Chores For Children {part 2}

Hi friends,

Last week, I posted about chores for children. You can read that post here.

Today is part 2  - which chores for children?

I realize that each family is different...different ages, different home environment, and each child is different. It's up to you to decide which chores are to be done and which chores are age-appropriate for your children.

 I'd like to give you a look at how my children help out around the house, and maybe it will be a help to any of my readers who have a similar family situation and might need some ideas about which chores to assign to their children.

Each of the children has 1 house-cleaning chore per day. I have a list of these chores on the fridge so the children know exactly what's expected of them. However, they all have it memorized now, and the list is mainly for this forgetful Mama, who sometimes can't remember who's doing what.  ;)

Here's what the daily chore list looks like:

                                               

                        Mimi (age 5)  -  Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: Windex upstairs bathrooms mirrors, sinks
 Tuesdays and Thursdays: mop upstairs hall

Natty (age 9) - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: mop upstairs and downstairs halls

Tuesdays and Thursdays: Windex upstairs bathrooms mirrors and sinks

Asher (age 10) - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: sweep den and shake den rugs

Tuesdays and Thursdays: mop family room

Aaron (age 12) - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: vacuum kitchen and dining room

Tuesdays, Thursdays: shake den rugs

Ian (age 14) - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: vacuum and dust family room

Tuesdays, Thursdays: sweep den

(Notice there is a lot of cleaning going on in the den. That's where the wood stove is located, and it's really hard to keep that room clean. But I wouldn't give up wood heat for anything. Love it!)

The children are also responsible for making their beds, and they do what I call a "5-minute pick-up" of their bedrooms every morning before school starts.

Also, the children take turns unloading the dishwasher every morning. 

They clear the dinner table, rinse their plates, and load them into the dishwasher.

They take out the trash and give table scraps to the hens.

The boys are responsible for the daily care of our flock of turkeys and laying hens, and it's Natty and Mimi's responsibility to gather the eggs. Ian feeds the birds; Aaron and Asher take care of the watering. And they work together when the time comes to clean out the hen house or turkey coop, which is usually about once a year.

On Saturdays, the children vacuum and dust their bedrooms and help me clean the rest of the house.

They have seasonal chores, too.

In the winter, they all carry wood into the den.

And the boys go with hubby to cut/chop wood.

Sometimes, the girls and I go too, and help load the wood on the truck.

During the growing season, they help me in the garden: planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting.

(They love to hull peas.)

The boys help their dad with mowing, string trimming, etc.

Sounds like a ton of work, doesn't it? It's exhausting just reading it! But most of the time, they do it all without complaining or grumbling. Occasionally there's "speed bump", and they have to be  reminded that they're helping me and their dad, and ultimately, honoring the Lord.  :)

And there are many other things that my children help with...cooking meals, laundry, etc. Sometimes hubby gets the boys to help with some carpentry projects around the house, and girls are getting old enough to help me with simple sewing projects.

All of the children are such a big help in keeping our household running smoothly and I so enjoy having them work alongside me. It's a great time of fellowship, and having responsibility helps them realize how important they are to our family. And Lord willing, doing chores is instilling a good work ethic in them.

So there you have  it - a look at chore time at our house.

I hope it wasn't too exhausting for you.  ;)

Hope your week is blessing-filled!

"...If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."  ~  2 Thessalonians 3:10

sharing on Wednesday this week with
 Deep Roots at Home