Thursday, May 28, 2009

Kids and Chores

Do you wish your house were cleaner?  Do you wish you could teach your kids to be more responsible?  Do you wish you could spend less time on house cleaning?  I know I do, and I think one of the most under-used resources in home keeping is our children.  Since we all live here and all are blessed by a clean, organized home, we all share in the responsibilities of home keeping, each according to their ability.

It's that time of the year again, right after school is out, when I work up new chore schedules for my kids.  Summer is a great time to teach kids new skills, and house cleaning is no exception.  Then, when school starts again, a good routine is already in place.  It's good to change around chores, so they don't have to keep doing the same chores year after year.  I also think that chores teach a great habit of responsibility that will (hopefully) last them a lifetime.

Here are the chore lists we worked up this year.

Daily Chores - everyone
(Mostly this is just cleaning up after yourself!)
Make Bed
Put away dirty clothes
Put away shoes when they come off
Fold and put away your own clean laundry (oldest 2 kids)
Put your own dirty dishes in the dishwasher, and clear your place
Put away all your toys and things (that have migrated throughout the house) at the end of the day

Chores for 10 year-old son
Monday - Collect trash from wastebaskets and put into the garage bin (not kitchen garbage)
Tuesday - Wipe out the microwave & clean front
Wednesday - Clean bathroom downstairs toilet
Thursday - Clean master bathroom toilet
Friday - Clean kids bathroom mirror (He's the only one tall enough!)
Saturday &  Sunday - none


Chores for 7 year-old-daughter
Monday - Vacuum the stairs with hand vac
Tuesday - Sweep the garage
Wednesday - Wipe down the sinks and counter in the kids' bathroom
Thursday - Clean the kids' bathroom toilet
Friday - Dust the downstairs rooms
Saturday &  Sunday - none


Chores for 4 year-old-daughter (She loves to feel big & important by having chores!)
Monday - change the drinking cups in the bathrooms
Tuesday - Windex the TV screen
Wednesday - Wipe the fingerprints off kitchen windows
Thursday - Wipe fronts of stove and dishwasher
Friday - Wipe down the outside of the kitchen trash can
Saturday &  Sunday - none

What chores do your kids have?

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