Chores for small children? (Full Version)

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purplepixie87 -> Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 1:22:56 AM)

Aside from picking up their toys and messes that they make, what are good ideas for chores for smaller children? My children are aged 3, 2 and 1. The one year old wouldn't be doing chores, of course, but I would like to implement chores for the 2 and 3 year old girls. :)



cinderella092003 -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 1:39:13 AM)

I'd have them partially set the table at meal times. The oldest could set the forks, the middle one the spoons, and the youngest the napkins. The two older ones could help show the younger one how to do it. That would be a great way to teach them leadership skills and feel more grown up and the younger one would want to be like the other 2.

The could even help with making some of dinner. If you are making a salad, they could tear the lettuce up and put it in the bowl. If you have a meal that takes a lot of ingredients, the older ones can pour the ingredents after you measure them out, and one can stir or they can take turns. If you kids like pudding, that would be an easy start and they could see it change before their eyes, and be proud that they cooked something just like mommy.

That is all I can think of for now.



purplepixie87 -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 2:20:30 AM)

On the rare chance we do eat at the table, we always get our food before sitting down. I do wish we'd eat at the table more often, however. And that reminds me I need to buy a handful of cloth napkins and stuff!

They love helping in the kitchen, though, so that is a great idea. :)



nicole6598 -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 3:19:25 AM)

my 3 year old helps to load and unload the dishwasher. Last night she helped me "fold" the washing. She also puts away her underwear and her daddy's (his draws are easy to open, mine is old so its harder). She likes to "clean" things, so she gets a damp cloth and cleans the coffee table and the glass doors on the tv unit. She also helps take the garbage out, she will help me make the beds and things too(usually that is her just passing me the sheets and pillows).



purplepixie87 -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 3:45:27 AM)

My 3 year old daughter likes to help do all of those things as well. :) Both of them though like to clean things and help me load the dishwasher. I didn't really think of chores being household tasks that the kids already help with and like doing...



peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 5:16:39 AM)

hmmmm...let me see what I can come up with that my little ones do pretty regularly...starting about 1yo. and going through 3yo.....

  • help transfer clothes into the dryer

  • help wipe off things (usually with just a dry wash cloth)

  • help empty small trash cans (small as in bathroom size cans...I usually have the 3yo do this every day in the bathroom and office and she can even put in a new bag....grocery bag...back in it. The 22mo's job with this is to take the old bag to the door after I tie it up then the 8yo takes out the trash)

  • they help put things like spoons in the dishwasher (I save the silverware til the last thing to load so that they won't get hurt on forks or knives...but I usually have several spoons that they load while I am loading other things in there. Even if those spoons are clean already, it won't hurt them to run again so baby can help load!!!)

  • our 22mo is learning now to go in front of the vacuum and pick up the small stuff that isn't seen til I start to vacuum

  • dividing laundry into color piles (teaches colors too!!!)

  • folding laundry...I try to have in every load things they can do themselves (wash cloths or socks...things like that)

  • all of my kids (8yo, 7yo, 3yo, and 22mo) put away their own laundry. I fold it all and divide it into the piles of which one goes in which drawer and then give them out to each person in those piles. They put that pile away then come back for more. The youngest does his too...and LOVES that job!!!! He starts getting excited when it's laundry time (LOL!!!) cause he gets to put his stuff in his drawer or my stuff on my bed. For his age I keep it simple and only give him stuff for one drawer...the older ones put away the stuff of his for the other drawers.

  • restocking things...for example...when we buy toilet paper the two youngest ones usually end up stacking it under the sink where it goes...or restocking the diapers where we keep them...things like that.

  • stripping beds...I have to do the sheets usually, but they can pull pillow cases off and pull blankets off and get those ready to wash

  • our littlest one has his own broom (it was once a regular size broom but we cut the handle in half and taped a wash cloth to the end so that it wouldn't cut him and he could better hold it....although you can buy toddler size brooms, we just had this old one around anyway)...he "sweeps" just about every day (usually NOT when I am sweeping...or at least not in the same room!!!)

