what jobs, if any, do you 7/8/9 year olds do around the house

[anniebear]

thinking it's about time DD actually did something!

she is 8 in a few weeks

Thanks

DD aged 7:
Sorts out her washing (into whites and coloureds) and will put them in the washing machine (when asked to)
Puts away clean folded clothes and will sometimes help with folding/sock pairing.
Waters garden
Lays table
Takes her plate out to the kitchen after eating
Helps with cooking
Tidying in our household is a team effort (we are all slobs) so she joins in when it happens.
Dusts (she loves the duster but get bored quickly)
"Helps" with shopping (much to DH's exasperation) and putting shopping away.

We don't have his/hers jobs in our house, so she does not have specific jobs as such, but is expected to pitch in and help as needed.

I see your point cat64 and others which I suppose is why we ave basic chores that dd has to do. But I don't like giving dd money for nothing, life just isnt like that. I also likes the fact that she can see at a very basic level that if she works hard she can have nicer things. She wanted a new dress and I told her that of she raised half the money I would pay the rest. She sat down and made a spreadsheet of the jobs she would need to do and tracking her money as she made it.

She has been offered a "job" doing fruit picking for some pocket money and also doing some stable work in return for some riding.

have not ave, sorry h key is sticking.

my ds who is 8 and just about to go into yr 4 is meant to...
feed his hamster
feed the cat
put clothes away (i put them by bedroom door)
put dirty clothes in wash basket
sort his own breakfast (im single mum and work full time)
get his uniform organised
empty packup box
help setting and clearign table (does this weith dd who is 40

and generally tidy up after himself.

Overmydeadbody

as I said I am prob the worst housewife even so she doesnt have a good example

she does do things, but nothing on this scale

Ive had a very stressful 7 years since having the girls, wont bore you, but one nearly died after having Meningitis, now has SN, and is hard work, plus I havent dealt with it all too well.therefore.....

I suppose arguing with one 7 year old to do some housework kind of dropped to the bottom of the 'important list' when the other 7 year old is screaming and head banging on the wall !!

Not a good excuse but it's mine lol

thanks for all your replies, will be giving her a few more things to do ;)

lol suppose another area Ive failed in!!!

lol, ironically, DD with SN, loves to help! she helps me with the dishwasher, loves to do any dishes (before they go in the dishwasher lol) and will help me with the washing lol

anniebar, so sorry to hear about your dd. do you mind me asking what form her sn takes after the meningitis?

compulsory ones:
clear the table
put their own clean washing away
feed the dog
tidy their own things
put their own washing in the laundry basket
when we get home from school they

• put school bags, coat, and associated detritus tidily away
• make their bed
• fill their own water bottle that they insist on having at the side of their bed
• if they want to change they hang their school uniform up

additional voluntary ones (when they're after something...):
put the milk bottles out
dust
empty the dishwasher
chop fruit and veg
"help" with cooking

my 8 year old is expected to

put her clean washing away
tidy her room
empty the dishwasher
feed the animals
bring washing down and put it in the machine (under instruction)
tidy up the bathroom after use
put the recycling out
empty her school bag
get her school bag ready
set the table
get own breakfast
strip her bedding once a week and bring it downstairs
play with the baby/dd3 if I need them distracting
make baby milk (she doesn't see this as a job
make me a cup of coffee (she is always mithering to do this - it is pretty revolting usually!)

My 6 year old also has to do some of these.

I could go either way on the money thing - I totally agree with the principle that some of this stuff is just part of your role as a member of the household. so we've ended up with a rather complex 2-tier system - that does seem to work. the girls get £1 a week spending money - unconnected with jobs or behaviour. they also get sweet money - which adds up over the week in 5p and 10p chunks, depending on behaviour and doing extra jobs. they can also lose sweet money for bad behaviour. they tend to end up with something in the region of 50p that they spend on sweets on Saturday (with an option, should they chose of transfering it to their spending account. which they never do.)

no worries Embuggerance

she suffered brain damage, we got told she would be severly disabled if survived

did have seizures but hasnt for ages

very behind in everything (but is doing so mch better than expected...can walk, run, is starting to read a little etc

has Hydrocaphalus, wakes v v early! bad tantrums..hurts herself

so do people not have kids were they tidy their rooms then have a couple of jobs to do lol?!!!

thinking about it DD does do a few things!! takes her plate out!! can do her and her twin breakfast..sometimes!!

Likes to make the Lunch for school.... sometimes!

will have a little tidy of her room when yelled at lol

erm..erm....

I will attempt to introduce a few extra's over the next few weeks!!!

wish me luck!!

hatwoman, that sounds to me like you have it just about right

I will aim for your list

I dread the thought of getting DS to put his clean clothes away - the drawers would be a total mess!

dd's drawers are a total mess. Wouldn't make any difference if I put her clothes away though (I do sometimes if she's not around) as no matter how many times we talk about it as soon as she's in a hurry she turns them upside down looking for the thing that she wants.

hmm mine don't put washing away but I should probably start that (dd just 9 today, hooray and ds nearly 8)

they clear the table
tidy their rooms
make their beds
brush teeth (not a task but my gawd, it is a chore)
help weed
will clean a room if asked (I generally get them to do a room each as it's easier)

dd can bake cakes and biscuits (I put them in and take them out of the oven), make a cup of tea or coffee and helps with unpacking the shopping

ds is better at cleaning and polishing and often likes doing the shoes or cleaning the bathroom.

I tried to get them hoovering but tbh, they aren't nimble enough to manoeuvre it properly so I've decided to leave that till they are older.

House still looks a pigsty though

yes so are dd's takver! I've given up trying to ask her to keep them neat and tidy because she always throws everything out and shoves it back in looking for things!

I love it when they start making food annie! They make such a mess (well mine do but they are v untidy and messy children anyway ) but I still love that they make an effort to do it, especially when they make something for each other!

Annie - wow, she sounds amazing

(my ds survived meningicoccal meningitis several years ago. Miraculously he recovered fully, but it took a long time for all of us to get over it. Bizarrely my brother had it too when he was a child and he was left with learning difficulties and some hearing loss. It is a hateful illness.)

My three year old fetches dirty washing from upstairs and puts it in the washing machine. I also make him pick his toys up.

My six year old Pegs washing on the line, puts the bins out and does quite a bit of finding my bescattered personal effects. He feeds the cat (sometimes), puts the recycling out and does a fair bit of brother watching

Embuggerance, so glad your DS is ok, stil a horrible thing for you all to go through

Kind of like watching a horrible movie but you and your child are the main stars!

Tidies room

Puts laundry in basket

Wipes up after himself if he spills a drink or whatever

Sweeps up