Help W/a 7 Y/o!

I have my 7 year old son folding and putting away his laundry, taking out the trash (originally just the little one in the bathroom; however, when I asked him to take out the trash he took out the kitchen trash...so now he does that as well) and he has to rinse his dishes when he is done eating. I honestly do not know if he should have more or less...he is my only child.

You can give a 7 year old small chores, like putting her own clothes away in her drawers, like socks and panties, or vaccuming, (if the vaccum isn't too heavy) sometimes when my 9 year old was younger, I would let her stand on a chair at the kitchen sink and wash the easy dishes like the cups and the silverware. Just the small stuff that she will having fun doing and helping mom out. Or when you clean the bathroom have her help out by cleaning just the sink or the inside of the toilet. I know mine used to love cleaning the inside of the toilet with the toilet scrubber, she thought it was fun. Then I would do the hard stuff like the bathtub and the floor.

A few years ago I got tired of cleaning up after my kids all the time and I taught them how to clean. My son was almost 7 and my daughter was 9. I made chore lists and for the first week I cleaned with them. I made sure that they knew how I liked it done. Now I have a nother child that just turned 3 and he helps out around the house. My kids do everything. The only thing that I do is put the clothes in the washer and add soap. I taught my daughter how to do it and didn't realize that she had been using bleach until she had gotten through 5 loads. I also don't have them clean the toilet, too many germs.

I don't separate the chores according to gender. both of my kids can do anything and they have gotten to the point where it is much easier. My son still takes his time and farts around, but my daughter can get through the living room in 15 minutes and that includes vaccuuming.

You can teach your child to do any of the cleaning and the sooner the better. Just take the time to show her how to do it right and she will pick it up fairly quickly. I was never taught to clean and when I moved out on my own it was a rude awakening.

Here is what my son does - he will be turning 7 in September:

1. empty all trash cans (bathroom, office, etc) everyday
2. feed fish and cat everyday
3. put shoes away everyday (we have a shoe closet but everyone takes them off by the door
4. crush cans everyday (for recycling)
5. clean room everyday (make bed, pick up toys)
6. read book everyday (15 minutes)
7. vacuum room once a week

I have a white board that he checks off everyday when he completes these. At the end of the week, he receives $5 allowance.

Hope that helps! It may seem like a lot, but it usually takes him 10-15 minutes (not including reading). He likes feeling more grown up too.

My child is now 12. Some of the things I started her out on included:
1) Lining up the shoes by the door. My husband never puts his shoes away and I was always falling over them and the one getting hurt. I made that my daughter's responsibility since she was closer to the ground. She ended up scolding her dad when he kicked over the shoes. He listens to her better than he does me! Still doesn't line it up or put away his shoes but he rarely yells at hurt for reminding him about the shoes!

2) Making her bed and putting away her clothes in the morning.

3) Taking out the plastic bottles and cans to the recyling bin.

4) Taking the smaller trash bags outside to the trash can.

5) Help set the table.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

At 7 I was responsible for keeping the bathroom clean, watering the strawberries and doing dishes, seems like maybe 3 nights a week. I earned and allowance $40 a month, and that may seem like a lot but I had to learn to budget with that because I had to "pay" for everything but food. Clothes or if I wanted to play softball, ect.. It seems kinda strict and weird but it actually worked out really well. And of course when it was really important or something they couldn't expect me to afford my Dad would "cushion" my allowance or we would strike a deal like sweep the garage for those extra few bucks.

My son is 4 he is already in charge of clearing the table after meals, matching the socks when I do laundry and feeding the rabbit every morning.

He earns a quarter for each chore done, and he's pretty faithful since we pay him nightly, it goes into a jar for his surf board. So that when he's ready to learn we can "split" the cost of the board (that is what he wants to save it for).

Chores are good for kids!!!! I think and job that takes 15-30 minutes 2 or 3 times a week and they can physically handle is appropriate for kids about 7.

H.

My 7 year old can take out the trash, help with the dishes, clean the bathroom, the living room, and his room. Every weekend we clean and he does him room and one of the bathrooms or the living room. His sisters take the other rooms. He doesn't do the bathroom real well, but he is good at dusting and vaccuuming.

Hello,
I think it's very important for kids to have chores. I don't keep charts or anything. I expect him to do things when I ask him to help. Somethings he helps with is he puts away his laundry, helps set and clear dinner table, pick up after himself, clean his room, water the plants - inside & out -he loves the outside, he plays with the hose, takes out the trash, helps load dishwasher, feed the dogs & fish.

