Chores and Children: On How They Go Together
Jackson and Oliver do chores every day, we don’t have a list on the wall or stars or a system of rotation (because that is not really our style), but because they are now getting older and can do more than just exist a list may be in order.
While googling “chore charts” I was stunned to find information from studies on how choreless children are the cause of higher divorce rates when they grow up, to those who think that sports can be counted as chores. Let me shock them peeps into reality, sports are not chores, sports do require doing training, but it is entirely different. I did track, cross country, soccer, and I can tell you that as much as there is physical training (which teaches perseverance, endurance…and so on), it really is just not the same as taking out the trash, or cleaning out the cat box. You get no crowd cheers when you take out the trash, you don’t get applause or standing ovations. Doing chores prepares children to deal with the fact of life, that hardly ever are you going to be recognised for doing dirty work, it is just what is expected of you as a person.
If you are thinking that making kids do chores is the easy way out, think again. It will pay off in the long run, but this is not about instant gratification. As far as the parent goes, it does take much longer to teach a child how to do the chore you could do in several minutes. Try to not think that way. You are training you child to do do something on their own, which in the beginning will take much more work, but in the end you will have children who can be responsible for completing a task the way it should be done. Resist, I’ll say that again, RESIST the desire to go over the job after they have finished thinking that they won’t notice. If a chore is not completed to your satisfaction, first take a moment to praise the child for the work that they put into it and ask them to please come back to learn to perfect it. This is really important because if you go behind your children checking their work they will expect that of you and not learn to do it the right way themselves. Teach it to be done exactly the way you want it done, then after tons of time you will have relieved yourself of that chore.
Want to hear something crazy? My boys LOVE chores. It really helps that we started early to have them take over little things. They are always in charge of cleaning up their toys, putting away crafts they got out, and cleaning their room. Chores are good for kids, they learn to master skills, they find value in themselves for their hard work, they learn that the world does not revolve around them, learn to work as a team with siblings, they gain independence and they learn responsibility.
Chores for a three-year-old:
-help put food away
-help set the table
-wipe chairs
-feed cats
-fill cats water
-help feed chickens
-help collect eggs
-make bed
-clean up toys
-get dressed
-empty hamper
-taking his dirty clothes to hamper
-unload silverware into right compartments
Chores for a five-year-old:
-water garden
-water plants
-take sheets off beds
-fold laundry
-put laundry away
-fill washer
-transfer clothes from washer to dryer
-wipe counters in bathroom
-wipe table
-wipe chairs
-clear table
-put food away
-set the table
-feed cats
-fill cats water
-clean cat box
-vacuum small areas with dirt devil
-feed chickens
-fill up chicken’s water
-collect eggs
-make bed
-clean up toys
-get dressed
-empty hamper
-taking his dirty clothes to hamper
-unload silverware into right compartments
Some chore ideas for your kids:
Simple Chores for Preschoolers
Chore Charts
What chores did you do when you were a kid? Were there some that you remember dreading? How about ideas, do you have other fabulous chore suggestions?
Themocracy
I helped with putting away food, watering the garden, making my bed, then as I got a little older, dusting and vacuuming my bedroom, doing my own laundry, cleaning the bathroom (tub, tile and floor), cleaning the windows, etc. I still love watering the garden, doing laundry and cleaning the windows. Those aren’t chores to me. I didn’t like vacuuming until we got a new vacuum cleaner when I was a teenager. Our old vacuum was 20+ years old, heavy, loud, and would get hot quickly. That was the only chore I ever dreaded, mainly because of the vacuum cleaner I had to use.
I was the chicken keeper (each kid was assigned an animal). It was made very clear to me that if my chickens were not fed and cared for that I would not be having dinner until they were!
I loved how Growing kids God’s way talks about chores, to teach them to benefit the family without a reward. That is such a task at this age when they would like a treat for doing anything.
It’s hard for me to imagine parents who don’t make their kids do chores. I loved doing chores when I was little! When I was a teenager, that was a different story… but I had A LOT of chores when I was a teen. I think kids need to contribute to the household, even if it’s just cleaning up after themselves.
Well, we had to do cleaning out rooms, making beds, laying the table for fodd, dusting and by the time i was a little older i was supposed to learn cooking as well.
Well mom always wanted us to be self-sufficient and good at out own work, and i think making kids do chores, giving them responsibilities are like the basic things we really need to do.
But I have known people, who don’t have their male kids do anythign at all, which in my view is really wrong.
The list you have put here is impressive!
Thank you
You are so on target! Chores are gratification-free except the self-gratification of having done the chore itself. Sports as a chore is a ridiculous notion.
Of course children should have chores. My step-daughter has none at her main home and she is not turning out to be a Godly young woman. She is turning out spoiled and demanding, even though she is a good and sweet girl. She leaves packages unopened and when chastised will say, “But Mom comes behind me and fixes it at home.” Just a small example
I had chores, though not a set weekly list. On Saturday, I did what Mom needed done. I hated it. It was a lesson in obedience, humility, and putting aside MY desires for the better good of the whole family. A wonderful lesson and I am a much better person as a result. I would do the same to my kids, if I had any.
As a matter of a fact, as a special education preschool teacher, we teach “chores”. Or at least, we teach “responsibility” and oddly enough we have to teach the parents to give responsibility to these kiddos as well. We teach our guys to throw away their trash and put their dishes in the sink after breakfast and snack, push in their chairs, throw away their own kleenexes and paper towels, to hang up their backpacks and coats, to put on their own clothing after diaper changes. These are things that may not be specific chores, but still need to be done by the child his/herself.
As a teacher, I would be SO proud to have you as the parent of one of my kiddos! You would make life so much easier on me as a teacher and on the special ed kiddo, too. Thanks for what you do for kids. They don’t know to thank you yet, so I will.