Many parents feel like they’ve stepped onto a battlefield when it comes to school-age kids and chores. These previously delightful children begin to give you excuses, fail to do their jobs when assigned and often engage in amazingly developed arguments just to get out of doing the work. Remember that children ages six to twelve are often busy with lots of school and after-school activities and while they may have “time” to do these things, they frequently feel overwhelmed. This is no reason to withdraw chores from your “tween’s” list of to-do’s however. Having responsibilities in the home has too many great benefits for your child to let him off the hook.
To make chores go a little easier, be sure to deconstruct the task into manageable steps. Make sure to explain how to do the jobs and show them. I find it helpful, on a Saturday morning when everyone is busy doing their jobs, to go from child to child and spend a few minutes working along with them. I carry a cleaning rag and scrub with them or help to empty a few dishes, encourage and correct them, and then move on to the next child.
Children at this age like to have some say over the tasks they are assigned. Try writing the tasks to be done during the week and then let the children take turns choosing their favorite ones. Do you have kids who like to sleep in too late on Saturday morning? Posting the list first thing Saturday morning and instructing each child to choose four helps get sleepy heads out of bed.
Lastly, have fun. If everyone is working together on a Saturday morning or before school on weekdays, it’s a little more fun. Rewards can help boost participation and consequences can help them stay on track. Most of all, don’t forget positive comments and lots of praise for what they are doing. They might not act like they care about how nice the sink and counter are cleaned, but they will remember that you are proud of them.
In addition to jobs listed in Kids and Chores Parts 1 and 2, kids this age can:
1. Hand wash dishes
2. Empty and load dishwasher
3. Prepare simple meals and/or parts of the meals (especially salads, vegetables, etc.)
4. Clip coupons
5. Write grocery lists
6. Help with grocery shopping
7. Take out trash and recycle
8. Clean the bathroom (counters/sinks/toilets/mirrors)
9. Take care of pets (walking, brushing, litter boxes, backyard clean-up, etc)
10. Rake leaves
11. Pull weeds
12. Sort and wash laundry
13. Change bedding
14. Vacuum
15. Dust
16. Sweep floors and porches
17. Mop floors
18. Wash windows
19. Make and pack lunches
20. Wipe table and counters after meals
21. Shake rugs
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