When my husband was in college, several of his fellow students would bring home laundry, and Mom would come once a month to clean his room. This wasn’t because they were lazy, but because they just didn’t know how to do laundry or clean the house!
Don’t let your kids become like those students… Aside from the fact that teaching your kids around the house and other chores prepares them for life on their own, these are also chores you don’t need to do! I know, I know, it takes time to teach them how to do it, and there will be quite a few times when you need to finish the job behind them, but once they know, you’ll never need to do it again until they’re gone… And, At least until they are eight years old, they will be proud to be entrusted with “big people” tasks.
So what tasks can you safely delegate to your children? It depends on their age, but there are things they can do from the age of 2. Below is a list of chores by age group:
Young children: You can remove dust with an electromagnetic cloth or a baby wipe; Spray and scrub sink and tub with water and a sponge; pick up toys or other objects from the floor and put them in baskets or containers; If the baskets are labeled with pictures, they can even put the correct toys in the correct bin! At this point, anything you give them to do except put away their toys will be more to give them something to do while you clean, but they will try to do their best if you take the time to teach them, and it will seem natural to them when they move on to more complex tasks.
Preschoolers: Sweeping with a broom for children; spray and wipe windows with lemon water or vinegar (inside windows only please!); use a hand vacuum; clean sinks with baby wipes; empty a small trash can into a larger bag; scrub the corners of kitchen chairs or other small spaces with a clean toothbrush or nailbrush and a cup of water; make the beds (preferably with a duvet, it’s easier for them); fold towels; put clothes in drawers; hang clothes on hooks; put dirty clothes in the hamper; help feed the animals; wipe the baseboards, window sills with a small cloth or with old socks in your hands; help clean up spills; dry unbreakable dishes; pick up trash in the yard.
Kindergarteners: sweep small areas with a dustpan and broom; clean bathroom sinks; hang up the towel after bathing; store bath toys; help in the kitchen (stirring, tearing lettuce, etc. – no knife yet!); place napkins and cutlery on the table; remove the dishes from the table (it depends on your child, you know if he is at risk of breaking them or not); help load the dishwasher; straighten plastic plates in a cabinet; help straighten pots and pans; sort the clean clothes of family members; powdered furniture; remove the sheets from the beds; straighten books on a shelf; place game and puzzle pieces in the correct storage bins; use a lint remover to pick up pet hair on furniture; tidy up your room
Children under elementary school: make beds (any of them); Take out the trash; sweep stairs and hallways; clean the car and help wash it; vacuum your own room; sort and straighten toys; fold and put away clothes; empty the dishwasher; feeding and care of pets; setting and clearing the table (but only with unbreakable plates and glasses at this point); Sort laundry.
Children older than elementary school: Clean bathroom mirrors; empty; clean bathrooms; clean kitchen counters and sink; mop small area floors; use the washer and dryer; wash, dry and put away dishes; clean areas for pets; clean cobwebs and dust in high places with a stick; sweep the garage; setting and clearing the table (by the end of primary school, they can usually do with normal plates and glasses).
Teenagers: They can do everything you do, except for the most intensive jobs, or those that use harmful products, such as deep cleaning the oven, or removing mold from bathroom tiles.
So when are you going to sit down and create a chore chart for your kids? What tasks will you assign to each one, depending on their ages? What are you going to do with the time you are saving this way?
