Notes

BLANE TENNISON
10 CHORES FOR FOUR AND FIVE YEAR OLDS
(I probably should clarify that he only does several of these chores each day- not all 10! We usually take into account what other things we have going that day and go from there.)
1. Make bed
While our son can’t do this perfectly, I’m amazed at how good of a job he can do! At any rate, when he’s done with it, it looks so much better than a totally unmade bed. And with practice, he’s actually learned to get the quilt spread out nice and evenly.
2. Set the table
When Logan was learning to set the table we didn’t stress putting each piece of silverware correctly since it was pretty confusing for him. But as he got used to his job, it became required that he put each piece in it’s proper place. He also typically puts on the water, any condiments we need, serving spoons etc.

Because I wasn’t thrilled about having our dishes getting broken all the time, we decided to skip the pottery and instead go with Corelle dinnerware. I love that it’s lightweight, doesn’t chip and is practically unbreakable. Even so, we’ve had a few glasses and other things get broken along the way. If you want to teach your children to help, it’s really important to remember that this is just part of the learning process. (I’m reminding myself here too!) And if you do have pottery, I’d suggest having your child just take one or two plates to the table at a time to help minimize breakage.
3. Clear the table
It is our 5 yr. old’s responsibility to help clear the table of dishes and leftover food. My husband or I often give him a bit of help, but there are time that he clears everything by himself- and he does a great job too! Instead of just letting things on the kitchen counter, he is also expected to put away all that he can, which most times is everything but the leftover hot food.

4. Empty the dishwasher
When Logan first started doing this, he was allowed to remove only one glass out at a time. Otherwise, he would get careless, crash them together and well, you can imagine the results! As he learned to be more careful, he became capable of taking out two glasses without any catastrophes. We also have found it helpful to have a designated spot where he puts the few things that he is not tall enough to put away.

Just a quick note, if you put sharp knives in your dishwasher be sure to remove them before your child gets started!

5. Move laundry from washer to dryer
To save money, I don’t use our dryer a lot. But when I do, I often get Logan to move the laundry from the washer over to the dryer. It’s actually one of his favorite chores! If I am going to hang laundry out instead of using the dryer I simply have him unload it into my laundry basket instead.

6. Fold washcloths, rags, underwear and socks
I typically separate these things out from the other laundry and give them to our son to fold. He can get a little careless with folding the washcloths especially, so we’ve been really working on folding them neatly and evenly. I think it’s important that children learn to do their jobs well!

7. Put laundry away
It is our 5 yr. old’s job to put his laundry and his sister’s laundry away. (She’s too little to help at this point!) He also takes our laundry and puts it on our bed and often will do the same with the bathroom towels and washcloths since they are located too high for him to reach.

8. Vacuum
We have a fairly large vacuum but our son can still pretty easily handle it. Obviously, he does not sweep as thoroughly as I would, but it sure helps keep the house cleaner if I have him vacuum a couple of times a week!

9. Clean up toys
This is something that Logan has been doing for a couple of years. I usually like to have him do it before dinner and then he also cleans up before bedtime too. And sometimes if the mess is getting to me throughout the day I’ll help him do it another time too. He likes to hurry and try to get the job done, so we’re constantly working at doing it neatly and putting things away nicely instead of just throwing everything haphazardly in the toy box. (We have various containers that smaller toys go into to help keep it more organized.)

10. Empty trash
While our kitchen trash is still too bulky for our son to handle, the smaller trash cans scattered around the house are very easy for him to empty.

NOAH WHIDDON AND BLANE TENNISON
Some chores a 5- to 7-year-old can do:
1. Sweep floors
2.Make her bed
3.Clean her room
4.Hang up her towel
5.Feed pets
6.Set the table
7.Help clear the dishes after a meal


10. CHORES FOR MY 7 YEAR OLD NOAH WHIDDON
1.Dust
2.Wash and Dry Dishes
3.Wipe off the Table
4.Water Plants
5.Pull Weeds
6.Yard Work
7.Get the Mail
8.Fold Laundry & Put it Away
9.Clean their Room
10.Help Feed Younger Children


1. Dust
For us, dusting includes removing everything from a surface, dusting it all and then putting it all back. So although your child may be able to do this chore before he is 6, I was a little hesitant to have our son start before he was 7 because I have a number of things sitting around that are fragile or difficult to move easily (for example, lamps). It just seemed easier to wait until he was a bit older to have him start this chore.

A feather duster is a great way to make dusting easy for a child. My mom always had me use one when I dusted and as a result, I thought it was a fun chore!

