Do your children do chores and how old are they?

[GG1986]

What are age appropriate chores for a nearly 8 year old? And should I give her some pocket money for helping?

At 8 mine:
Took the rubbish out
Emptied the dishwasher
Dried up pans
Tided their room
Laid the table
Helped cook (and one of them could cook a simple meal)
Made their packed lunch most days
Not all everyday but a mix of it.

DS turns 5 imminently, he makes his bed every morning, makes sure his toys are put away when asked and before bed and laundry in laundry hamper after he's dressed or changed himself . Also clears his plate from the table to the dishwasher. Feeding the cat breakfast is also his job but mainly because he likes doing it. He doesn't get pocket money. Small things but I think he needs to learn that we all have to pull our weight.

He also helps out when we're doing housework but nothing specific. His favourite thing to do is ceiling cobwebs, we have high ceilings so he sits on DHs shoulders with an extendable feather duster 😁

Toddler helps tidy toys, put socks/smaller items of washing away, put bowl in the dishwasher and clean the bath. Won't be giving pocket money for everyday tasks but extra special or thoughtful or particularly time consuming yes, probably from about the age of yours.

Mine have always been expected to help with stuff around the house, from when they could toddle..... even when it was more work to have them help, than to do it yourself. It's about the automatic "take your things over to the sink / dishwasher when you leave the table" ....automatically straighten the duvet as you get out of bed...... hang your coat on the hook as you take it off .......type things that aren't really 'jobs' if you do them as you go along, but become a job for someone else, if you don't.

No connection to pocket money. They are expected to do age appropriate things around the house, because the live here.

My 5 year old does the following:
Makes own bed (with help!)
If it's a Friday helps with stripping bed and fresh stuff on
Own laundry in basket
Tidies away his toys
I give him pocket money randomly / whenever, I've never paid him to do anything. He also does other random stuff as and when e.g passing me a nappy for his sister. Overall he's a joy and does his chores well but I started him very young so he doesn't know any different.

My 11 year old is pretty good. Changes bedsheets, makes beds, will hoover, puts washing away, cleans her room, polishes she will do whatever I ask of her really. She can cook for herself and others if need be or she asks to, makes her own lunch unless she's running late. Actually very self sufficient compared to her older step siblings. I do give her pocket money but it's sporadic and apart from her room and her bed I don't ask her to do these things daily least not all of them anyway. She's a good girl and i introduced housework and "chores" from when she could walk. Always been my helper.

Clear out cupboards, unpack dishwasher, buy me wine. 28 and 24. 😬😃

I don’t believe in chores. I try and encourage my dc to look and see what needs doing and pitch in.

When I was young chores were tangled up with resentment and anger and I don’t really have a good model of how to do go about it with my dc. And I have adhd so it’s a struggle to manage myself never mind stay on top of what they should be doing, and chase them up. My eldest is autistic with a pda profile and getting him to do something he doesn’t want to do is a mammoth undertaking.

So I’ve tried to foster a sort of companionable space where they come and chat to me, and join in with what I’m doing. And the focus is on making our home a nice place to be in rather than doing housework.

Equally if they decide to tidy their room, or reorganise the bookshelves, I’d pitch in and help too.

I make sure they know how to do a variety of things and that they are learning lifeskills.

But there’s no set tasks. And if someone feels like washing windows this week, they won’t be stuck doing it forever.

I don’t connect it with pocket money - they get an allowance and are expected to manage certain expenses. But it’s their share of the household money and a perk of being part of the family. And theoretically if the budget was tight I’d cut back on them too.

Thank you all, I probably should have added in that she has adhd, we still have to help dress her in the morning, get her ready for bed as otherwise it would take 2 hours! She is getting better at it. She will take her empty plates out to the kitchen, put rubbish in the bin, but anything else will only get done if she has decided she wants to do it, like tidying her room. She works well with reward charts, but I don't really want her to think that general tidying gets you a reward! It's difficult.

Nothing massive but at 8 they

Tidied their room in advance of cleaner

Had to put all their laundry in a basket in their room and bring it down when asked

take turns setting clearing the table / putting everything in the dishwasher

Tidy up if they made a snack and always put their plates in the dishwater

Check on Sunday they had everything ready for the week at school (with help)

Get themselves breakfast at the weekend if they wanted something early

walk the dog

If you can afford it, I think 8 is a good age to start teaching about money, so an allowance that they have to save a percentage of is a good idea. I wouldn’t do it now, but as teens if they become feral you can impose fines!

Mine are 6, 11 & 12 and they all get pocket money but it's not directly linked to the jobs they do because we expect them to contribute.
The expectations we have for them is that they keep their bedrooms reasonably tidy, empty the dishwasher, set and clear for dinner and the older two are expected to dust and hoover their rooms when they need it and put their washing away.
What I've been trying to get them to think about is the impact they have on the house and to not add too much to someone else's "load" so like clearing up after themselves, wiping the side down after making toast, leaving the bathroom as they found it etc.

DD is 9, she doesn't have any chores but she helps out if asked.

I have a 10 year old and 4 year old. They don't have set jobs but are expected to tidy their own bedroom, tidy up after themselves, set and clear table.

They get pocket money for helping with other jobs as and when such as hanging out laundry, hoovering, mopping, dusting etc.