Age appropriate chores

[SimpleCycle]

I am wondering what chores your kids do and at what ages you began.  Our kids have a few "chores" but I think they are capable of more and wonder if I'm underestimating what they can do.

Current chores:

DD, 4.75 - set the table, clear her own dishes, put laundry down chute, pick up toys, clean her room.  She also helps me sweep and mop, albeit fairly ineffectively.
DS, just turned 3 - empty the silverware from the dishwasher, clear his own dishes (with help), put laundry down chute, pick up toys.  Helps his sister with cleaning their room.

Looking for any advice or what has worked for you!

[DaMa]

Folding laundry -- you can have them fold small items while you fold large items.  They can fold washclothes and hand towels while you folded big towels.  Small knits, match socks, underwear, etc.  I used to fold clothes on dining table and would make a small pile for the child to work from.
Dusting
Bed making with you

I found that my kids loved to do chores and were proud to be helping.  Until they were 10-12.  DS was the best bathtub cleaner when he was 8 yrs old.  We had one of those nasty shower doors with the track, too.  He did a great job keeping that clean.

[formerlydivorcedmom]

One of my kids loved to dust at those ages!

Another one LOVED to vacuum.  He was too small to work the real vacuum by himself, so he got a toy one for his birthday one year.  I'd vacuum, and he'd follow behind me with his to pick up anything that mine missed.  :)

They can also help clean the table (wipe with a wet cloth). 

We also had the kids help with the dog (they could help measure the food and monitor if he had fresh water). 

At those ages, I also started teaching them to bake.  I'd put a big towel on the floor, put all the ingredients on it.  We'd sit down on the towel and I'd show them how to measure things and let them pour into the bowl and then stir.

We started adding more chores based on height.  My DD is a giant child, so she was able to load and unload the dishwasher and do laundry on her own at a relatively young age.  I think they were cleaning bathrooms at age 7.

[zolotiyeruki]

Each of our kids has four daily chores, which rotate weekly.  There's a morning chore, an after lunch chore, a zone (one room to tidy up), and an after dinner chore.  They rotate weekly.

Morning chores:
Trash from one level of the house
Unload dishwasher
Clean up one particular counter in our kitchen that tends to accumulate stuff
Start a load of laundry (and there's a schedule for that)
Clean off the play/school room table

After lunch chores:
Clear island
Wipe down island
Wipe down table
Load dishwasher
Move laundry

Zones: just various shared areas in the house (family room, entry way and library, etc)

After dinner chores:
Wiping down island
Wiping down the stove
Wiping down the table
Handwash dishes
Sweeping/vacuuming the floor around the kitchen table
Clearing the table after dinner

In addition, they're responsible for tidying up their bedrooms, clearing their dishes, putting away their laundry, and probably some others that I'm forgetting.  They each have one day per week where they help DW prepare dinner (including setting the table), and all of them from 7y.o. and up can make their own lunch.

We started chores at age 3.  At that age, you're basically doing it for them, but we ask them to do more and more of it independently as they get older.  By age 7, they're capable (if not always eager) of doing any of those chores on their own.

[CindyBS]

We have teenagers.

All chores are divided into groups labelled with a color which correspond to a zone of the house.  Each group contains daily and weekly chores.  For example, Yellow is kitchen - daily is dishes and wiping counters.  Weekly is mopping floor, clean out microwave, dust, etc.

We rotate groups through the family weekly.  I do a little more detail cleaning when it is my week, but in general we all do the same housework.  It teaches the kids to do ALL the chores in the house and pretty much divides the housework evenly.  We all mow the lawn, scrub toilets, etc.   The kids have some cooking skills and we only cook dinner for them, they are responsible to make the rest of their food.  We do not have them do the shopping.

The kids are responsible for their own laundry and their rooms.  Wifi in our house is set to automatically go off at 8pm.  You have to ask to get it back, and they know that means daily chore and shower needs to be done.  Sunday night means weekly chores done too.  We have agreed if they follow these guidelines there is no nagging.  It is hard to bite you lip and say nothing when the dishes are piling up at 4pm, but as long as they are done by 8pm we say nothing.

This system works very well for us.

As far as younger kids, laundry is pretty good to get them started on b/c it is hard for them to hurt themselves with it.  I also used to fill a spray bottle with a mixture of 50% vinegar and 50% water and have them spray and wipe tables and the like.  If they got some on their hands and accidentally ingested some it was no big deal.  Dusting is also good.   I think having younger kids do chores even if they are not that good at and you have to redo it has value since it gets them in the habit. 

[nereo]

As far as younger kids, laundry is pretty good to get them started on b/c it is hard for them to hurt themselves with it.  I also used to fill a spray bottle with a mixture of 50% vinegar and 50% water and have them spray and wipe tables and the like.  If they got some on their hands and accidentally ingested some it was no big deal.  Dusting is also good.   I think having younger kids do chores even if they are not that good at and you have to redo it has value since it gets them in the habit.

Thansk for the suggestions... and agree that at young ages teh process of helping is valuable, even when teh output isn't terribly efficient.

at 20 months our DD helps feed the cats, empty the bottom of the dishwasher and put away toys.  She'll also help pick up items (usually her toys).  I think we'll have her help wipe the table from now on (we already use a dilute vinegar solution for surface cleaning... much more dilute than 50/50).

[shelivesthedream]

ToddlerSLTD has just turned two. He doesn't do any chores by himself but...

He helps me hang laundry, unload the dishwasher, put his clean clothes away in his room and sometimes do meal prep/cooking.

We help him tidy up his toys at the end of the day, sweep the floor, and carry his clothes to the laundry basket. Help various between simple verbal redirection to keep on task all the way to doing 90% of it, depending on the day. We are just starting to get him to carry things between the kitchen and dining table but it's hard for him to reach and he often semi-runs.