What Chores Do Your 5-Year-olds Do?

C.,

5 year olds can definitely handle clearing their own dishes and getting them in the dishwasher. They can also get dirty clothes into the laundry basket and put clean clothes away in the drawers. They can sort colors (supervise this one) and load and unload the dryer (and washer if it is a front load.) My 5 year old just got to the point where he can fold clothes nicely. He can make his bed and keep his room clean.

Recently my 5 year old has taken on vacuuming, sweeping and using the dust buster. He really likes these jobs, doesn't even consider them chores.

When the weather warms up, he can help with gardening - planting, watering and weeding with supervision (my kids still get the weeds mixed up sometimes.) In the fall he can bag leaves.

I see you have a 1 year old. He should be able to get diapers and wipes for you, throw away dirty diapers and put the wipes box back. He can also help clean up baby toys. I know some people think that older siblings shouldn't be asked to help with younger ones, but I disagree. I explain that we are a team and we all chip in and help out. I cleaned up my big kids baby toys for them and I still do a ton for them, they can help out someone else, too.

I don't have my kids do these jobs exclusively or keep track with any kind of a system. Maybe I should, I don't know. When it is time to get something done, I just rally the troops and we all work together until it is done. Then it feels like we are a team and doesn't have that "supervisor / worker" feel to it.

Good luck,
S.

I have a 4 year old that it is his job to take care of the dog. Let him out, feed him, etc. He handles this just fine in addition to picking up after himself. We also started giving him an allowance when he started the job. He gets $1.00 a week. This is an excellent opportunity to start teaching financial responsibility. We let him spend half and save half. He loves to save his money and has learned to choose wisely what to spend his money on.

My 5-year-old girl is the youngest of 3, so she maybe is expected to do more than my first son was when he was 5. We have a rotating table help schedule, so every 3rd day she helps clear off the table before supper, set it, and clean things off afterwards (salad dressing in fridge, dirty napkins in garbage, etc.). My laundry schedule is I work on the family's laundry M-Th, and just keep piling it up in each child's room. Then Sat morning (before 9am is the rule) she and her brothers have to put away all of their clothes. I used to organize hers for her: one stack of socks, one stack of underwear, one stack of shirts, etc. Now she can put them all away without any help. She even hangs all of the shirts on hangers. My 6-year-old son has been cleaning bathrooms since he was 4. I'd give him a Lysol wipe and let him have at it. I did it out of necessity because of his really bad aim. I was tired of cleaning the toilet and floor every time he went in there. :) Five-year-olds are very capable and probably enjoy helping out more than 9-yr-olds, so don't miss the window of opportunity! Another thing they LOVE is washing mirrors and windows.
K.

I don't assign chores but encourage personal responsibility and sense of community. Since personal care is basic to survival and are skills they must learn, my kids have done certain tasks since they could take direction (about 1yr): sort their own laundry, fold/put it away, wipe up spills, put away toys, clear their place at the table, clean their rooms, make their beds etc. Just the basics.

I like for them to have a choice in communal tasks because I want them to understand helping others is a choice. Tasks like washing the car, taking out trash, cleaning around the house, yard work, cooking for the fam, etc.-- I ask them to assist when they're bored or I need extra hands. Most of the time they join right in whenever they see me working. When they do, I thank and praise them.

I also teach them about people who better the world (MLK Jr, Mother Teresa) and point out examples of how people hurt communities (littering, vandalism, etc). I know it sounds like silly new agey stuff but it works. Plus I never have to think of things for them to do or put them under time constraints. Best of all, they actually enjoy pitching in.

~Pam :)

My daughter is 6 but I started her chores at age5 and this is what she does.

Started out unloading the silverware, but now can unload the entire dishwasher, and load it up too

Bathroom- cleans toliet, clears off counter, I do the mirror and double check the counter

Laundry-started just bringing dirities down to laundry room but now will also bring clean up stairs and is learning and working on putting her own clothing away.

When I sweep/mop floors she is in charge of clearing the floor for me moving shoes, shaking rugs outside, moving kitchen chairs.

When the car is a mess, her job is help me throw all the garbage and junk out of it, remove floor mats so I can vaccum car.

