Happy Housewife list of age appropriate chores made me LOL

amother

Slateblue

Wed, May 02 2018, 11:14 am

Over Pesach one of the magazines included a list of the Age Appropriate Chores from the Happy Housewife website
https://thehappyhousewife.com/.....s.pdf
and I couldn't stop laughing. There's no way some of those chores are appropriate for that age group. I'm all for giving children chores that are appropriate but I doubt a 2-3 year old can make their bed or a 4-5 year old load the dishwasher or 6-8 year old rake leaves or 9-11 year old clean toilets. It does say take into account your child's maturity level, but it said this is a list that most children should be able to do.

mha3484

Wed, May 02 2018, 11:20 am

My kids are late bloomers so I cant speak for the toddler/preschool section but my 7 year old can totally do the things on the list of early elementary. He is not always motivated but when hes in the right mood I would say he can do 75% of the list.

abaker

Wed, May 02 2018, 11:21 am

I think the chore list is pretty spot on. my 4 year old could even get the mail. my 2 year old couldn't (properly) make the bed but I'm sure he could help me throw the pillows on.

amother

Slateblue

Wed, May 02 2018, 11:21 am

Ruchel wrote:

4-5 year old load the dishwasher or 6-8 year old rake leaves or 9-11 year old clean toilets.

What's wrong with that

It's not age appropriate, too advanced for their age. Dishes are too heavy. She also says at 2-3 you can unload the dishwasher- not a good idea, my dc dropped a dish on their toes at that age. A 6 or 7 year old can hold a rake? let alone rake leaves? It's too young for a 9-11 year old to clean toilets.

mha3484

Wed, May 02 2018, 11:23 am

I learned to clean a toilet my first summer at over night camp which was going into 6th grade. We used comet and a toilet brush. Now its even easier because you can get the toilet brush with the cleaning part that flushes so you dont even touch it.

Ruchel

Wed, May 02 2018, 11:37 am

amother wrote:

4 or 5 can definitely handle dishes. 2 is another matter, unless they do plastic dishes.
6 year old can hold a smaller rake yes and can do some job. My in laws teach the kids countryside stuff. Cleaning toilets is mega easy, actually easier than raking correctly.

saw50st8

Wed, May 02 2018, 11:44 am

amother wrote:

My kids can do all those chores. They can't do them well, but you don't need to expect them to. So yes, the blanket on the bed isn't perfect - that's ok. The cup isn't in the right place in the dishwasher? You move it later. It builds good habits.

My kids ages 7+ can do laundry (we buy the pods so it's easy for them). They can also clean the toilet and the whole bathroom (when motivated). My oldest is 10.

mommyla

Wed, May 02 2018, 12:00 pm

I wouldn't have my 4-year-old load the dishwasher (it would inevitably end in many broken dishes or silverware stuck at the back of the dishwasher), but my 9-year-old loves to do it and it's his job. Both of them love to vacuum and to clean walls and doors. 9 y/o has been able to rake for years now and can mow the lawn supervised as well. A 3 y/o can pull the blanket straight or arrange pillows and stuffed animals (my kids were never in beds at 2, but I doubt they'd be able to do that).

I checked out the list and my kids can do most of those. I've let them "wash" dishes (plastic, mostly) at 4-5 while I cook; my 4 y/o is great at sorting laundry with me; they both love cleaning (or "cleaning") with a spray bottle or Magic Eraser, are responsible for putting clothes in the hamper, and like dusting with the Swiffer duster. My 9 y/o (a boy!) has recently started cooking scrambled eggs and he is so proud.

Give them some opportunities for independence, you'll be surprised by how much they can (and like to) do!

amother

cornflower

Wed, May 02 2018, 12:55 pm

mha3484 wrote:

Can you link the toilet brush for me or tell me what it's called?

amother

cornflower

Wed, May 02 2018, 1:05 pm

mha3484 wrote:

https://www.amazon.com/Scrubbing-Bubbles-Toilet-Flushable-Refills/dp/B00H347KSQ there are other similar products this is just one that I have used before.

Thank you!

amother

Red

Thu, May 03 2018, 12:26 am

At that age, the point of kids doing chores is for THEM, not for you. So you may have to do things again, they may not do them the way you would, but they can certainly do them.

Most of my kids can do these.

amother

Mistyrose

Thu, May 03 2018, 6:26 am

Job does not have to be done well. If you wait till they're old enough to do it right they wont be interested. Starting young is the key! Ignore the results- praise the efforts!

Tzutzie

Thu, May 03 2018, 7:32 am

amother wrote:

Job does not have to be done well. If you wait till they're old enough to do it right they wont be interested. Starting young is the key! Ignore the results- praise the efforts!

This.
The list sounds very age appropriate.

lfab

Thu, May 03 2018, 10:27 am

My 8 year old loves to clean the bathroom. She thinks it's the best job ever and begs to do it! I can't say she does a perfect job and often I'll have to go over a lot of it again, but the point is that she's trying and she feels proud of herself for doing such an adult chore. As she gets older she'll get better at actually getting it clean. But if you don't let kids practice when they're little they won't do anything when they are bigger.

amother

Slateblue

Thu, May 03 2018, 11:42 am

It's one thing to help, it's another to complete a chore decently which is what the list is implying. Any child can do half the job, but that's not what they meant.

finprof

Thu, May 03 2018, 12:27 pm

DS is turning 6, DD just turned 4. They can do almost everything on the toddler & PS list but load and unload the dishwasher (DH is a stlicker about what goes where and often redoes it even after me!) We have the non-breakable plates so they both started setting the table at age 2.5, but not clearing till 4 (its harder to hold the dirty dish level and not spill).

They "make their beds" by pulling up the sheets and comforter and putting their stuffies on their beds, it's not perfect but at least there are no sheets on the floor.

Clothes in the hamper at age 2, put clean clothes in drawers at age 3 (their drawers are a mess but so what, at least their clothes are away)

I do most of the weekly vacuuming & cleaning when they are at school but after reading this list I'll consider adding the dusting to their routines.

amother

Mint

Thu, May 03 2018, 12:42 pm

My 3 year old gets OT and PT and he can do all the chores on the 2-3 list, plus more from the 4-6 & 6-8 list. He loves doing them, it's a huge treat in fact. "If you get dressed quickly, you can vacuum the floor for shabbos." or pack away the silverware, or wipe all the cabinets with a soapy sponge. He struggles with some of them but I see it as an opportunity to work on his skills. I rarely redo anything he did.
Breaded Shnitzel is his job to make, I only prepare all the components on a plastic tablecloth and he does the rest. Except for cooking them obviously - which he would love to do as well 😂
Anon because anyone who knows me will recognize my kid in this.

Eta: this is not to say that I make him do all this. He chooses to. His only real job is taking his negel vasser out in the morning and throwing his clothes in the hamper at night.