7 Year Old Responsibility

Definately...I have a 7 year old...if he forgets coat at school...well then he is cold the next day...if he forgets his lunch box...he gets it sent the next day in a grocery bag. He gets two water bottles at the beginning of each year for school...if those get lost...well there is the water fountain. After forgetting a time or two...he remembers.

Yes, J., you should.

It's not cold yet, so it's not a big deal to send her to school with no coat. But you should send a very boring lunch to school in a brown paper bag until she brings the lunchbox home. That will bring the lesson home.

Dawn

You should expect her to remember these things, but don't be too surprised when she doesn't. It's a work in prgress.

Yes.
My son was really forgetful at that age - still is sometimes :)
I talked to the teacher about it. I wrote out an index card with a checklist on it - lunchbox, homework, coat/jacket etc and taped in on the top of his desk. Another option is to make a similar checklist and put in one of those plastic label holders or laminate it and attach to backpack zipper.

Depends on the child. My 14 year old still forgets these things, so he uses brown bags for lunch and no longer owns a coat.

My younger kids are 6 & 8 and this has never been an issue for them, so clearly some kids manage to master this skill.

I would try two things - one, label everything and have two of everything. So if she forgets her lunchbox on Tuesday, you have one to send in on Wednesday. Same with light jackets at this time of year, when it's warm enough in the afternoon for a child to forget and not every child is bringing one to school. In the winter it's usually less of a problem because the teacher will incorporate "put on your jacket" into the afternoon routine because it will be cold and everyone will be expected to be properly dressed.

Second, create a reward system - this would be the perfect opportunity for a sticker chart or an immediate positive consequence. For example, if she remembers her lunchbox and jacket, she can play a game on the computer for 15 minutes or have 15 minutes of extra time doing whatever she likes most. If one or both is missing, no bonus time. If she remembers X number of days in a row, she gets a treat - in our house, it might mean that we go to their favorite playground that's a bit of a drive from our house, or that instead of having pizza on Friday night, I'll pick them up Taco Bell (nasty but they love it). Give her positive reinforcement for remembering, don't punish her for forgetting.

Yes. I expect that of my 7 year old, 5 year old, and 3 year old.

yes, that is something that I expect from my own kids.

Yes - I'm very lax when it comes to imposing responsibilities on young children but these are simple things that a 7 year old should definitely be able to do. A miss once in awhile, sure but it shouldn't be every day IMO.