What chores should your kid be doing?

what chores should your kid be doing dr steven viele lollypop books

 

What chores should your kid be doing?

Dr. Steven Viele wrote a fun book about a kid doing chores called “I Don’t Like Chores”. An interesting view of children and the way they see chores and a fun plot twist. You can preview the book here and see what a typical kid does when he is asked to do chores.

When designing age-appropriate chore lists for your children, you can use our free list of tasks by age group as a guide. You can download an extended PDF version of this chart at this link (page 1) and this link (page 2)

 

Remember that everyone is different and that age is not the sole aspect to consider when considering what chores your kids should be performing. To choose the right chores for your child, consider their maturity level, physical capability, and area of interest. Be aware that you might choose tasks from the smaller age groups to make a suitable list for the older age groups. Set your kids up for success by selecting an appropriate and manageable number of chores and a deadline for finishing them.

Naturally, the difficulty of chores varies with age.
A 3-year-old typically has little jobs like mopping up spills or tidying up by putting toys away, whereas a 4- or 5-year-old may have chores like helping with supper preparation. The tasks a 12-year-old would excel at, however, are more complex, ranging from manipulating appliances to cleaning entire rooms.

Ages 2 and 3

Toddlers enjoy helping with housework, and while we may not always find their assistance to be as beneficial as we would want, it is still important to maintain their enthusiasm and the habit of helping.
Making sticker charts is a terrific idea because plenty of toddlers enjoy seeing a visual reminder of their accomplishments.
Even though children may need your assistance at every stage of the chore-completing process, you are fostering good habits that will make doing tasks and being helpful to others second nature to them.

Helping make the bed
Picking up toys and books
Putting laundry in the hamper or in the laundry room
Helping to feed pets
Helping to wipe up messes
Dusting with socks on their hands
Putting small items in a dishwasher
Dry mopping in small areas with help to maneuver the mop

Ages 4 to 5

Preschoolers are great because they nevertheless have a strong want to assist.
Preschoolers adore spending time alone with grownups.
They typically enjoy it if you take the time to teach them new chores one-on-one.
Many children of this age are capable of carrying out tasks without continual supervision.
They adore prizes as well.
Consider utilizing a daily chore chart with stickers so they can earn their way to greater rewards.
Tieing duties to an allowance is a terrific option for some preschoolers.
By giving kids the option of selecting a reward, this can help promote independence.

Ages 6 to 8

School-aged children may lose interest in doing chores, but they still possess other positive traits that make them good at doing chores.
Most youngsters in school have a strong desire to be autonomous.
By utilizing chore charts to keep track of their duties, parents and other adults can help kids learn how to do their jobs independently.
Making a note of activities finished will encourage kids to keep working.

Ages 9 to 12

This age group of children will value a fixed schedule and expectations.
Send them a ton of unexpected work and watch them lose it.
You’ll have a smooth transition if you can design a schedule or system with a little help from them.
Finding a method that works for your family is optimal.
Avoid making changes to it without the approval and input of those it will most immediately effect.
This approach should include provisions for positive rewards and unfavorable outcomes so that these outcomes are explained and understood beforehand.

Ages 13 to 18

Given the right instruction, the majority of teenagers are capable of managing almost any household task.
The crammed schedule of teenagers is one thing to be mindful of.
Teenagers may find it difficult to manage an overwhelming workload, just as we become overwhelmed when we have too much to do.
Keep an eye on your teen’s responsibilities at school and monitor their schedule; modify activities and duties as necessary.

Remember that kids develop at their own rates, so not all kids will be able to handle more difficult chores at the same age.
Similarly, some kids might be prepared for tougher responsibilities at an earlier age.
The finest person to watch over and assess your child’s needs and skills is you.
As kids master the fundamental chores, you can move them on to more difficult ones.
It can be simple to let kids keep doing the same duties since they are good at them, but giving them new chores on a regular basis will help them in the long run.
Implement a “training phase” with new tasks while instructing them on the details of new jobs.

 

 

Avoid these Mistakes When Creating Chore Lists

When creating chore lists, the list of things to omit is frequently longer than the actual list of tasks.
When developing chore lists for children of any age, keep the following in mind:

Avoid starting too late.

As young as two years old, children can begin to perform chores.
Kids love to assist parents and other family members at that point.

Do not complicate chores.

Your chore list might not be evident to a child if you’re in a hurry.
A child may become distracted by your untidy handwriting or unclear directions.
The remedy?
Use pictorial chore cards that are simple to read.
Print up a simple picture of a vacuum and paste it on the chart, for instance, if you are posting the duty of vacuuming.

Avoid Trying to Be Perfect

Nobody is flawless, and you should teach your child this truth from a young age.
Your youngster will resist performing any chores if you insist on perfection.
When a youngster completes a task that isn’t up to par in your opinion, just use it as an opportunity to gently reprimand them.

Avoid Using Lists to Control Children

Although dull, chores are not intended to punish or subdue children.
A chore list’s purpose is to teach kids to be accountable and responsible as they get older.
The remedy?
By utilizing tiny, straightforward prizes as an inducement to follow the chore list, you can encourage them to enjoy doing their jobs.
Keep it simple with cash or modest rewards, like staying up an extra half hour after doing a certain task, to avoid confusing kids (and yourself).

Don’t forget to express gratitude

A sincere grin and a vocal “thank you” from you to your youngster go a long way.
It conveys your gratitude for your child’s efforts.
Your children will feel more capable of completing daily activities if you show your gratitude to them. It will also inspire them to be a member of the family, a team, and the community.

 

Why should you assign chores to your children?

Children who are given duties gain responsibility, develop self-confidence, and learn how to care for themselves and the family home.
According to research, it prepares kids for adulthood and independence and improves their wellbeing in general.

 

What is the ideal age to assign responsibilities to your children?

When they are young toddlers, begin assigning them minor tasks.
Help them organize their clothes and put away their toys.
Young children between the ages of two and three really adore helping their parents and siblings.

 

Are chore and sticker charts a good idea?

Using chore charts and sticker charts to show your kids what they’ve completed is effective.
For younger kids, ages two to five, a sticker chart is excellent; for older kids, ages six to nine, a chore chart may be preferable.