In our house, everyone pitches in. From the youngest to the oldest, everyone has chores and household responsibilities. It’s what keeps my house running somewhat smoothly and stay relatively picked up. I just can’t do it all. More importantly, I shouldn’t do it all.
Chores are important tasks that not only keep your house running smoothly, but they teach children responsibility. Little ones like to be helpers. Capitalize on this, and start training them to do tasks such as putting their toys away or putting their dirty clothes in a basket.
Importance of Assigning Kids Chores
As I mentioned above, chores teach kids responsibility. They also teach children work ethic when you expect them to do a task completely. When we, as parents, take the time to teach our kids to manage a household task, we are giving them the responsibility to get that job done. Our work isn’t done yet, though. We have to go back and check that it was done and that it was done properly.
One thing I fail at is going back to check that a chore was done right. My kids, of course, pick up on this. Frequently, this leads to a job that is less-than-done. Having them go back and finish the task at hand is important. It teaches them to do it right the first time. Mine are learning that it takes much less time to do things right the first time. That’s helping to instill a good work ethic that will be important for them in everything they do.
Chores for the Ages
Sometimes, it’s hard to know what chores you should assign and when. It’s surprising, however, what our little ones are capable of helping us with if we are willing to let go of some of the control. Do we want perfection? Or, do we want to train our kids to be good helpers? Let them start helping early, and you can train them to do chores “your way” over time.
- Encouraging Moms at Home has a free printable list of chores sorted by age.
- A Happy Housewife has a free printable list of age-appropriate chores.
- Ruth at Living Well Spending Less has another free printable listing age-appropriate chores.
Printable chore charts
There is no shortage of printable chore charts on the internet so I did not create one for this post. Search through these links to find one that will work for your unique family, or get inspiration for creating your own.
- Clean Mama has created a Simple Chore and Reward System that she’s sure your kids will love.
- There are seven pages of chore charts and daily routine cards over at Happy and Blessed Home.
- Living Well Spending Less has tips for creating a chore chart that works for you. There are quite a few printables to choose from.
- At I Should Be Mopping the Floor, there are quite a few very colorful chore charts you can print for free.
- The Kids Chore Charts at Pinch a Penny Save a Lot are customizable.
- Elizabeth Diaz has created a set of printable chore charts that list chores to be done in each room of the house as part of her Chore Chart System That Really Works.
Physical chore charts
- These DIY cookie sheet chore charts at Craftaholics Anonymous would be easy to make with supplies you can pick up at the Dollar Store.
- Kids Done Right has a nifty “My Weekly Chores” magnetic dry-erase chore chart.
- Sarah, at the Winthrop Chronicles, has another DIY chore chart made from an old pallet and some mason jars.
- This magnetic chore chart at Lemon Squeezy Home makes it easy for kids to see what still needs to be done, and mom can see at a glance what’s been completed.
- Melissa and Doug has a neat magnetic responsibility chart.
- Happily Unprocessed has a great “work for hire” board for chores with the money already attached.
- Here’s an interactive chore chart from Confessions of a Homeschooler stored in a pocket chart.
How do you manage chores in your house?
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