Chores for Elementary Aged Children

I started to write this post and it reminded me of a little spelling test Gracie took a few months ago in which she forgot a very important letter in one of her words.  Her spelling word was “Chores,” but she forgot the C.  Her teacher sent me an email saying she couldn’t stop laughing as she graded Gracie’s spelling test.

Ahhh… details.

Bean and Gracie are 7 and 8 years old now.  I know! Can you believe it?! I DEFINITELY don’t look old enough to have kids that big… right????? Good. Glad we agree.

At this age, their chores have actually reached the point where they become HELPFUL and not more of a pain in the butt.  Chris and I are big fans of chores.  Our kids have been doing them since they were about three and four years old.  We started small at first and, honestly, they were more trouble than they were worth in the beginning.  Until they were about five, their chores were mostly things that we did with them.  Things like helping them make their beds, taking their dinner dishes to the sink, helping to feed the dogs, cleaning up their rooms, cleaning up their messes, etc.

By the time they were beginning elementary school, chores became more independent for them.  Basically, they kept all the same chores, but now they were responsible for completing them on their own.  We added a few over the years, like taking out the recycling, picking up all the toys that got left in the backyard, and bringing the dishes from around the house to the kitchen.  They also started helping me load and unload the dishwasher.

In the past year, the kids have really been able to do a good bit of helpful chores around the house.  At seven and eight years old, here are the chores they are responsible for:

DAILY:

• Taking the recycling out to the garage
• Making their beds
• Picking up their bedrooms
• Picking up their toys from around the house before bedtime
• Feeding the dogs in the morning and at night
• Empty out backpacks and lunch boxes at the end of the day

WEEKLY:

• Taking the recycle bins from the garage and putting them in the BIG recycle bin on recycling pick up day
• Bringing the big trash bins and recycling bins to the side of the house after pick up day
• Cleaning their bedrooms (vacuuming, dusting, stripping the sheets from their beds)
• Putting away their clean laundry
• Cleaning out the hamster cage, including food and refilling the water bottle
• Emptying the small trash cans around the house in all the bathrooms and bedrooms and putting new trash bags in them

RANDOM THINGS I ASK THEM TO DO WHEN IT NEEDS TO BE DONE: 

• Clean out their things and trash from my car
• Help clean up the dog poop in the backyard (with two big dogs… this is quite the chore!)
• Pick up all the shoes from around the house and put them in the closets of who they belong to

In our family the kids don’t earn a straight allowance.  Instead, they are still earning beads (click here for the post about how we use beads as incentives and consequences in our house).  Most of these chores earn them one bead.  Some of them earn two, depending on how much work it requires (picking up dog poop always earns two beads).  There are times, though, when we don’t give them beads at all.  If we are all cleaning the house, like on Saturday morning or something, then their chores are just part of their contribution to living in our house, like the rest of us.  No beads for that.

The idea of chores in our house is important because it teaches them personal responsibility and work ethic.  When beads are involved, it teaches them about money management and making independent choices.  When chores are not done well the first time, we make them go back and do them over again, which teaches them to take pride in their work and that if you do something right the first time, you will only have to do it once.

Mostly, though, it teaches them that Mom and Dad aren’t their personal servants or assistants.  It reminds them that, as members of our family, they are responsible for helping take care of our home and belongings.  They can’t wait for Chris and I to come along behind them and clean everything up.  In fact, Chris and I very, very seldom clean up after the kids.  If there is a mess, it’s their responsibility to clean it.

Of all the parenting advice I could give, chores are probably in my top three.  Start them young, change them as the kids grow, incentivize as works for your family’s value system, and be consistent.  You’ll be amazed how these small routines can impact your child as they grow.