Summer is here and your children are involved in sports, camps, swimming, and play. But don’t let these carefree days pass you by! Summer is a great time to teach important life skills in and around the house.
Need some ideas for implementing chores with your littles? Here are some of our favorite ideas along with age appropriate chores to get the ball rolling…
Make it Fun! Turn it into a game. Make a chore chart or jar, let them choose their tasks or have them earn extra allowance for the extra tasks. Kids love incentives – do all your chores by noon and get 30 minutes more media/screen time for the day.
Leave Room for Extras If they start begging for more time or more money, have them help with the bigger chores like washing the car or scrubbing the BBQ pit. This, of course, depends on the age of your children – see below for a list of age appropriate chores. They could even work together, older children helping younger ones – and you could reward the whole gang with a movie or a trip to the ice cream parlor.
Show Me the Money! If you’ve tied an allowance to summer chores, make sure your children understand the purpose of the money and are clear on the rules. Spell out the amount, purpose, and expectations for the allowance in advance, and monitor the spending to teach important decision-making lessons.
Age Appropriate Chores
2-3 year olds
Make bed
Pick up toys
Help feed pets
Sweep the floor
Help with dusting – fun with an old sock on their hands!
4-5 year olds
Water plants
Set and clear the table
Helping pack lunch
Vacuum the floor
Help to put away groceries
6-8 year olds
Clean toilets
Taking trash and recycling bags outside
Bringing in cans or recycling bins
Folding and putting away laundry
Clean the microwave
9-12 year olds
Washing dishes
Helping prepare dinner
Raking leaves
Laundry
Cleaning shower/tubs
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