2. Wash and Dry Dishes
Having a dishwasher has made this a job that isn’t given as often as it probably could be at our house, mostly because the dishes that are left to hand wash are either big dishes or fragile thing. But by the time a child is 6, they should be able to wash at least a small amount of dishes and dry them, if you choose not to let them air dry.

Be prepared to show your child how to wash things thoroughly and also how to stack things in the drainer so that they can dry well. For our 7 yr. old, once he got the hang of the stacking thing, he thought it was kind of fun because it was sort of like putting a puzzle together. Unfortunately, it apparently isn’t fun enough to make him want to offer to do this job without being asked! 🙂

3. Wipe off the Table
Our 7 yr. old has been helping to clear the table for several years now. But we waited until he was 6 to have him start wiping down the table, simply because we wanted to wait until he was capable of wiping the table well without just putting the crumbs from the table all over the floor. It was important to us that he learn to wipe it in such a way that at least most of the crumbs were contained the rag that he was using to wipe up the table. He definitely doesn’t do it without a few crumbs hitting the floor, but overall, he’s able to do a decent job. Unless your child is more thorough than ours though, you may want to have them wipe the table down at least twice to make sure that it gets squeaky clean!


4. Water Plants
This is one job- and maybe the only job- that we barely have to ask our son to do. For obvious reasons, he especially loves when we let him water the outside plants with the garden hose! But since we live in the city and need to pay for our water, that doesn’t happen very often and he usually needs to use a watering can instead (this smaller one is easier for kids to handle).

5. Pull Weeds
This is a job that can quickly feel overwhelming to a child, so we usually just assign them a small section at a time to make it feel more manageable.

6. Yard Work
This job varies a lot, but will involve anything from picking up sticks, raking leaves and grass clippings (a small rake makes this easier!) to simply putting away outside toys.

7. Get the Mail
We live in the city and our mail is delivered through the mail slot in our door, so for us, getting the mail is actually a job that our toddler can do. But by the age of 6, a child should be capable of getting the mail from a mailbox, unless of course you along a super busy road or live down a long lane.

8. Fold Laundry & Put it Away
Our son started folding washcloths, rags, underwear and socks when he was 4, but around the time he turned 6 we started having him also fold his pants, as well as some of the kid’s shirts.

9. Clean their Room
We recently started having our son clean his room every Saturday morning. Basically, this involves putting everything in order, dusting and then vacuuming. I still find that I need to sometimes drop in and clean a bit more thoroughly, but overall, he does a pretty good job!

10. Help Feed Younger Children
Before our youngest learned to feed herself, I often had our son, who was then 6, feed her the yogurt or whatever food she was eating. He actually enjoyed doing it most of the time and it often turned into a time of being silly with his baby sister!

KADUN FLANDERS
Some chores an 8- to 10-year-old can do:
1)Load the dishwasher
2)Put away groceries
3)Make his own breakfast, lunch, and snack
4)Do laundry
5)Walk the dog
6)Do yard work
7)Help make dinner

Other Tips to Keep in Mind
1)Kids want to help. Take advantage of this natural desire and encourage her excitement about doing kid chores. Don't force your child to do something she doesn't want to do; instead, make it fun and alluring so that she'll want to do it. Rewards and incentives are also a great way to get kids to want to pitch in. For example, you can tell your child that she can get a star for every chore she finishes, and at the end of the week, she can choose a family activity for everyone to do for an entire hour on the weekend.

2)If he says he's bored, it may be because young children often have a short attention span. He could also be having trouble doing the chore as well as he wants to. Ask him if he’d like to do the chore with you or let him switch off to something else that's equally challenging and not too easy.

3)Get her input on what chores she'd like to try. If it's something too difficult or dangerous for her age, come up with an alternative. For instance, if your child is too young to chop vegetables but she wants to help cook dinner, she can tear lettuce for a salad or measure and mix ingredients instead.

4)Make chores for kids fun. When we clean our house, we crank up some rock music to get us motivated. Not only does it get us moving, it makes even scrubbing the toilet a whole lot more fun.

5)Give him lots of praise. At first, your grade-schooler will probably make a mess or not do it right. But rest assured -- he’ll get better with time and practice. This is one investment that will pay off in the long run when your child is a young pre-teen or teenager who pitches in and shoulders a lot of the household chores.
As with so many things in parenting, you’ll get what you put in. By taking the time to help your young child get into the habit of helping out around the house, you'll set a pattern that will benefit you both as he grows up.