  • we let the 3yo vacuum...using the hose attachments. She is very good at doing the laundry room...very rarely do I have to go back over it after she is done!!!

  • drying the floor with a towel....my kids think it is very fun to so this one (I don't know why). We don't do this after I mop, just when we come in from the pool and there is water all over the floor in a trail leading to the bathrooms...it can be slippery so we are careful to clean that up as soon as possible and usually they get right on that one each using their pool towel as soon as they are dressed!!!

  • setting the table with certain kid friendly items (the 3yo can now carry her own plate to the table about half the time...depending on which plate and what the food is)

  • putting books and such back on the shelves

  • windows.....my kids love doing windows!!!!


    I know there is more, but that's about all I can think of in my "sleepy but can't sleep because it's the end of pregnancy" state of mind right now



    • 3cappuccinosmom -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 7:31:33 AM)

    Sarah's the list lady. [:D]

    I try to arrange things so that my kids do have chores. Because it's healthy for them to learn to work and contribute to the family. Soooo.....even though it may be *easier* for me to do something one way, it's often *better* for the whole family if we do something the harder or more time-consuming way.

    Eating together is a good example. It's easier and less mess to dish up plates in the kitchen, or just let everyone eat finger food. But my kids get good learning opportunities by helping set the table, serving their food, eating with knife and fork, helping clear the table, helping do the dishes, wiping the table, and sweeping the floor. They also get family time and lessons in good table manners, both of which are important.

    My older boys are 5 and 3. Aside from the meal related chores they:
    make their beds (which just means straightening out their comfortor as best they can)
    have child-sized broom and mop to help me clean the floors
    use a spray bottle and rag to clean the fronts of kitchen appliances and windows
    clean up anything they get out
    help me sort laundry
    help me fold laundry
    act as carriers and "gophers" occasionally.



    W.O.F. -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 7:39:57 AM)

    We also put our little ones in charge of emptying the bathroom trashes and bedroom trashes.....it is light work..and one that they don't have to be "reminded" of...they notice when the trash is full.

    They put away their own socks from the time they are one. We gradually all all their laundry to that list as they can carry it (we put pictures of clothing on the front of their dresser drawers so that they know which drawer a certain item of clothing goes in....I just cut them out of magazines and tape them up there).

    We also let them help with all the other chores...even if we have to "re do" later when they aren't around.

    By the time they are 5...they are in the main rotation for chores...I have older teens so a lot of the chores Sarah has her little ones do, my teens do....but we still make sure the little ones get trained...even when it annoys the older ones. My teens now realize the value of that as their 8 year old sister just got added full time to the dish washing routine after supper....they now each get 2 nights off during the week instead of it being every night Monday through Saturday (my hubby and I do the dishes on Sunday to give them a break...so really...they get three days off!)



    pbaribeault -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 8:59:15 AM)

    >>click here<< for my list about my 3 year old.



    peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 10:37:19 AM)


    quote:

    ORIGINAL: 3cappuccinosmom

    Sarah's the list lady. [:D]

    lol...oh if only you knew Maggie[8|]. (I make lists for EVERYTHING!!!...lol)



    purplepixie87 -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 12:07:05 PM)

    Thanks all for the lists.

    LOL peculiar_lady, I'm the same way! I'm always making lists of something. Whether it's stuff I'd like to have, or stuff for the kids, whatever..I'm always listing. :)



    PatricksPeaches -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 1:45:17 PM)

    My youngest daughter is going to be 3 in January. We have her wipe our glass tables and mirrors. (we spray the glass cleaner) She also feeds the cat. (we open the can and she will put it on the floor for the cat) She is not potty trained yet, so she also gets her own diapers at changing time. (she throws them away too) She helps put groceries away. (she hands the canned goods and the boxed items to me) We also make her put her shoes and coat in it's correct place. (we have low shelves in the closet for her stuff) Anything that they are able to do and is safe, is good for them. Take advantage of letting them help. There may come a time when they don't want to help!!



    peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 2:30:45 PM)

    quote:

    She also feeds the cat.

    oh yeah...feeding the cats!!! My 3yo does that (so does the 22mo but he does it WITHOUT permission!!!). We use dry food mostly (wet food only on occasion) but the 22mo feeds them twice a day and gets them fresh water every day.



    isaacsmom -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 2:56:40 PM)

    My 3 yo son can. . . .