She has to clean her room every day just so that the floor is visable deep cleaning is like once a month. This I usually have to sit with and make sure she does it because she get's distracted easily.

She's not strong enough to vaccum but loves to dust.

She is in charge of her pet ferret as well. She dumps the litter box and feeds/waters her.

I do expect alot out of my daughter but she's far from being overworked. She has to learn these skills sometime and I'm a single mother I need all the help I can get. We are living in our home together so it's all about teamwork.

I also don't do allowance I felt it would make her chores become a power struggle. I do reward her for good behavior/chores/school work all the time though randomly.

What helps is we usually work side by side as a team talking and being goofy, if she's unloading the dishwasher I'm right there helping in betweeen cooking our dinner etc.

Our almost 5 year old sorts laundry, is learning to fold laundry, and puts her folded laundry away in her dresser. She also wipes down the the kids bathroom vanity & sink everyday and empties the garbage if needed. She is responsible for picking up her room once a week (more if needed), putting her school & home papers into the correct place, etc. We try to have her be responsible for the things that pertain directly to her (her clothes, her bathroom, her room, etc.) for now. She never complains about it and we will gradually add more to her list of responsibilities as she grows and matures. We have a simple list that she gets to put a smiley sticker on when each thing is done so that she remembers what has been done and what needs to be done.

I have a 4yr old who will be five in 3 months and his chores are: helping his 8yr old brother unload the dishwasher, picking up after himself, making his bed every morning, and putting away his clean laundry. At times he may even help fold towels and washcloths; I may have to re-fold them later - of course when he's not looking - but it teaches him that we all live in our home together and it takes all of us to keep it nice!

our 5 year old son helps with collecting trash from the cans around the house. he also takes the full kitchen trash out to the garage and puts in a new bag. the rest you are doing are great. our 3 year old (almost 4) loves doing the silverware from the dishwasher and i have our 2 year old daughter setting the table

I don't have a 5 year old but I do have a 2 year old and his job is to put the dog food bowls away after they are done eating their supper. He loves it and always does it before we even ask him too. As most parents do we have him help us clean up his toys after he plays with them too. Do you have your 5 year old make his bed and keeping his room neat? Thats a pretty good one, but you probably already have him doing that. Honestly I don't think you are behind. A five year old is very capable and you seem to have simple chores that still require some attention to detail.

Just have to chime in here with my 2 cents worth...
My 30 year old was home this weekend with his wife, and she said: "whenever he cleans, he has to sing!"
He responded: "that's because mom would always make up cleaning songs!"
I sure did chuckle with them--what good memories.
I had an old Pete Seeger record that i would play, and he had fun cleaning songs that we would sing with...while sweeping, mopping, etc. We sang a lot.
So my advice? Keep it fun. Work is part of life, but it can be a fun part if you work together with a good attitude.
Try not to make it negative. Stay creative with clean-up games. :o)

C.,
I agree that is important to teach! I know a lot of people with kids that are way older that do nothing, except maybe pick up their rooms. Ugh.
My six year old has to DAILY: make his bed, bring dishes back to the sink after eating and pick up toys around the house when finished. WEEKLY: Take out the paper recycling and do all sock matching & putting away on laundry days. He also helps with random projects as needed.

My four year old has to DAILY: make her bed (with my help), bring dishes back & pick up toys.
WEEKLY: Empty the bathroom trash can (it is small) and fold all the underware and put it away on laundry days (I know underware is weird, but it is easy and sock were taken! She loves it anyway). She also helps with other projects when needed.

I recently discovered that they both LOVE to wash dishes (ie. play in the sink) if I take out all the sharp items.

If you wait to long to start a few chores, they'll really fight it later.
Good luck!

My almost 6yr old has a few chores.. making his bed in the morning, keeping his room clean, helping clean the playroom, keeping his bathroom clean, and general stuff like clearing his dishes, picking up books, etc.

Hi C.,

My kids are 7, 4 (almost 5), and 6 months. The older ones are using the PEGS system to help us keep track of our chores and behavior. I love it! (PEGS stand for Parental Encouragement and Guidance System). Jobs they do include setting the table, clearing the table, putting silverware away, helping sort the laundry, putting their laundry in their drawers, putting toys away, other little things that change daily. They also pick out their own clothes (with some guidance) and get dressed.

