Chores for kids

What do you know? This was post number 1400 on the blog :)

 
So I'm a big fan of kids doing chores. Big!

It fits in with our goals of raising independent kids and I like to parent with the end in mind. I don't want to raise children who have no life skills.

Also, it's their house too and they need to help keep it neat and tidy.

I also don't want my kids thinking that there's someone picking up after them even if Nanny S is here every weekday.

My kids do these chores:

1. pack away their own toys
2. put their dirty laundry in the basket
3. fold the clothes that can be worn once more (you have to let go of perfectionism...)
4. put their dishes in the sink (no dishwasher)
5. take our and their laundry baskets to the laundry whenever I ask
6. sort laundry (this is very hit and miss, even for their father :)) and load the washing machine (this is a task both of them LOVE so one has to sort and then the other loads the machine one day and we change next time we do it)
7. push in their chairs and wipe their placemats
8. sweep up food (if they've messed)
9. wipe their seats (if they've messed - mostly this is K because she squirms while eating)
10. help dry and pack away the dishes
11. make their beds with Nanny S's help (or ours on the weekend - we each take one kid - the child working with me always has the neatest bed :) :))
12. always carry their own bags to the cars and to and from the church building
13. close the curtains at night and open mine in the mornings
14. help me to cook :)

Some of these things we only started implementing after D and I went on the Loving Discipline workshop where we heard that they're able to do a lot more than I was letting them do.

Basically I was hanging onto the kitchen stuff  because I'm super fussy! and I like to get things done quickly.

But look how much fun he has when I let go...

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that's the cupboard where all the plastics go

So that's where we're at for the moment.

By the way, I have a new rule - if I told them to put away toys (these will be in my bedroom or kitchen because the sunroom/ playroom is always tidied properly by the kids) and they ignore or just don't do it, the toys disappear into Toy Jail for 24 hours.

There was a lot of wailing and knashing of teeth the first time I did it but it's worth it because they now know I mean business. I've only had to do it twice in the last 3 weeks.

Next up we need to talk about clothes for kids and the drama involved in getting dressed.

Do your kids do chores? Why or why not? If not, are you a perfectionist like I was? Or what's your reason?