We need to talk…about age appropriate chores.
Books on the floor, dirty clothes thrown on beds, bits of food left spilled under the living room table.
Can you relate?
Sometimes I think my house is a bit of a madhouse but then I have to remember that I wanted it that way.
I LOVE large families and with that comes mess!
There have been times when I have literally tried to do it all (tidy up) because I thought I could do it faster and better than my children would.
I found that I could just never keep on top of all the chores.
Something was always still left to do at the end of the day.
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I remember my husband coming home from work one day and asking me why I am trying to do everything myself.
I have children who are now old enough to tidy up after themselves so why am I doing everything?
I had to pause and think for a moment and literally take myself out of the equation.
If I were on the outside looking in I would probably be screaming at myself saying “tell that boy to pick up his shirt”.
Or “there’s no way that girl is going to leave her empty plate on the table for me to pick up.”
You see the point here (and I am guilty of this) is that we sometimes see our children as baby’s (even when they are 15, ha!) and that is not helping your child at all.
You see every individual needs boundaries, especially children and by not giving this to our children we are actually doing them a disservice.
It is actually healthy to set your child some age appropriate chores as it teaches responsibility and they will definitely need to be responsible when they get older.
Technically it would probably be easier for me to continue to try to do all the chores myself, rather than letting the children half-heartedly do them.
The problem is that then I would be allowing them to miss out on some great life learning opportunities.
Little girl doing age appropriate chores by washing dishes in the kitchen
Giving your children age appropriate chores teaches them responsibility and discipline!
Before we break down the list of chores, lets quickly discuss some ways great tips for getting your children to want to help around the house.
1. Think about a reward system
Consider giving an allowance in exchange for chores.
There’s nothing wrong with this, you do the same thing when you go to work each morning (well that’s if you’re not a stay at home parent).
2. Show gratitude for completed chores
Don’t forget to show how happy and relieved you are that they helped you out with something. Everyone needs a compliment every now and again.
Remember this age appropriate chores post by pinning it to your favorite Pinterest board!
3. Exercise patience
Have patience with your child, they will get better at doing the chores. Remember this is a long-term goal.
4. Be consistent
Stay consistent with it. Never back down on chores, they are not an option.
You need to build a habit in your children for doing them.
Eventually, it won’t even seem like chores to them anymore.
5. Have fun with it!
Make chores a happy and fun thing to do. I know that sounds crazy but don’t make doing chores into a shouting match.
The less tension there is around doing the chores the more likely they will be to want to do them.
6. Don’t forget about the team aspect
Make it a team effort! Go team!! High fives all around!
Here is a list of age appropriate chore chart ideas by age:
Age 5 – 7 chores
- Clean the dining table after every meal
- Make sure all laundry is in the baskets
- Make sure shoes are where they should be
- Put away groceries
- Replace toilet toll
Age 9 – 12 chores
- Take out the household trash
- Sweep the kitchen floor
- Make beds
- Put freshly washed clothes away
- Make sure plates are cleared from the table after dinner
Ages 13 upwards chores
- Clean the car
- Vacuum the house
- Mop the kitchen
- Look after younger children
- Clean bath/ shower area
It may seem somewhat tiresome to begin with, trying to get your children to actually complete their chores but in the long run, you will be better off for it and so will they.
Consider making a chore chart and printing it out so that everyone knows what they are to do each day.
Alternatively, you can fill out my form below and print one out free for your family to use
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