Children’s Chores: the Specifics
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 school begins each day. Chores in the packs are in numeric order, and include:
- Personal Habits (Brushing teeth, putting dirty clothes in the hamper, etc.)
- Meal Prep Job
- Breakfast (Although our children never require a reminder to eat, just to keep them on track with the order in which they need to do things)
- Kitchen Cleanup
- Daily Chores
- Weekly Chores: one or two chores for that particular day of the week.
Everyone typically finishes their chore pack 9:00 or 9:30am every morning. For the rest of the day, they need only help clean up after mealtimes, and attend to their jurisdictions when requested (simple tidying of their designated areas of the house) and “Company’s Coming Jobs” which require five or ten minutes of their time when we’re expecting guests..
Polly (Age 11)
Chore Pack
- Make bed
- Get dressed
- Put nightgown away
- Brush hair
- Pick up in bathroom
- Help prepare breakfast
- Eat breakfast
- Plates & silverware in dishwasher
- Wipe table
- Tidy Living Room
- Tidy Family Room (Group Effort)
- Brush teeth
- Weekly Chore
Weekly Chores:
- Monday: 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
- Eat breakfast
- Dust-bust under table
- Empty dustbuster
- Empty kitchen trash (if full)
- Tidy downstairs hall & steps
- Tidy Family Room (group effort)
- Brush teeth
- 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
- Eat breakfast
- Wipe up baby
- New trash bag in kitchen (if empty)
- Tidy downstairs bathroom
- Tidy Family Room (group effort)
- Brush teeth
- 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
- Eat 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 and put in garbage bag.
Help with laundry - Thursday: Upstairs trash (with Gameboy)
- Friday: Put away shoes from baskets (with Princess)
Chelle (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
- Eat breakast
- 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.
Chelle: Chelle 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
Chelle
- (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
Chelle
- 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.
My Blessed Home 
Thank you so much! It is exactly what I was looking forward. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question!
Heather
I’m glad it helped, Heather! 🙂
I should proofread before I hit enter! 🙂 It was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks again!
I have tried the chore pack thing and they kept getting lost!
Can you think of anything that would be like this without having to keep track of all the little cards?
I have a :
7 yo girl
5 yo boy
3 yo boy
Right now, I just want the two older ones to be dressed and have their beds made before breakfast
and to have the dishes cleared/table wiped off before school-we homeschool.
I also need ideas on how to get them to do this without being told and without whining.
We actually stopped using the chore cards too, for the same reason. I went back to having a list of responsibilities taped to the school room wall (post for another day.) For getting ready in the morning, you might try making habits lists to keep in their bedrooms. We hang ours up with yarn on their closet doors.
At mealtimes, I have a paper taped up in the kitchen with everyone’s kitchen jobs. For the younger kids, the list is more for my benefit so I can remember who I assigned what to.
As to getting them to do their responsibilities without being told, I’m not sure how possible that will be at their ages. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that up until a certain age, they need reminders to “do your morning habits before breakfast” or “do your kitchen job.” Even with some of my older children, I have a rule that they get one free reminder, but I charge one dad dollar for every extra reminder.
Whining is a different story. We use the “If-Then” chart and have a consequence established for whining/arguing/complaining/etc (see here and here for more info on this).
great idea!! i need to find a thesaurus to find a word that means money that starts with P ( we call him Papa, not Dad) so it will sound cute ( and increase vocabulary)!!
P. S. How long do you allow for different chores? … say a newly turned 7 year old cleaning her own room? She is the only daughter so she has no current roomie!
Papa Pesos.
Thanks for this! Oh my goodness thank you for writing out every little detail. That’s what I needed!
I almost want to cry this is so helpful. Thank you. I’ll probably be spending little time on your site reading and learning how to do this. I didn’t realize you had such helpful hints on so many things we do or want to do the same.
I’ve got the 4 kids and am now in the stage where I realize that a few of them are fully capable of learning how to be more helpful around the home without being asked. I just need to teach them to do each chore well.
The only question I have for you is about required Bible reading time. I have heard it said that you shouldn’t make the kids do this as a chore, rather they will want to do it as they see their parent’s example and the corresponding fruit that accompanies it. My 7 and 9 year olds do from time to time have completely spontaneous Bible study times together and have had spurts where they ask me to wake them up early so they can read just like I do. What are your thoughts on this? Do your kids ever complain about Bible time?
The more I read your posts, the more I like you. It seems like you are very humble about your tips. I have already recommended your blog to my sister and a few friends who could really use the help. So thanks again 🙂
Hi Becky, thank YOU for your sweet and encouraging comment! 🙂
I absolutely agree that we as parents need to be an example in reading our own bibles, praying, and praying specifically for that fruit in our children. I don’t think that necessarily contradicts the idea of requiring them to read daily. There is something to be said for setting the habit of daily bible reading, and for the the accountability that goes with it. Sometimes I need accountability in spiritual disciplines as well! 😉 The kids have never complained about it, and those who are old enough to read (and have bible reading on their list) sincerely enjoy it. Another clarification I need to make is that the amount we require is not excessive. We use this daily checklist for them to track where they’re at: http://www.myblessedhome.net/?p=3917 We have not required them to do things like the Bible in 90 Day Challenge, although our two oldest chose on their own to do this last year. They each told their own perspectives about this challenge, so you might enjoy reading it directly from them. They were 9 and 11 at the time: http://www.myblessedhome.net/?p=5358
I should also mention that while bible reading is listed as part of their “before school chores,” we don’t consider it a chore. We put it on that list because we want them to begin their day with bible reading, and it’s hard to have too many categories of things that the kids need to complete in the morning.
God bless!