Chores and Children: On How They Go Together
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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