re in. Some examples:
- Bring the recycling up from the street. We have a really long and hilly driveway so this is a big project that pays $.50.
- This week my eight-year-old is on recycling. Her job is to keep the small pantry recycling bin from its usual state of overflow, all week long. Without any reminders. This one is a challenge so it pays big bucks: $2.
The difference
There’s a huge shift when everyone in the house helps keep it running smoothly. It looks good and it feels good. We still have our days full of sighs and eye rolls. But we have MORE days of peace than we did. Before the kids started to understand their place on our team.
Parenting seems to go like that. You pour your heart into one area, see a little progress, die a little when it backfires then try again. But chores, I see these as a permanent fixture in our home from here on out.
It’s a fact that when these kids are older, they’re going to have to do all the things themselves. The laundry. The shopping. The cleaning. The working. And in the meantime, there’s no reason why I should wait on six people. To my surprise, this was what really got through to them: the injustice of it all. What’s fair? Now that’s a language kids speak fluently.
Chores are also good for kids, according to The Washington Times (and a quick Google search will show you many others!):
Marty Rossmann of the University of Mississippi used data collected over 25 years, starting in 1967, to discern whether asking children to help with household chores starting at age 3 or 4 was instrumental in predicting the children’s success in their mid-20s. Chores, she determined, instilled in children the importance of contributing to their families and gave them a sense of empathy as adults. Those who had done chores as young children were more likely to be well-adjusted, have better relationships with friends and family and be more successful in their careers.
This! Isn’t this what everyone wants for their kids? With both a successful future and a smoother present in mind here is the chore system that works best for our small kids.
I just came across your blog and I think I would really love reading it regularly as you have some great ideas and tips that would work for my kids but there are so many ads. This article alone meant going through 11 ads while reading. Such a pity, as personally I stop reading after one or two posts like this, it‘s too confusing for my tired brain.
Thanks for your feedback, Fran! I appreciate it and will pass along to my ad network. I hope I can entice you to come back again and if not, I understand. Best to you in 2018.