| When my husband was in college, a number of his | | | | spills; dry unbreakable dishes; pick up litter in the |
| fellow students were bringing their dirty laundry | | | | yard.Kindergartners: sweep small areas with a |
| home, and Mom was coming once a month to | | | | dustpan and broom; clean bathroom sinks; hang |
| clean their room. This wasn't because they were | | | | up the towel after a bath; store bath toys; help in |
| lazy, but they simply didn't know how to do the | | | | the kitchen (stirring, tearing lettuce, etc. - no knife |
| laundry or house cleaning!Don't let your children | | | | yet!); set the napkins and silverware on the table; |
| become like those students... Apart from the fact | | | | clear dishes from the table (depends on your child, |
| that teaching your children house and other | | | | you know if they risk breaking them or not); help |
| chores prepare them for life on their own, they're | | | | load the dishwasher; straighten plastic dishes in a |
| also chores that you don't need to do! I know, I | | | | cabinet; 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 will | | | | from beds; straighten books on a bookshelf; put |
| need to finish the job behind them, but once they | | | | game and puzzle pieces in correct storage |
| know, you will never need to do it again until they | | | | containers; 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 "big | | | | Elementary School Kids: Make beds (any of |
| people" tasks.So, what tasks can be safely | | | | them); take out garbage; sweep stairs and walks; |
| delegated to your children? It depends on their | | | | clean the car and help wash it; vacuum their own |
| age, but there are things they can do as early as | | | | room; sort and straighten toys; fold and put away |
| 2 years old. Below is a list of tasks by age | | | | laundry; empty the dishwasher; feed and care for |
| group:Toddlers: Can dust with an electromagnetic | | | | pets; set and clean the table (but only with |
| cloth or baby wipe; Spray and scrub the sink and | | | | unbreakable dishes and cups at this point); sort |
| bathtub with water and a sponge; pick up toys or | | | | clothes for washing.Older Elementary School Kids: |
| other floor clutter and put them in baskets or bins | | | | Clean bathroom mirrors; vacuum; clean toilets; |
| - if the baskets are labeled with pictures, they can | | | | clean countertops and the kitchen sink; mop |
| even put the right toys in the right container! At | | | | small-area floors; use the washer and dryer; |
| this point, anything you give them to do except | | | | wash, dry and put away dishes; clean pet areas; |
| putting the toys away will be more to give them | | | | clean cobwebs and dust in high places with a pole; |
| something to do while you are cleaning, but they | | | | sweep the garage; set and clean the table (by the |
| will try to do their best if you take the time to | | | | end of elementary school, they usually are able to |
| teach them, and it will seem natural to them | | | | do it with regular dishes and glasses).Teenagers: |
| when they graduate to more complex | | | | Can 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- or | | | | such as deep-cleaning of the oven, or removing |
| vinegar-water (inside windows only, please!); use a | | | | mold 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 small | | | | their ages? What will you do with the time you |
| spaces using a clean toothbrush or nail brush and | | | | are saving this way?Karin Vibe-Rheymer-Stewart, |
| a cup of water; make beds (preferably with a | | | | Ph.D., helps busy women reclaim time and achieve |
| comforter, it's easier for them); fold towels; put | | | | work/life balance through whole-life time |
| clothes in drawers; hang clothes on hooks; put | | | | management, in other words everything that |
| dirty clothes in hamper; help feed animals; wipe | | | | affects your use of time. She works through |
| off baseboards, windowsills with small cloth or | | | | one-on-one coaching, group coaching, seminars |
| wearing old socks on their hands; help wipe up | | | | and talks. |