I have found that putting a picture schedule together for them for certain sequences helps them be more independent. for example, for bedtime, I made pictures of pajamas, snack, toothbrush, and toilet in a row to remind them what needs to be done without me nagging. They think its great and I love it, too! Good luck!

C., sounds like you are doing a great job, keep doing what you are doing, my kids loved it when i break the chores up and put each on a peice of paper and then in a bowl, and they had to draw for a chore, i also included things such as have a snack or get a drink, they enjoyed cleaning this way, and it was fun too, but instead of writing clean your room, i broke the chore up , like pick up ten toys and put them away, and if i knew the room was extra dirty, i would put that paper back in, or make another one, like get 5 cents next set of ten toys you put away, or whatever to make it fun, and sounds like you are doing a great job, keep up the good work, D. s

I think its great to teach our kids responsibility as well. I do think that at the age they are we should always keep it fun and not a "chore"
We keep it simple and have a chart om the fridge. When the girls are done with their job they put a sticker in the chart. At the end of the month we do something special (like an allowance). It could be a new book or dinner out or special dinner in. Use your imagination to make the reward fun.
One of the jobs we have in our house is light patrol. One of the girls is in charge of making sure the lights are off in a room that no one is in anymore. (like the bedrooms and bathrooms) another is making sure to replace the toilet paper roll when it is empty.
Keeping their own room picked up is also one of their jobs.
I guess the point I am trying to make is, keep it fun at this age. (And don't forget that pretty soon the homework is going to be taking up time as well.)
Good luck, and it will be fun to see what other moms have suggested.

Picking up their own toys for sure. Dusting is great, my son is 6 & uses the swiffer duster & actually thinks it is fun. We also have him bring the recycling out to the garage & bring the dirty laundry downstairs. He is also in charge of letting the dog outside & inside. Not big things, but it's the little things that make it easier on us moms & teach the little kids a lesson.

We recently started printing out 'chore' lists from http://www.activeallowance.com to hang on the fridge. Our 5 year old gets $.50 per week and our three year old gets $.25 for their short chore list. Once we get the hang of things, we'll add to their lists and the samples on the site give good ideas for different tasks.

Currently, the 5 year old makes her bed, feeds the dogs, emptying garbage cans, put her dishes in dishwasher, picks out clothes for school (night before), gets backpack ready by the door, morning-gets ready without nagging. It also has things like brushing teeth, getting ready for bed without nagging, cleaning up toys every other day.

The 3 year old has an abbreviated list with only the basics on it.

You can sign up for activeallowance then use only the free printout feature like we do - or you can sign up for their service, but I believe it has a fee.

I have a 4 year old and we have started to do things with her so she feels like she gets to help out like her older sister. Somethings that help me and that are easy for her are. 1.Wiping off the tables in the house (end tables, coffee tables, kitchen table with a warm washcloth). 2.She is responsible to pick up her toys each day. What I do is keep a small basket by the steps. If I find toys during the day, I put them in there and then we put them away at night. 3. Loading the dishwasher is easy and does that for cups. Or she will help put away spoons, forks, etc in the clean load (teaches sorting too). 4. The other 'chore' she loves to do is to find her clean socks and underwear in the clean laundry and put them in her dresser (don't always match for socks but well it works for the most part). 5.The other part that isn't really a chore, but she gets excited as she is helping is that when I cut out coupons on Sundays from the paper, I give her a flyer to cut out the things she thinks we need to buy. So she'll cut out pictures of bannanas, etc. 6.Last thing that we do (which helps me with my bad back)is she likes to wipe down the baseboards. Silly as it sounds she likes to dust with the little feather duster too so I let her go to town and do those whenever she wants to help out.
So these chores don't get a whole lot of hard work but its help us introduce chores to katie. By helping she gets a sticker each day. For 5 stickers she gets a prize (like a balloon or something). We put the stickers on our normal month calendar in the kitchen.

C.,

Sounds like you are doing fine. Have him continue these chores and add accordingly. As long as he is cheerful and does a good job, you are not overloading him.

