Recently, a dear friend recommended that as a follow-up to my blog post about our new chore system, I write about what chores my children do. This friend has children that are all very young (3 girls age five and under, and expecting her 4th child). I know exactly where this friend is coming from, because when my fourth child was born, my oldest was five years old as well.
When we were at that stage, I was still rather sporadic about chores. I did most things on my own, and tried to find little ways that they could help, if for no other reason than to keep them busy so that I could get a few things done! 
I too wondered what tasks would be reasonable to expect from my young children. I would brainstorm ideas to occupy them in a useful way, encourage their desire to be helpful, and begin to instill in them a work ethic. As they grew capable, I would have my little ones do small tasks, such as:
- wipe off the front of the refrigerator
- wipe the baseboards in one room
- use window wipes to clean the glass kitchen doors
- fold some washcloths or socks
- pick up toys or books
- dust-bust a messy area
- put away some kitchen towels
- bring me a clean diaper and wipes
- throw away dirty diapers
- throw dirty clothes in the hamper or down the laundry chute
- help wipe the floors while I mopped (I could barely keep them out of the kitchen! They loved playing in the water, so giving them a few rags made us all happy!)
While most of these items can be done by children around ages two to four years, even a one-year-old can help with picking up toys, diapers, and dirty clothes!
Sometimes the result of their efforts was more mess than we started with, but I didn’t mind because they were so excited to “help,” and I figured that the mess was less than if I had just let them roam aimlessly while I was busy with housework. In a lot of ways, this strategy still works well with my youngest children. It is difficult to get too structured with chores until they get a little bit older.
Now that I have a few older, more independent children, chore systems have become very valuable to our family. We change the chores as often as the need arises, sometimes frequently until we find a good routine, but once established, we keep it in place for a while. Currently, I’m not 100% happy with the chores that are assigned, and will probably work through a few changes in the next few weeks before we begin our next homeschool year. For now though, here is what it looks like:
Our children have a Morning Chore Pack which is to be done before breakfast every day. After breakfast, they work through Chore Pack 2, including one or two weekly chores for that particular day of the week. They typically finish both chore packs and their weekly chore by 9:00 or 9:30am every morning. Otherwise, they need only help clean up after mealtimes, and attend to their jurisdictions (simple tidying of their designated areas of the house) and “Company’s Coming Jobs” as I deem necessary.
Polly (Age 11)
Morning Chore Pack (before breakfast)
- Make bed
- Get dressed
- Put nightgown away
- Brush hair
- Pick up in bathroom
- Prepare breakfast
Chore Pack 2 (done right after breakfast)
- Plates & silverware in dishwasher
- Wipe table
- Tidy Living Room
- Tidy Family Room (this is a group effort)
- Brush teeth
- Bible Reading/Prayer
- Bible Memory
- Piano Practice
- Weekly Chore
Weekly Chores:
- Monday: Plan Lunches & Snacks for week
Clean Guest Bathroom - Tuesday: Living Room
(Dust, Tidy TV Stand) - Wednesday: Clean van with Fred
(Week 1: Windows, Week 2: Dust-Bust) - Thursday: Help with Laundry
- Friday: Family Room (empty pencil sharpener, wipe computer screens, wipe down desks)
Gameboy (Age 9)
Morning Chore Pack (before breakfast)
- Make bed
- Get dressed
- Put pajamas away
- Pick up in bedroom
- Brush hair
- Pick up in hallway
- Empty top rack of dishwasher
Chore Pack 2 (after breakfast)
- Dust-bust under table
- Empty dustbuster
- Empty kitchen trash (if full)
- Tidy downstairs hall & steps
- Tidy Family Room (group effort)
- Brush teeth
- Bible Reading/Prayer
- Bible Memory
- Piano Practice
- Weekly Chore
Weekly Chores
- Monday: Upstairs Trash with Fred
Kids Bathroom (Mirror, Sink, Toilet) - Tuesday: Vacuum Upstairs
- Wednesday: Help with Laundry
- Thursday: Upstairs Trash with Fred
- Friday: Kids’ Bathroom (Mirror, Sink, Toilet, Tub)
Collect Trash from Curb
Bubbles (Age 7)
Morning Chore Pack (before breakfast)
- Make bed
- Get dressed
- Put pajamas away
- Pick up in bedroom
- Brush hair
- Empty silverware from dishwasher
Chore Pack 2
- Wipe up George
- New trash bag in kitchen (if empty)
- Tidy downstairs bathroom
- Tidy Family Room (group effort)
- Brush teeth
- Bible Reading/Prayer
- Bible Memory
- Piano Practice
- Weekly Chore
Weekly Chores:
- Monday: Downstairs Trash with Princess
