Which jobs do your kids do around the house ??

[TheOriginalNutcracker]

I am making a chore rota for me and the kids, as at the moment, it is just me doing everything, and them treating me like a maid.

I have two dd's aged 14 and 12 and ds, who is 9, but with a few issues and so anything for him needs to be simple and not long winded.

Any tips ?

I have been pretty lax at this for which I'm sure I'll pay the price as mine grow up and resent everything I ask them to do!

But as an idea for you my DS11 started doing his chores at 9yrs - he has responsibility for recycling - ive tried giving him the whole job, i.e. storing in a box throughout week, then taking box outside each sunday evening and sorting bottles/papers into bins and wheeling these to road. Supposed to bring bins in Monday after school but that often doesn't happen. He also hoovers whenever I'm fed up with him bickering with his little brother! He's started to iron now at 11yrs and can do t-shirts and plain things. He likes this job as he does it in front of TV.

That's it. Not much is it? I've tried getting him to empty dishwasher but the moans I get are not worth it. I'd be really interested in seeing what other people's kids do.

DS 7 loads/unloads dishwasher at weekends. Also sometimes volunteers to vacuum

Ds1 (8)- feeds chickens and lets them out each day, sorts recycling and puts out for collection, empties washing machine, lights fire each day and is in charge of making sure there is enough wood in. Will clean the bathroom if asked and is pretty good at it. He also makes supper one night a week - usually something easy like spag bol and garlic bread. ( my aim is that all the dc's will eventually each do one night a week )

Dd1 (6) feeds guinea pigs and cats, empties dishwasher, will hoover house if allowed (usually get her to do upstairs)

Ds2 (4, sen) empties waste paper bins, brings dirty washing down from upstairs into utility room.

Dd2 (2) turns dishwasher on! Helps with housework - will try to dust or sweep floor - no actual chores as yet!

All dcs make their beds and keep their rooms tidy - olders ones help younger. They also put their clean clothes away.

God I sound like a slave driver

ds aged 8, has doen the following since he was 5.

Empties the dishwasher every day.

takes out the rubish, sorting the recycling every day.
He gets £5 on a Friday for doing this. He saves up for things he wants and buys them. (a scooter last year)

BUT he is expected..for no pay to make his own bed, bring down his laundry basket, tidy his bedroom and strip his own bed.
He has started to help with the cooking too, peeling potatoes, making pasta etc.He can make a good cuppa.

I work full time, i am not his servant, he needs to learn to be self sufficient and a good partner to some one one day.
I am adamant that he will be able to do everything he needs to do to look after himself.

This is after observing others in the family. the ils for eg, mil does everything, fil doesnt even know how to make a cup of tea, she does it all. No kid of mine will expect to be waited on like this.

I let my DCs (7 and 10) set up their own in-house "cleaning company", I listed all the jobs I do round the house, they chose a selection from those and set their own prices.
When they do a job, they write it on a piece of laminated card or stick ready laminated "jobs" on the board. When I pay them I move or rub the jobs off. They do more jobs when there's a tuck shop to go to or a party coming up. They have to do a lot of jobs to save a decent amount though:
Polishing shoes-15p a pair
Clean the oven-40p
Hoovering-10p a room
Washing-30p
Washing up-25p
Sweep and Mop floors-15p a room
Empty and fill dishwasher-20p
Etc. They don't really know the value of money yet and I'm exploiting that

Oh, and 10yo DS has the "privilege" of cooking dinner once a week with a budget of £3 and access to cupboard ingredients.

DD (10) feeds the cat, cleans her room, tidies up after herself (HA!) and dries the dishes. In warmer months she helps in the garden. She helps me with cooking and baking.

DS (5) sets the table, tidies his toys & clothes and he often makes apple crumble with me (those little fingers are great for rubbing flour & butter together :P)

Sounds like my DC should do more though.

I've never done a chore rota or paid mine but at age 16 and 15 dd's have always since they were able changed their own beds, put their clean clothes away, tidied up after themselves in the kitchen, they also dust and hoover their own bedroom that they share, they do their own half,literally!!
They also help their younger brothers age 9 and 6 strip and make their own beds, the boys dust their shelves and hoover their bedroom.
The girls will clean the bathroom if asked and also hoover and dust the house, I tend to give them the duster if they are watching the tv and ask them to do it.
They don't do loads but if asked they will help, they also go to their grandmas and dust and hoover for her, I ask her not to pay them as and they don't expect it.
I've never really had a problem getting them to do it but i've always got them to help from a very young age and they tend to think its the norm, they are surprised how lazy and how little some of their friends do.

Make each responsible for his/her own room i.e. tidying, hoovering, changing bedlinen (as often as you say it should be done) and collecting up all their washing to be put in the laundry basket or utility room wherever. If my DD does not bring her washing downstairs it does not get washed. Get them to take turns sorting the laundry and putting on the washing machine. If you have a tumble drier get them to share that job too. If you don't use a drier get them to take turns in hanging up washing either outside or indoors. I have an "octopus" from IKEA which is great for hanging on a towel rail etc for drying clothes. You could have a rota for washing the car.When you get home from the supermarket they could all help put the shopping away or, again, take turns. Maybe you could all sit down once a month and work out a rota. Any one who does not take their turn as per the rota could be fined pocket money. Hope you manage to work something out.

I like the cleaning company thing .. Am going to start that!!

Mine, aged 9 and 7
Put their clean clothes away
Take clean laundry upstairs
Empty playroom, bedroom bins
Lay table
Always clear table
Always empty lunchboxes and put stuff in dishwasher
The sometimes get all breakfast ready too.

Next stop .... Re pointing the house and tsking out the bins, haha.

Watching closely as mine do nowt,but its gotta change!

Wow I'm amazed at how much some kids do! I can understand the dirty clothes into basket, stripping bed, clearing table, putting dishes into dishwasher as mine do this and I sort of don't count it as a job - just normal part of being a family, but I don't understand how you get kids to clean a bathroom!!

It must be hard to get them to do it properly - I'd worry mine would mess about and waste all the toilet cleaner, or make a complete hash of it. Maybe I'm over controlling as they'd likely rise to the challenge!

What's your plan nutcracker for getting your kids to take on more?

Thank's for the replies. Going to sit with a cuppa and read them all through properly.