L. :)

It has been a while since my children were 5, they are 20 and 21 now. I think some time around that age I also taught them to fold towels and washcloths from the laundry. They had to spread the towels out on the couch or table to start with but they got the job done. Later on I made a chart of the chores they were expected to do by day and by week and let them keep track of what they had done. Each child was expected to do a certain amount of chores just as being a part of the family but I would try to add some things that they could do to earn an allowance. This caused some arguments because if one child wanted or needed money for something they would do the extra chores right away and then the other wouldn't get anything that week but I think it forced them out of some of their procrastination habits. Good Luck. Savor these days because what they say is true, someday you will wake up and realize your children are grown and wonder where those years went.

I had a very motivated son who loved to vacuum and dust and sort socks and put silverware away from the dishwasher and wash (plastic) dishes in the sink, and wash windows (squirt bottle with vinegar and water), and shovel snow with a little kid shovel - he did these things at 4 years old. At five he could fry an egg better than I can (of course I was always right there in close supervision). He is now 12 and has more advanced chores which I never need to remind him to do.

His younger sisters (starting at 2 yrs and 4 yrs) needed motivation to help out, so we made a game that worked like a charm. They actually asked if we could clean up and play it. Here's how it goes:
I would sit on the couch (I was tired and pregnant) and I would look around and say, "Lily, you may put the stuffed toy dog away. Lucy, you may pick up those paper scraps and put them in the recycle bag." They would each rush to do their task and report back for the next instruction. I am not really sure why they liked it so much, but my 7 year old still wants to play it.

The elf/fairy version of clean up game:
I lay down to rest on couch (I'm really tired). While I rest, they clean up the room, putting away all of the toys and games and books and tidying up the couch pillows. Then they go hide in the dining room and ring a little bell, which "wakes" me up. I sit up and exclaim in delight at how clean the room is. Then I leave a little treat (a few raisins or cashews or grapes) on the table for the fairies or elves to come out and find. That's it - they LOVED it.

*Making Bed
*Cleaning up room
*Cleaning windows (with safe cleaner) and then my 2 year old follows behind with paper towels.
*Setting table
*Wiping down table
*Of course bringing own dirty plate, cup, etc. to sink
*I make hime a grocery list with words and pictures (my 2 year old helps with this too, and it keeps them occupied in the store)
*Taking in the garbage cans (he loves this one)
*He was feeding the dog but now our 2 yr. old does it)
*Vaccum with the "Shark" small vaccum for mostly wood and tile floors.
*Hanging his clothes up after they have been washed, putting the clothes away.
I think that is it (wow child labor laws may be in effect here!). We also have a chart that we check off when he does his chores and he gets "paid" in trips to the dollar store, movie night, etc. Good Luck

Hi C.-
I have 6yo twin girls.
We have the dust, sometimes empty garbage, clean up their areas every day, make beds, set table, clear tables. They have been doing most of this since 4-5yo. That is what they teach in Kgarten too.
We are adding more as they tolerate- now they wash some dishes, cook some foods, bring laundry down.
About me- 47 yo mom, wife, med. prof. and wellness coach with Herbalife- http://www.mydietshop.org if you're interested.
Keep up the great work- kids nowadays- lacking in work ethics so it's important to instill young.
B.
____@____.com

Your son is old enough to learn how to put the dishes in the dishwasher, or if you don't have one, he certainly is old enough to wash them by hand. He should take out the trash, put his own clothes away after you wash them. I lived on a farm for 56 years, raised 6 kids and had a dairy. At 5 years of age, they had calves to feed and water every night and morning and helped in the garden during the summer.

C.,

What you are having him do for right now is fine, you do not want to overload him with chores. My girls are grown now, but I have 2 grandchildren that I have adopted and they have harder chores because of their ages. But when my girls were younger they did just what you are doing,. each year they get older the chores changed. When he turns six have him take out the garbage ( if it's not to heavy for him) this summer have him help with the yard work, pick up sticks and so forth.

Other than that change his chores with his age.
Hope I helped a little.

S.

I'm not what sure what other ideas people gave you, but have you thought about making a list of chores and letting him choose a couple that interest him? If he chooses he might feel like he's part of the process, and take pride in his chores...more so than if you told him what he needs to do. This would all be with the understanding that since he's "choosing" his job, he is expected to do it. You are still the boss and can set guidelines as to how long he has to get the job done, and when he does it. For example, it needs to be done no later than Saturdays, by 10 a.m. Just a thought. I hope you find something that works for your family! Good luck!

