How to Delegate Chores to Your Children

If constantly picking up after your children and feeling more like a maid than a mom is your cup of tea, then you don’t need to keep reading this. But if you want to teach your children to pitch-in and take responsibility for helping tidy-up, then this is just for you momma! Keep reading to learn how to delegate chores to your children.

I’m going to give you a list of things our kiddos are currently doing to help with chores around the house, and the extra things they earn money for.

As the momma of 4 little ones, ages 3, 4, 5, & 8, I know just a little about delegating chores. I’m not a parenting expert by any means, but I know it’s important to teach my children the value of teamwork and personal responsibility from an early age.

Chores our kids currently help with are:

(I also listed the age they were when they began doing each chore)

• Unloading the dishwasher (5 yr old)
• Emptying bathroom trashcans (5 yr old)
• Wiping down kitchen table & chairs (7 yr old)
• Sweeping kitchen floor (7 yr old)
• Cleaning bathroom mirror, counter and sink (5 yr old)
• Emptying recycling into large bin (4 yr old)
• Help pick up toys in living spaces (4 yr old)
• Put away laundry (3 yr old)
• Make bed (5 yr old)
• Use electric leaf blower on deck and walkway (5 yr old)
• Pack their school lunch night before with supervision (7 yr old)
• Help unload groceries and put items away (3 yr old)
• Check mail (5 yr old)
• Picking up their toys and books in their own rooms without help (5 yr old)

Chores that earn money $$$

• Cleaning younger siblings room when they didn’t help make the mess
• Deeper cleaning like washing the front of the kitchen cabinet doors
• Organize toys in younger siblings rooms

It definitely takes a fair amount of time to teach each of these chores, but learning how to delegate chores to your children is sooo worth the work! I have to remind myself when I keep showing my 8 year old for the 100th time how to sweep the kitchen. Insert eye roll. I swear she just rubs the broom on the floor and calls it sweeping, but seriously, it’s a chore that takes a little practice. And she is getting better at it.

Teaching chores also teach your kiddos how to finish a task and feel good about a job well done!

Yes, you could keep doing almost everything for them and not teach them basic skills, but how are they gonna function 5, 10 years down the road? I take teaching my children life skills very importantly, and I believe it’s my duty to equip them to succeed in life. How about you?

So how do we begin teaching chores?

1. My husband and I talk about the chore and decide if we think they have the capability to perform the task.
2. We tell the kids we need their help.
3. Then we show them how to do the chore and tell them how often and when it needs to be done.
4. We go over whatever it is with them until they have the ability to complete the task on their own.
5. We let them know we expect them to do a thorough job each time.
6. On occasion we quality control them and give them praise for doing a good job or trying to do a good job.
7. We occasionally take a night off if we are having a movie night or some other occasion. Everyone enjoys some time off, right?
8. We don’t let them whine their way out of their chore.
9. We stay consistent.

Thank you for reading this post!

Monica

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