We are about to highlight in a couple of days, here on our blog, this month’s character trait. Before we do, we wanted to share one last idea you can use at home using last month’s focus on Responsibility.
“The time is always right to do what is right.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
Guiding our children towards the path of autonomy can be complex. We want to teach our children what freedom looks like, feels like, and how to prosper in it. We want to help them learn to think for themselves, make their own decisions, and experience the consequences of those decisions. One of the best ways to instill this concept of freedom and responsibility is through the brilliant idea of: chores!
Below is a list of chore ideas that children can do. Take a look and see what you can begin incorporating, if you’re not already, in your home life. This list also includes ideas for those of us with older children.
Toddlers (18 Months – 2 Years)
- Wiping baseboards with duster or dry rag
- Taking laundry to appropriate room – tell them where the items go and see whether or not they remember after the first few times you do this chore with them.
- Matching socks – also a good skill for teaching concepts of “same” and “different”
- Bringing safe, unbreakable dishes in from table, clearing table
- Putting safe, unbreakable items on table (napkins, cups)
- Picking up toys – they may not want to, but they can
- Putting stuffed animals on bed in the morning
- Pushing the laundry basket to appropriate room
- Putting trash in wastebasket
- Putting clothes in hamper
- Handing adult an item from grocery bag
Preschoolers (3 – 5 Years)
- Wiping windows with cloth and spray bottle filled with water
- Setting the table
- Clearing table
- Putting dishes in sink or dishwasher
- Drying dishes
- Sweeping small messes with hand broom
- Put away laundry in correct places – teach him how to carry folded items so they won’t come unfolded
- Folding simple clothing items – jeans and pants
- Sort laundry by family member
- Dusting with a dry cloth or dust mitt
- Wiping low window sills with a damp cloth
- Bringing newspaper in from outside
- Wiping spots on kitchen floor with wet rag
- Putting books on bookshelf correctly
- Helping water garden
- Pulling weeds – teach him which ones are weeds, and which ones are not
- Pulling sheets up, straightening sheets on bed
- Helping carry laundry basket
- Assisting adult in the kitchen with measuring, pouring dry ingredients, stirring and mixing
- Hanging up coat and hat
- Carrying small bags of groceries
- Assist in putting away groceries
5 – 7 Year Olds
- Folding their shirts and other clothing items – teach them how to do it, and don’t expect perfection
- Sweeping the floor – consider getting a short broom if the regular one is awkward for her to use
- Emptying small trash cans/waste baskets into trash bag
- Straightening books on bookshelf
- Wiping table after a meal
- Making bed
- Putting items in car
- Picking up trash in car
- Picking out clothes and dressing without assistance
- Helping prepare their own lunch – sandwiches, simple side items
Tweens and Teenagers
- Make bed
- Put clothes away
- Change sheets
- Organize closet
- Sweep or vacuum bedroom
- Put items where they belong
- Water plants
- Feed the pet
- Walk the pet or clean litter
- Wash the pet or pet’s things
- Babysit younger siblings
- Make lunch for siblings
- Brush the pets outside to reduce shedding indoors
- Vacuum living room, hallways, bedrooms, and stairs
- Sweep kitchen and bathroom floors
- Dust living room, bedrooms, and office space
- Vacuum the furniture
- Straighten the living room
- Shampoo carpets
- Organize drawers
- Take care of items for recycling
- Take the trash out to the street for pick up
- Cook dinner (leave instructions)
- Wash and dry laundry
- Clean the kitchen counters
- Empty the dishwasher or wash dishes
- Clean the bathroom sink, mirror, and toilet
- Wash windows
- Clean refrigerator shelves and door; inside and out
- Mop floors
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Organize the food in the pantry
- Sanitize surfaces
- Organize the garage
- Organize bookshelves
Fall/Winter Chores List
- Rake the lawn
- Blow the leaves off the driveway
- Help clean the gutters
- Clean out the garden
- Clean outdoor items and help store them for winter
Spring and Summer Chores List
- Mow the lawn
- Trim the bushes
- Help with landscaping projects, like spreading mulch or building a rock wall
- Weed the garden
- Wash the car
- Vacuum the car
- Clean outdoor furniture
- Get outdoor items out of storage and ready for use
- Gather unwanted items to donate or sell at a yard sale
- Wash outdoor items, like boats, ATVs, campers, or other outdoor items
What do you think? If there was anything missed on these lists or anything you want to share, please let us know! Or if you end up with an “i wonder” story, we would love to hear about those too!
Thank you for reading and have fun!
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