How Can the Kids Help Around the House?

When my husband was in college, a number of hisspills; dry unbreakable dishes; pick up litter in the
fellow students were bringing their dirty laundryyard.Kindergartners: sweep small areas with a
home, and Mom was coming once a month todustpan and broom; clean bathroom sinks; hang
clean their room. This wasn't because they wereup the towel after a bath; store bath toys; help in
lazy, but they simply didn't know how to do thethe kitchen (stirring, tearing lettuce, etc. - no knife
laundry or house cleaning!Don't let your childrenyet!); set the napkins and silverware on the table;
become like those students... Apart from the factclear dishes from the table (depends on your child,
that teaching your children house and otheryou know if they risk breaking them or not); help
chores prepare them for life on their own, they'reload the dishwasher; straighten plastic dishes in a
also chores that you don't need to do! I know, Icabinet; help straighten pots and pans; sort family
know, it takes time to teach them how to do it,members' clean laundry; dust furniture; strip linens
and there will be quite a few times when you willfrom beds; straighten books on a bookshelf; put
need to finish the job behind them, but once theygame and puzzle pieces in correct storage
know, you will never need to do it again until theycontainers; use a lint remover to pick up pet hair
leave... And, at least until they reach eight or so,on furniture; tidy up their room.Younger
they will be proud to be entrusted with "bigElementary School Kids: Make beds (any of
people" tasks.So, what tasks can be safelythem); take out garbage; sweep stairs and walks;
delegated to your children? It depends on theirclean the car and help wash it; vacuum their own
age, but there are things they can do as early asroom; sort and straighten toys; fold and put away
2 years old. Below is a list of tasks by agelaundry; empty the dishwasher; feed and care for
group:Toddlers: Can dust with an electromagneticpets; set and clean the table (but only with
cloth or baby wipe; Spray and scrub the sink andunbreakable dishes and cups at this point); sort
bathtub with water and a sponge; pick up toys orclothes for washing.Older Elementary School Kids:
other floor clutter and put them in baskets or binsClean bathroom mirrors; vacuum; clean toilets;
- if the baskets are labeled with pictures, they canclean countertops and the kitchen sink; mop
even put the right toys in the right container! Atsmall-area floors; use the washer and dryer;
this point, anything you give them to do exceptwash, dry and put away dishes; clean pet areas;
putting the toys away will be more to give themclean cobwebs and dust in high places with a pole;
something to do while you are cleaning, but theysweep the garage; set and clean the table (by the
will try to do their best if you take the time toend of elementary school, they usually are able to
teach them, and it will seem natural to themdo it with regular dishes and glasses).Teenagers:
when they graduate to more complexCan do everything you do, except for the most
tasks.Preschoolers: Sweep with kid-size broom;intensive jobs, or the ones using noxious products,
spray and squeegee windows using lemon- orsuch as deep-cleaning of the oven, or removing
vinegar-water (inside windows only, please!); use amold from the bathroom tiles.So, when will you sit
handheld vacuum; wipe sinks using baby wipes;down and create a chore chart for your children?
empty a small trash basket into a bigger bag;What chores will you assign to each, depending on
scrub corners of kitchen chairs or other smalltheir ages? What will you do with the time you
spaces using a clean toothbrush or nail brush andare saving this way?Karin Vibe-Rheymer-Stewart,
a cup of water; make beds (preferably with aPh.D., helps busy women reclaim time and achieve
comforter, it's easier for them); fold towels; putwork/life balance through whole-life time
clothes in drawers; hang clothes on hooks; putmanagement, in other words everything that
dirty clothes in hamper; help feed animals; wipeaffects your use of time. She works through
off baseboards, windowsills with small cloth orone-on-one coaching, group coaching, seminars
wearing old socks on their hands; help wipe upand talks.