we've been doing them w/ the kids for almost 2yrs now... wow. love me some happy lil chore-ers who often get mad at me for doing their work!
things like brush teeth, carry groceries, put toys away, etc. we don't consider chores because those are just standard things they should do anyway and don't get $ for.
5-8 year olds (girls)
set table (properly with all pieces including napkins and drinks) - load dishwasher - wipe counters - wash pots/pans
clear table - unload dishwasher - wipe table
bring laundry to laundry room when basket full - fold and put clothes away when done
sweep kitchen
vacuum playroom, dining room, living room, bedroom
clean their bathroom
3-4 year old (boy)
empty trash in house and put in new grocery bags trash cans
take trash + recycle out to big can
put clean clothes away
set sliverware
put away condiments after dinner
move chairs and other things out of the way for vacuuming
sweep back porch
it's been such a great experience for the kids & for us. now, DH & i can actually sit and have an after dinner conversation while the kitchen gets cleaned up...
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i gave a talk at my MOPS group about chores and this is pretty much the meat of what i said... i may have posted this before, but if not... here ya go!
we've started our kids on chores. they get $2.50 a week if they successfully complete their chores. it's really teaching them a lot... not to mention helping me around the house!
what does it teach them? HUGE - it teaches them so many lessons all rolled into one (this is not all-inclusive, of course).
1. gratitude & entitlement. wow! mommy and daddy have been doing all this for us all this time. gee, thanks, mom! i think if all parents viewed their kids as contributing members to the family rather than that they are entitled to us cleaning up after them, us always waiting on them hand and foot, we would really work on that sense of entitlement that each generation seems to be feeling more and more. they are members of the family, not the center of the family.
2. priorities - get the chores done and then you can go play... no chores, no play, no movie, etc..
3. The value of hard work. Not all chores are easy or short in duration, nor are some things that just get done once a week. Things like dishes and scrubbing pots and pans can be time consuming and repetitive; however, the kids truly learn that not only does the hard work pay off, but things tend to get a bit easier with routine.
4. Happiness in a job well done – it not only pleases mommy & daddy (not to mention helps around the house), but it also bring a sense of satisfaction to view their work completed, as well as pleases God. They have contributed to the family and, at the end of the day, that helps to increase their own image of self-worth. Also, it’s it wonderful to be able to teach our kids, through physical examples, how to take care in a family – eventually, won’t they be on their own!?
5. how much time it actually takes to clean up messes (THEIR messes, no less). wouldn't you rather spend the time playing than cleaning up? don't make a mess in the first place if you don't want to have to clean it up! Part of this, however, is learning that the family is a unit – sometimes you have to contribute and help to clean up messes not of your own making… welcome to a day in the life of mommy.
6. you work, you get paid; you don't work, you don't get paid and someone else will swoop in, do your work and get your money. only took one time that DD2 did DD1's chores and got her money for the day for DD1 to to realize how that worked.
7. what money is. every saturday, DH sits down with the kids - it's payday! he gives them their "paychecks." they spend about 30min talking about, counting out, their money. they've learned what's what and, also, how much is what... like there are 4 quarters in a dollar and a quarter is 25cents. etc. etc.
8. the value of money. you get $2.50/wk. after you put a little in the savings box, a little in the church box, you've got some left. add that to whatever you had before and, if you want to buy something, figure out if you want to spend it all in one place on one expensive thing (like a $5 book isn't wise when you have 1000 books at home already) or spread it out over a bunch of little things. you'd be amazed how a little child can grasp that concept! a whole handful of things from the target $1 spot or a bunch of seashells (at $0.30 each) is a super reward... especially when they have earned that money themselves by working hard for it.
here's the idea. it takes a couple/few times to get the kids adjusted to this (like how to manage the vacuum cleaner when it's bigger than you are - the girls were 6 & 4, so they're not huge). once they get the idea, they're super eager to do it. there's parental training in this, too - parents have to stick to it but, after a week or two, the kids really get the idea and parents don't have to do as much.
seriously - it's amazing how much help kids can be! besides, don't we all want to teach our kids how to manage for themselves & be independent? what better way than to start with simple things like vacuuming, sweeping, cleaning the bathrooms and helping with meals (how impressive is it to have a 4y/o set the table, correctly, at grandma's house?).
you can use these -
Kate & Jacque's Make Chores Fun. my idea was to put these behind something that they could use a white board marker and tick off as they went. you could also just print every week and use stickers... or, the kit includes some other little tags you can use to mark off when things are done. seriously - try this. the kids love it. and, while they're little and trainable, take advantage of that to teach them to become responsible adults.
keep in mind, nothing is going to be perfect - it's going to be the best they can do! that's what you want to see! honest effort and good, hard work. then, as they do it more often, they start to improve and hold themselves to higher standards.
We started out by giving them 3 bucks a day. They got them, but we could take them away. That just caused frustration, so we decided to do it the other way. They can EARN up to 3 a day. This is working out TONS better. We are concentrating on getting them to think of others and or family (how they can help out). We have a "Daddy Store" where the kids can spend their bucks. It's only open on Saturdays. LOL! Oh, and we "bank" the bucks once a week...so they can't save up for something. 
