Now that Aiden is about to turn six years old, it is time to add some big boy chores to the ones he already does.
Chores starting at two years old
When Aiden turned two, and most likely even before that, I introduced him to chores. However back then, they weren’t really chores. I would ask him if he’d like to help me with something or ask him to clean up specific things that were in his room. Later when Evan came along, I did the same thing with him.
The chore: Help Mommy with small tasks & pick up certain things in room (for example, stuffed animals or books).
Every year they grew older, I would add in more chores that were a little more complex.
Chores for 3 to 5 year olds
At three years old, children are much more independent and can do more than ever. That includes make bigger messes. At this stage, the boys were expected to do more chores. This not only made it easier on me during the day and especially at bedtime, but it also taught them to clean up after themselves and not expect others to go behind them all the time.
The chores:
- Make bed: blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals placed onto the bed every morning.
- Get yourself dressed and ready for the day: fresh underwear, shirt, bottoms, and socks every morning, then brush hair and teeth properly and thoroughly.
- In the bathroom: go potty completely by yourself, including all wiping (although at 3-4 years old I do check if it’s a #2). Then wipe the seat(s) clean afterwards (must be done at least once daily).
- All dirty clothes go directly to hamper.
- Take care of your dishes: food scraped and dishes (cup, plate, bowl, cutlery) goes into the sink.
- In the bedroom/playroom: When finished playing, clean up the toy(s). You got them out, you put them away or they will go into a “time out” bin. This is when Mommy finds a toy and it’ll be in timeout from playtime for a few days.
Although it seems like a whole lot in list-form, these chores really are simple tasks that usually happen anyway with Mom or Dad’s assistance. It simply informs the child that he or she needs to start doing on their own.
Chores for 6 to 8 year olds
This is where I find myself- what chores do I add on for Aiden to do. The chores that work best for our family are as follows:
- Sweeping: We only have tile in our kitchen and bathrooms so this is a small chore that can be done two times a week, nothing too major.
- Vacuuming bedroom: This will only apply to his own room (plus it’ll guarantee that the room will be clean, mom win!) 1-2 times per week.
- Laundry awareness: He knows better than anyone when his laundry basket is full. Also, he must wear uniforms at school, so consistent laundering is a must. I believe he will do great at this, simply bringing his laundry basket to the laundry room when it’s time to wash, about every three days.
- Hang up clothes. Aiden has been doing this for a while now. He gets empty hangers from the closet, sits with me to put clothes on the hangers and then hangs them where they belong in the closet. (For example play shirts together, shorts together, and pajamas together).
Sometimes, there might be times that I’ll need extra help and the list will be longer or there may even be times when he’s done something exceptional an I might take care of items on the list for him. My main goal for having Aiden and Evan do chores is to prepare them for adulthood, learn and respect responsibility, and have a helpful heart.
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