    --Put away his clothes after I fold the laundry
    --Wipe things down with a rag
    --Sweep (he tries, he's not really capable of completing the job well yet, but he likes to do this, so I let him)
    --Gather eggs from chickens
    --Help feed farm animals



    Auben -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 2:59:18 PM)

    My 3 year old:
    puts away silverware
    fetches things for me
    cleans windows and mirrors
    puts away shoes
    help put things away (needs to be very directed for putting away tasks, one thing at a time)

    My 5 year old:
    puts away silverware
    feeds animals
    sets table (I put piles on the counter and he sets them out)
    straightens bedclothes
    cleans room
    puts things away (clean clothes, dirty clothes, toys, coats/shoes)



    purplepixie87 -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 4:25:32 PM)

    Thanks everyone. [:D] I have compiled a list of chores. [:D]



    peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 8:22:50 PM)


    quote:

    ORIGINAL: purplepixie87

    Thanks everyone. [:D] I have compiled a list of chores. [:D]

    COOL!!!!
    Another thing I find that works great in getting kids into chores more, is to have a cleaning time every day. For us it is 10am...every day...whether hubby is home or not, we do some kind of cleaning every day (unless something comes up of course). Also I keep it positive...I give them enough warning that they are all dressed and ready to go at that time...then we buzz through and get everything done. We typically do one room at a time (starting either on one side of the house or the other every other day) and end in the middle. The 8yo does not clean with us (he likes to clean by himself, and is old enough to do so...so he does the kitchen when we are doing the other rooms). Very rarely does it take us that long to get through cleaning...even with all the little hands helping out with everything (max is about an hour, and that's IF we have ti sit in the girls room and pick up a bunch of toys...which is about once a week). Most days we can buzz through in about 30 minutes then I vacuum while they run ahead of me picking up all the small stuff we missed in cleaning.



    purplepixie87 -> RE: Chores for small children? (5/31/2008 11:12:16 PM)

    quote:

    ORIGINAL: peculiar_lady2



    COOL!!!!
    Another thing I find that works great in getting kids into chores more, is to have a cleaning time every day. For us it is 10am...every day...whether hubby is home or not, we do some kind of cleaning every day (unless something comes up of course). Also I keep it positive...I give them enough warning that they are all dressed and ready to go at that time...then we buzz through and get everything done. We typically do one room at a time (starting either on one side of the house or the other every other day) and end in the middle. The 8yo does not clean with us (he likes to clean by himself, and is old enough to do so...so he does the kitchen when we are doing the other rooms). Very rarely does it take us that long to get through cleaning...even with all the little hands helping out with everything (max is about an hour, and that's IF we have ti sit in the girls room and pick up a bunch of toys...which is about once a week). Most days we can buzz through in about 30 minutes then I vacuum while they run ahead of me picking up all the small stuff we missed in cleaning.


    LOL! I'm not even fully awake at 10 on most days (I wake up between 9 and 11 AM, depends when the kids wake up, usually around 9~ish, but it takes a few cups of coffee and about 2 hours of being awake before I'm actually FULLY awake)!!! My kids don't wake up at the same times either. My youngest is usually awake around 9-9:30, the others don't wake up until around 10, my eldest is usually not up until closer to noon. I know I need to work a bedtime routine in, but I want to get all the rules settled FIRST, and for them to get it in their heads to obey those rules first. I will be probably doing homeschooling, so the wake time shouldn't affect anything.



    peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Chores for small children? (6/1/2008 9:18:53 AM)

    quote:

    I know I need to work a bedtime routine in, but I want to get all the rules settled FIRST, and for them to get it in their heads to obey those rules first. I will be probably doing homeschooling, so the wake time shouldn't affect anything.

