Kids and Chores. . Is It Possible?

Another question I am asked frequently is this; "How do you get your kids to do chores so helpfully"?

I must admit that I do have two great and wonderful kids. They pitch in and help whenever they see something that needs to be done. I don't know if it is because we have just always instilled in them the importance of cleanliness or what, but they are usually willing to help out.

If you have a child who is giving you problems about doing chores, here are a few things that I have implemented over the years.

• For smaller children, give them something easy to do, and always make sure you give them one thing at a time to do. This could be something as easy as matching socks, picking up toys, helping you make the bed, or putting away silverware in a drawer (yes. . these are all things that my children did when they were preschoolers around the age of 4 or 5)
• For younger kids aroung the age of seven to nine you can have them do harder chores such as folding towels, dusting the furniture that they can reach, helping you wash the dishes, setting the table for dinner, or wiping the sink out in the bathroom.
• For ages 10 and up, they should be able to do just about everything you can do: Vaccuum, mop, put clothes away, wash clothes, help cook dinner, make beds, clean toilets and showers (yes. . .again, my kids do these things)
• For those kids who are ADHD, PLEASE do not give them a ton of things to do at once...NOTHING will get done (I speak from experience). Instead, why not make a checklist which works great by the way, of all the things that you would like them to accomplish during a certain number of minutes or hours. This helps hold them accountable and gives them something concrete to go by.

Basically my kids are given an incentive to help them with their attitudes about helping. It could range from a special cooking session with me which they both love, extra time on the game system, watching a movie together, having a friend over, or going on a walk. Most of the time, I don't have to offer these things to get them to do their chores. . .just sometimes.

Another thing is we do not pay them for doing chores. These are things that have to be done around the house to make sure that our household runs smoothly. They are rewarded with family dinner out which is a very special occasion when we all bust our butts to work hard and get things done. Sometimes, Stephen will bless them with a toy of their choice within a certain price range for working hard without complaining.

What about you? How do you handle chores in your house? Do you schedule certain chores for certain days? I would love to hear your stories.