Pocket money chores - what's suitable?

[bunjies]

I have a ds(10), dd1(6.5) & dd2(4). Currently ds washes the lunch & breakfast things on non-school days and also takes the recycling to the bins twice a week. He gets 50c (we're in France) per washing up and 30c per recycling trip. We have just started dd1 with sorting the washed underwear and putting it away for which she gets 30c.

However, soon we'll be moving and will have a much bigger house with a dishwasher. I'd like to start getting the kids to do more stuff around the house for pocket money so I thought ds could unload the dishwasher every morning and dd could continue with her underwear sorting. Are there any other chores I could reasonable expect my kids to do? I was thinking putting washing on, hoovering etc. Is this reasonable? Is there anything I could get the 4 year old to do? She's desperate to earn some pocket money too but when she helped dd2 with the washing it was a bit of a disaster!

BTW - ds is expected to tidy his room when asked for no pocket money as we think this should be part of day to day life. Dd1 will be expected to do this too. All kids are expected to put their dirty underwear in the washing basket every morning.

Cheers.

could your eldest wash the car?
the 2 youngest could lay the table
tidy toys away
dusting?

My three 9,7,6 all tidy their rooms and return their own used dishes to the dishwasher after each meal in return for their pocket money. They are also asked to clear the table sometimes, usually weekends. The two oldest get an additional 50p week if they put their clean clothes away, but this is on the proviso that they do it the same day after I've put the clothes by their doors. They used to sit there all week otherwise. We've tried getting the oldest to polish school shoes, but it was too painful to watch. DD1 will sometimes hoover her bedroom - unasked! and usually gets some sort of reward.

Have DS1 (12 next month) and DS2 (9)

They have an alternate daily routine to

bring washing down
set table - breakfast/dinner
empty plates/dishes

on a weekend and in the hols they must make their own beds

Need to keep their bedrooms tidy (I hoover and polish their rooms every week, but if they get particularly messy after I have been in then they do it themselves).

They get £3 (DS1) and £2 (DS2) - £1 each of this goes into their tins to save.

If another little job comes up that needs doing that they are able to do then I ask them - might not be happy about doing it but....,.

Hmmm, I like the idea of getting one of them to lay the table. I'm sure the 4 year old could do that.

Do you think the 10 & 6 year old would be able to change their own bed linen, ie put clean fitted sheets & pillow cases on and change the duvet cover?

I think changing their own bed might be a bit much on their own. Maybe they could help you do it?

have you got any pets? feeding and giving fresh water could be done by at least two of them

Mine are 11 and 7.

They are expected to set the table and help clear.
Load and unload the dishwasher
Take out the bins and recycling.
Sort the clean pants and socks.
Hang out and bring in the washing.
Hoover
Keep their bedrooms clean.

This probably sounds like an awful lot, but they are not expected to do this all the time by themselves.

We have half an hour on a Saturday or Sunday, where the whole family pitches in and cleans and tidies, so they play their role, and probably 15 minutes everynight after tea, we have a blitz.

This means that the house never rarely looks like a bomb site, and they tend to pick up after themselves to begin with as they realise they will end up putting it away anyway.

For this they get £5 per month.

We do have pets, a couple of cats and some chooks but my thinking is that as we all benefit from their company/eggs feeding them shouldn't be a paid chore IYSWIM. In the same way we think room tidying should be done as a matter of course. All part of the responsibility of living together.

Got most of that list ILiveinhope, except for hoovering.

How do your kids hang the washing out? Isn't it too high for them? Do they have to use a stool?

My DD (8) does the following:

Loads (badly)/unloads dishwasher
Puts washing away
Puts ironing away
Brings her washing to the machine
Makes her bed
Tidy shoe cupboard (we are both shoe chuckers)
Washes bathroom sinks (baby wipes)
If I sort out a drawer/cupboard/stuff she puts the stuff back in the right place
Feeds her cat
Sweeps floors (badly)

Saying that, we have no routine for this, it's done when it needs to be done, and she doesn't get pocket money. We both live here, so they are shared chores.