- Tuesday: Dust Family Room & Dining Room
- Wednesday: Dust Bedrooms with Mom
- Thursday: Downstairs Trash w/Princess
Help with Laundry - Friday: Guest Bathroom (Mirror, Sink, Toilet)
Fred (Age 5)
Morning Chore Pack (before breakfast)
- Make bed
- Get dressed
- Put pajamas away
- Pick up in bedroom
- Brush hair
- Empty bottom rack of dishwasher
Chore Pack 2 (after breakfast)
- Wipe up kitchen chairs
- Help Mom in kitchen
- Tidy kitchen table area
- Tidy Family Room (group effort)
- Brush teeth
- Laundry down chute (I tell them him whose laundry day it is, and he works with Princess to throw it down)
- Weekly Chore
Weekly Chores
- Monday: Upstairs trash (with Gameboy)
- Tuesday: Put away shoes from baskets (with Princess)
- Wednesday: Clean van with Polly: Pick up stuff from floor
Help with laundry - Thursday: Upstairs trash (with Gameboy)
- Friday: Put away shoes from baskets (with Princess)
Princess (Age 3 – Almost 4)
Morning Chore Pack (before breakfast)
- Make bed
- Get dressed
- Put pajamas away
- Pick up in bedroom
- Brush hair
- Set out spoons and bib
Chore Pack 2 (after breakfast)
- Refill napkins
- Help Mom in kitchen
- Tidy dining room
- Tidy Family Room (group effort)
- Brush teeth
- Laundry down chute (with Fred)
- Weekly Chore
Weekly Chores
- Monday: Downstairs trash (with Bubbles)
- Tuesday: Put away shoes from baskets (with Fred)
- Wednesday: Help Mom with laundry
- Thursday: Downstairs trash (with Bubbles)
- Friday: Put shoes away from baskets (with Fred)
Help put laundry away
Laundry Notes:
Laundry is mainly my responsibility, but the kids help out on the day that I do their laundry. Here is how that looks:
Polly, Gameboy and Bubbles: Polly, Gameboy and Bubbles always help sort clean laundry into piles belonging to themselves and their laundry-day partner, fold their own clothes, and put their own laundry away. They are adept at all tasks related to laundry, with one exception: Bubbles still has trouble folding big bath towels! I have them help me with additional laundry tasks only when needed.
Fred: Fred always helps sort clean laundry into piles belonging to himself and Gameboy, folds his own socks and underwear, and puts his own laundry away. He also has the ability to help me sort dirty laundry by color, fold any of his own clothes, and fold small towels and washcloths. He does these extra tasks occasionally to help out, but I do not have him do them every week.
Princess: Princess can fold fold socks, small towels and washcloths, hang up dresses, and help with putting her own laundry away. She does these things occasionally to for practice and to help out, but I do not have her do them every week.
Kitchen Jobs:
Polly: load silverware & plates into dishwasher, wipe table
Gameboy: Dust-bust under table,Empty kitchen trash (if full)
Bubbles: Wipe up George,New trash bag (if empty)
Fred: Wipe chairs, Help Mom in kitchen
Princess: Refill napkins, Help Mom in kitchen
Jurisdictions:
Polly
- (upstairs) Kids’ Bathroom
- (downstairs) Living Room
Gameboy
- (upstairs) Hallway
- (downstairs) Hall & steps
Bubbles
- (upstairs) Girls’ bedroom
- (downstairs) Guest bathroom
Fred
- (upstairs) Boys’ Room
- (downstairs) Kitchen table and floor
Princess
- (upstairs) Girls’ Room
- (downstairs) Dining Room
Group Jurisdictions
- Play Room
- Family Room
Company’s Coming Jobs:
Polly
- Tidy jurisdictions
- Wipe living room glass & TV
Gameboy
- Tidy jurisdictions
- Vacuum downstairs
Bubbles
- Tidy jurisdictions
- Wipe kitchen table
- Wipe bathroom sink
Fred
- Tidy jurisdictions
- Pick up in Family Room
- Play with George
Princess
- Tidy jurisdictions
- Pick up in Family Room
- Play with George
Friday Afternoon Round-Up:
- Week 1: Play Room
- Week 2: Family RoomFor an explanation of what a “Round-Up” is, see Tackling the Messiest Rooms
Saturday Morning Room Inspection:
While the kids tidy their bedrooms daily, we don’t expect perfection. On Saturday mornings, however, we do room inspections before they can go play. Since there is no school and no weekly chore for this day, they have time to focus on getting their rooms back up to speed for the next week.
Our chore schedule actually feels very light at the moment because it is summer, and we are not homeschooling. We enjoy this because it allows a lot of freedom for the kids to play outdoors, go out on fun outings, and for us all to work on other projects (household or fun) that we do not have time for during the school year.
Looking for more ideas to help the days to run more smoothly? Check out this list of blog posts related to Household Management!
Thank you so much! It is exactly what I was looking forward. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question!
Heather
I should proofread before I hit enter!
It was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks again!
I’m glad it helped, Heather!