Manic Monday: Chores

My mom always had chore charts for us.  And that's just not how I role. But we do chores at our house.  My kids often here me say that we all have work to do.

Some of their chores include:

Putting their trash in the trash can
Putting their dishes in the sink
Putting dishes away
Wiping countertops
Cleaning windows (occasionally)
Picking up toys
Putting laundry in the basket (they can sort too!)
Putting their shoes away
Switching laundry over from the washer to dryer (they help me)
Folding (certain types) of clothes
Helping cook
Checking things off on the grocery or chore list
Sweeping
Mopping

I rotate my kids toys and books, so there's not too many options. They can get out the toys in storage only if their room is picked up.

Kees has been cleaning since he was 2.  And he's so good at it now! He often chooses to clean up on his own, and he has really good ideas about how to sort and store things.  Kora isn't quite as self motivated, but she's still young.  And like I always tell myself, when I need a pep talk, not all the chores that need to be done are my favorite, but they still need to be done.

Having kids do chores from a young age, helps build confidence.  I do my very best to have a great attitude when it's chore time, and I always talk about how nice it looks once our work is done.  Many of the things on their chore list, come easily now, and I don't have to remind them. But, they're kids, so we just take it as it comes, sometimes it's a LOT more work to get them to do it, but it's worth it when the pay off is responsible hard-working kids.

Some jobs my kids are great at, and others they still need help, like sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming. They like those chores, but I often "help" them complete the task.  In my opinion, it's important to encourage the ways they are doing well, and offer help if it's something that's a little bit harder.  It's a learning process.