He's pretty good for the most part when it's time to stop playing and help, but he wasn't always. He used to get out toys and not clean them up and it was an argument getting him back to clean up, so one day I got the broom and trash can and started throwing toys away. Well, now if he won't listen I grab the broom and can and he comes running.

My husband read a good article that said that is was good to start giving allowences at 6-7 so they learn the value of a $1 and how to save, but the idea of the article was don't give them money for chores. You don't want them to expect something every time the do something, but rather teach them have to help the family. And at the end of the week, when they've helped everyone and been good in school, the over all picture, they can earn a few dollars. Just wanted to share that article. We used to give him 25 cents for every chore, but he started running around doing little things and saying OK where's my quarter you owe me 5. Good luck.

Dear M.,

My gr grand daughter has been helping make the bed and 'do the dishes' and sweep for a long time. We had to cut the handle down for the broom, but she just loves to do things around the house.

C. N.

Hi M.,
you can have your son take the garbage out of every room,
and place in the main garbage container. Pick up his room and vacuumming it. Also if you have dishwasher, he can put the utinsils away.

Chrildren of all ages hate to clean their own rooms. Maybe you can have her fold bath towels after they come out of the dryer, or, if you have any tile in your house, she could sweep, dusting is always good (unless you have alot of breakables) Most importantly, be sure to encourage her, if the towels are not folded to your liking or all the dust isn't cleaned up, don't put her down for it, just maybe give her a little reminder on how to do it and let her know she's doing a good job.

Hi M.,

I have a 7 yr old son and the chores that I give him are...making his bed, sweeping the kitchen floor, putting the dishes in the dishwasher away, taking laundry out of the dryer and cleaning the bathroom mirrors. THose tasks he can handle on his own. Hope that helps some.

B.

Well, although I don't have a 7 year old, I would guess a few chores that she could do is make beds, empty trash, maybe help you unload the dishwasher, and you could probably teach her to help fold laundry. Just some ideas.

Good luck,
B.

Mine does some of the vaccuming and occasionally takes out the trash... and pretty much just picking up after himself... and he doesn't get an allowance.

By 7 we were expected to vaccume do the dishes and clean the bathroom as well as pick up doggy poo. We also all did our own laundry as soon as we could reach the nobs while standing on a step stool, and could fold laundry. At 7 he can do any chore you show him how to do, just don't expect it to be done quickly or perfectly. :)

My daughter feeds the dogs every day, and my stepdaughter sets the table. They are both 7. My 9 YO stepson takes out the trash. They are expected to pick up their things and all that, but they don't get paid for it.

Just about any light housework! Loading the dish washer, Dusting, vaccuuming, folding laundry! Then move up to the fun stuff, bathrooms! :-) Good luck.

Hi M.,
My seven year old wipes the kitchen counters and folds the socks. Sometimes he sweeps the floors and picks up the yard.I almost forgot, he makes his bed everyday and keeps his own room tidy.Good Luck , S.

What ever you feel they can do SAFELY!
I think when I was 7 my cores were as follows:

Pick up my room (daily)
Make my bed (daily)
Clear the table after dinner (daily)
Help set the table for dinner (all nights except one, varied as whether or not we got to eat out)
Vacuum the hall (twice a week)
Dust the living room (Saturday only, dry dusting only, no chemicals like Pledge)
Sweep the front porch (Saturday only)
Help make dinner (once a week, simple stuff like scoop this, measure that, pour this, get that. I think this is also about the age my mom started teaching my how to use the kitchen knifes. OBVIOUSLY with her DIRECT supervision.)

All of these are things that a child of just about any age could help with. (Except for using the knife!) Even my 2 year old loves helping with most of this stuff. Just keep in mind that they may not do it very well in the beginning. NEVER tell them they are doing it WRONG unless it puts them or someone else in danger. So what, they didn’t pull their sheets tight before pulling up the blanket. Tomorrow you can ask them to help you make your bed and instruct them to HELP you pull the sheets tight there. So they missed a corner when vacuuming. Next time you pull it out ask “Have I ever showed you how to get in the corners with this?” If you tell them their doing it wrong, they may start to feel inadequate and really HATE doing there chores, “Because I can’t do them right anyway, so why should I try?!” Also, don’t let them see you “Fix” what they didn’t do well, for the same reason. Leave it alone until they are asleep or out of the house, or wait until tomorrow and let it be “your turn” to do that chore. And last but not least, let them know how AWESOME they are for being able to do the job SO WELL, no matter how bad of a job they do. As long as they are trying their best, they HAVE done the job PERFECTLY!

Hope it helps, ~J.