The last but certainly not least question in the Frazzled Mama Inquiry….along with my apologies that it has taken me so long to finish up this post :)
Well, let’s see…From the time my kiddos were old enough to go get a toy from the toy box, they were also required to put them back away(most of the time). When they were just toddlers, we made a game out of it, singing the infamous “Clean up, clean up” song. Of course, I wasn’t as strict on the little people, and many times I would help them tidy up. As the children got older, I expected more of them.
Trash duty is easy for young kids to do. Little Man did a year of trash when he was 3. He emptied all the little cans into the bigger kitchen cans, sprayed the little cans with Lysol, put a new bag in each can, and put them away. I would have to help him carry out the big bags to the trash cans, but then he wheeled them out to the road. Then he sprayed the big cans and added fresh bags.
Dusting is another good job to start youngsters with, especially if you use a Swiffer-type duster. Disinfectant wipes are great to get them started off cleaning the bathroom sink. I do not start them on toilet duty until they are old enough to understand that they have to wash their hands afterward….five-ish. Five is also a great age to teach your kids how to do their own laundry. All my kiddos have started doing their own wash at age 5. They may need help initially with the folding, but not for too long, in my experience. Typically, they can put away their own laundry much earlier than 5.
My kiddos have all been able to help out with sweeping, mopping or vacuuming from early ages(4-5). As for kitchen duty, I have been reluctant, and I’m not sure why. Bubba started helping in the kitchen at age 8, by unloading the dishwasher. Sugar Belle has also started helping with unloading now, while Bubba can load pretty well. Tootle Bug and Little Man help with the silverware, minus the knives :)
One thing to keep in mind as you are working with your kiddos and their chores, is that the goal for teaching them these skills isn’t necessarily to have help around the house. For me, it is about teaching them what they need to know to run their own household one day. It will be tedious, frustrating, and exhausting some days. Jobs will not be done exactly how you would do it, but they are learning! By the end of one year, they will be doing the chore very well. So have patience, doing chores alongside your children will be more work for you initially. Long term though, it will be worth the effort.
Our Set-Up
In our house, each child has a list of things they are required to do each morning. I dug around on my external hard drive and found Tootle Bug’s first list. Depending on the child and their maturity, this list would be assigned to them around age 2-3… you know, just after potty training.
Isn’t she a cutie??? Ok, so obviously this list was made for a non-reader. I printed them and posted them in their rooms. She knew from the pictures that each morning she needed to brush her teeth, get dressed, make her bed, and water the dog. She also knew that she should not leave Pjs on the floor, or wet Pull-Ups. In the evening, she needed to brush her teeth and tidy up her room.
Here is Sugar Belle’s list for the same year….
As you can see, she also has devotions on her list and the wipes indicate that she needs wipe down the bathroom sink. Older kid, more stuff.
As they got older and were able to read, their list looked more like this…
Yet again, the older they got, the more that was required. I also started to incorporate chores to be done in their room each morning. I started off calling them “zones” (yes, like Flylady).
These didn’t work out so well, so I have integrated the “Zones” into the “List”.
Now, at ages 10, 8, 7 and 5 the kiddos pretty much have their lists memorized. But, they do still need reminders about the items that change from day to day. They also need reminders at the beginning of each year, as their responsibilities will change. I rotate the chores yearly, so that each child takes a turn learning how to complete them correctly.
Here is Bubba’s current list…
Notice on this chart, there are Friday chores. We all have extra chores that we do on Friday.
Here is Little Man’s current List…
As far as management goes, I like this system the best. Basically I keep these on a clip board. Each morning I inspect their lists. I can check off each item and then I know the jobs have been done. Same thing for the Friday chores, I inspect and then check it off. In order to save ink and paper, each week I will use different colored ink to check off each task. I can get about a month out of each page. I have used this system for about 2 years now and I really like. Before using this system it was pretty easy to see who was doing or had done what. But more kids, older kids, and more jobs made it necessary to have some sort of organized accountability. Remember, we EXpect what we INspect. Be sure to check up on the chores being done, or eventually, they will not be done well.
Reality check: These lists have been a life-saver for me over the last few months of my poor health. The children have been in such a routine that they just kept right on. However, I will say, I have not been very consistent in checking each item as I would be during healthier times. I can see that the lack of INspection has had an effect on the quality of the jobs being done, but a quick reminder has been all that is needed to get things moving in the right direction again.
Perfect timing M, thanks. With the move and a new (bigger) house I want to start a new routine. I can see getting a routine in place asap will be helpful before baby arrives. :)