    actually from my experience I would say that you need to work on bedtime FIRST and set the rules in doing so, then let those rules go out into the every day things as well. We homeschool partly because we are not morning people so I fully understand the morning not being good for some people!!! One of the major things with kids though is sleeping....they need sleep or they can not fully understand other things in life. They need stability to sleep properly. So IME (and believe me, we have BTDT with sleep issues) I would start with getting a sleep time routine down first. THEN work on the time they go to bed and get up. THEN work on the other stuff and let fall into place on it's own. Hubby and I have been working on our family routine and schedule for years (we will have been married ten years here in a few weeks [:D])...and in all that time we have just taken it one thing at a time. We are finally to a point that we feel we are actually achieving all that we set out to accomplish with our family rules and the way things run in our house...FINALLY!!!!! (Of course in our case we move quite a bit so that always upsets things and we end up starting over with every place we move to in certain aspects of life...which makes it harder....so don't think you are doomed to a time line of it being so far away before everything is working for you)



    MyMasquerade -> RE: Chores for small children? (6/8/2008 11:08:17 PM)

    I have a 10 year old who still doesn't have to do chores. Her job is going to school and making the best grades she can make. To me that is the only job she needs at this age.



    3cappuccinosmom -> RE: Chores for small children? (6/9/2008 7:02:24 AM)

    quote:

    I have a 10 year old who still doesn't have to do chores. Her job is going to school and making the best grades she can make. To me that is the only job she needs at this age.


    So, when she's 25 and done with school, and when she's married with children, how is she going to cope with work when she's never been taught?

    The basics of housekeeping and a good work ethic are an important aspect of education, IMO.



    mayfly -> RE: Chores for small children? (6/9/2008 5:22:05 PM)

    Lots of great suggestions here, I'm writing some of these down to use when I have kids!

    When I was 3 I started doing basic chores--helping fold laundry, taking out the trash, feeding the cats, cleaning up my toys, etc. Every birthday my mom added one new thing to the list (washing dishes, hanging up clothes on the clothesline, making myself a simple breakfast, cleaning the bathrooms, etc). Now that I'm old enough to be living on my own I am so grateful that I had to learn this stuff young. I have lots of friends who are, like me, in their early 20s, and they have no idea how to function on their own--they can't even figure out how to work the washing machine! I pity their future husbands...



    W.O.F. -> RE: Chores for small children? (6/9/2008 8:59:32 PM)

    quote:

    ORIGINAL: MyMasquerade

    I have a 10 year old who still doesn't have to do chores. Her job is going to school and making the best grades she can make. To me that is the only job she needs at this age.

    I feel sorry for your daughter. Having chores does not mean overburdening them...it usually means 20 minutes or less or work..and trains them to care for themselves and their own belongings.

    Most studies on children indicate that kids who have chores are better organized and usually have better self esteem than children who don't. They also do not have a sense of entitlement when they hit their teen years

    Here are some links on the subject:

    Bradley Hospital

    Center for Effective Parenting

    University of New Hampshire



    MyMasquerade -> RE: Chores for small children? (6/10/2008 12:19:55 AM)

    quote:

    ORIGINAL: 3cappuccinosmom

    quote:

    I have a 10 year old who still doesn't have to do chores. Her job is going to school and making the best grades she can make. To me that is the only job she needs at this age.


    So, when she's 25 and done with school, and when she's married with children, how is she going to cope with work when she's never been taught?

    The basics of housekeeping and a good work ethic are an important aspect of education, IMO.



    Housekeeping and good work ethic aren't the same thing. I never had to clean house and can do it now. I don't like doing it, but I can. My daughter has no problem with working. She has a lawn service that she and a friend started and she has a job at a snowball stand down the road. She cuts our grass and she will clean the kitchen and bathrooms, she isn't expected to do these things though.



    TammyIsBlessed -> RE: Chores for small children? (6/16/2008 5:17:21 PM)

    WOF - did you buy the books "Managers of their Homes" and "Managers of their Chores"? If so, are they worth it?



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