Flying through the Floor Cleaning with Chores for Children

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Do you have a chore chart at your house? Is is a success? Or a fail? At our house, somedays it's one and others, well, we don't focus on those days. ;) Well...remember that fun Star Wars themed chore chart I posted recently? (You can see it here.) We are still LOVIN it! (or at least I am...hee hee) But along with that, comes figuring out exactly what kind of chores you want your kids to do AND what kind of chores that you can reasonably expect them to be capable of performing successfully. I never ever would have guessed this, but my kids feel like cleaning the floor is one of the hardest chores they are asked to do. They don't feel like they sweep and/or mop well. And I have to admit, the job they do is...lacking. ;) So I set out recently to get the best mop that I could find for them to do some floor cleaning successfully. And apparently I got the right one, because I walked into the kitchen to see this the other day as my son was mopping! True story. I had to run to grab the camera. Totally cracked me up!

Face it, it's no fun to get assigned a task that you don't feel confident that you can do. If you assign chores to your children that they are unable to accomplish, instead of giving them a feeling accomplishment and pride in the work that they are doing, it can leave them with a bitter feeling toward doing chores and may lead them to drag their feet even more when asked to help out. When we, as adults OR as children, learn to do something new and also take pride in how we perform that task, it helps to give us a feeling of more independence. It also helps us to want to do more of the same and of similar tasks. You want to make sure that what you are asking of your kids is reasonable, and that they understand your expectations.

But in order to feel successful with what we ask, we need to make sure that we are giving them materials and tools that make the job or chore one that they will be able to confidently complete. One of my favorite things I have found so far is this awesome mop! I picked it out at our local Walmart, where I can find all my cleaning solutions! And love it for so many reasons! This spray mop is so much easier than so many others that we have tried in our house. The kids are able to use it from start to finish with their chores. From the set up, to the cleaning, to even the clean-UP of the mop. (I love that I (or my kids) can just throw this in the washer or in the sink after I am done doing dishes and wash it right out!)

 So...I have compiled a list of appropriate chores for different ages that we go by at our house. Even our smallest children help out in our home. From age 1-2, we ask that they help pick up WITH us, as we clean up their toys. As they continue to grow, they are actually asking and wanting to help with others as they do their chores. So our youngest kids often become helpers to our older kids with their own individual chores. This works great! The older kids get to be the good example and provide the teaching experiences, and they ALL learn that we work together as a family. I love how as my kids get comfortable with a chore, they end up having fun with it too. (Well...sometimes haha)

Appropriate Age Chores for Children:

(All of these should be done under an adult's supervision. This is just my opinion. Obviously, each child is different and you know your own child and what he/she can handle. Make your own chore list accordingly.)

Age 1-2

Help pick up their own toys WITH someone else

Age 3-5

Help pick up their own toys and their own room (with assistance as needed)

Help cook and bake in the kitchen

Help wash and dry dishes

Help unload dishwasher and put items away

Help pick up the yard

Help pull weeds

Help another child or adult perform their chores

Wash windows and mirrors in the house (with supervision)

Set the table

Color matching (for example: sorting socks)

Help sort the laundry

Help feed pets

Dust the furniture

Help to make their own bed

Age 6-9

(All of the above plus:)

Responsible for cleaning up their own rooms and toys

Help bake in the kitchen

Help wash and dry dishes

Unload the dishdrainer and dishwasher and put dishes away

Sweep (You will most likely have to help go over it again after to help them see where they missed some areas.)

Vacuum small areas

Mop the bathroom and kitchen

Help with gardening and pulling weeds outside.

Help clean out and wash the car (inside and out)

Help make family meals

Empty the trash (toward the older age spectrum of this one)

Sort and fold the laundry

Feed pets

Fold towels and linens

Set and clear the table

Make their own bed

Rake

picofaddichores (1)

Age 9-12

(All of the above plus:)

Help sort and wash the dirty laundry

Make a simple family meal

Make brownies

Make cookies

Cut vegetables and fruits

Sweep

Help change out bedsheets

Clean the fridge

Age 12 and up

(All of the above {which many of these can now be done with little or no supervision at this point} plus:)

Cook meals and bake

Wash their own laundry

Wash dishes on their own

Help watch smaller children as you are comfortable with it

Wash the car (inside and out)

Mow the lawn

Make beds and change sheets

Help teach younger children

Help younger kids with homework

They can even start learning more about changing the oil in the car and things like that as they get older.

(And even more I am sure!)

I have to admit, as a mom, that it seems easier (and many times even faster!) to just do some of these chores myself, but what a disservice this would be to my kids! And I can't do that to them. We all learn at different paces. But it's so good for us to continue learning, even with chores. :) (Although your teenagers might possibly disagree. hahaha) I truly feel that we do our children a disservice if we do not teach them to work. They need to feel confident as they grow older (and eventually move off on their own) that they can take care of themselves and their homes. That means teaching them chores, responsibility, and teaching them that they should take pride in how they perform and COMPLETE those chores.

What do you expect your children to do at your house? Do they vary with age? By the week and month even? haha If you aren't already having your kids help around the house, start today! Figure out what your own kids can handle, get them the tools to be successful (like this mop that apparently makes my son FLY! haha) and head on over to see how I made our own personalized chore chart here. And don't expect perfection from them. haha They're just learning, they're just kids...and nobody's perfect.