My 4 yr old organizes our shoes(we have a shoe cabinet with individual shoe cubbies)
She clears the dishes everyday from the table and cleans her room. She also helps with other little tasks when we ask, like picking up all her toys when we vacuum, etc. She'll also pick up the kitty dishes off the floor to get washed.

My preschoolers and kindergarteners deliver laundry, help in the garden (mostly hauling), sort toys, pick up after baby, empty the dishwasher (sorting silverware is a great math game), run the electric broom, shovel/sweep steps, decks and driveway with an older sibling, deliver shoes and coats to each bedroom, carry in groceries, set/clear the table, etc. Mostly tote and haul jobs. Kids always want to help sooner than they are competent, but use them anyway! That way they are in the groove by the time they really can make a difference, and you won't get so much "foot dragging" when they are older. Many hands make light work!

SAHM of seven - I couldn't do it without everyone's help!

Hello. When my daughter was 5 I bought miniture cleaning supplies like mini brooms, mini dust pans. I bought a sturdy step stool and let her rinse dishes that wouldn't break (so she could play in the water). She helped sort clean cloths to be folded and put away. I put the piles on the bed and showed her which clothing articles went in whick drawer. We kept mini garbages around the house so she could change those garbages and take them out. We kept a list of things in the pantry that we buy and keep around the house and she would be responsible for trying to read what is needed on the list. We try to make chores a learning process all the way around. Hope I was a little help.

I have a 7 yr old, 4 yr old and 16 mos old.

Here are a list of chores the 7 and 4 yr old do together:

Empty the silverware and tupperware from clean dishwasher.
Collect the garbages from the bathrooms and laundry room and dump into kitchen garbage.
Help put away their clean laundry.
Wipe up spots on the kitchen floor with damp cloth.
Use Swivel Sweeper to vacuum kitchen floor.
Feed the dog everyday.
Help set and clear off the table.

Both my son and daughter have been helping out around the house since 2 1/2 yrs. old. Every year they learn a new chore or two and that gets added to the list. My son has more responsible jobs as compared to my daughter, but they have fun doing this stuff and they know that if it doesn't get done, then playtime or whatever other things we're doing will have to wait.

They are responsible for their toys and their bedrooms. They are responsible for cleaning up their toys when they are done playing and before doing something else.

I'm glad to see you teaching you children good habits for their futures. If you look at the list, you'll notice the chores are not something that have to be done daily except for a few of them. My children get done what needs to be done that day and I've never had any grumbling because they've learned that taking care of each other and helping out is what a family does.

My daughter is in charge of making her bed, folding towels and wash cloths when they come from dryer,and putting her shirts on hangers so I can hang them up. She also vaccuums the area rugs I have throughout the kitchen and living areas. I went to walmart and purchased a smaller lighter weight vaccuum cleaner so she can manage it better. She loves this chore the most. It makes her feel grown up she says. She also loves to wipe down end tables and the kitchen table after I spray them. When I grocery shop she is in charge of putting away the canned goods as well. Good luck in your venture I hope this helps.

K.

When my daughter was 5, she would have to make her bed in the morning (not perfectly, of course), pick up her room in the evening, wash off the dinner table after dinner. When she got closer to 6, we added loading the dishwasher...I would put the detergent in, she would put the dishes in and start it. She also helps fold laundry, and puts away some of her clothes. She loves to help dust-she will actually do that one on her own without being asked!!! Also, when I grocery shop, I bring the groceries in and set them by the door. She carries or drags them in to the kitchen for me.

Our five-year-old cleans his room, makes his bed, helps set the table, helps put dishes away, takes out the trash (small bathroom trash bags), helps weed the garden, water the plants and trees, feed the cat and fish. It sounds like you are off to a great start with your boys.

C. H

Good for you for wanting your kids to learn to help out--it will make life so much easier when they are older! I have six kids (7-21 y.o.) and they all actually thought it was fun having chores, at that age anyway. Setting the table and sorting silverware are great ideas. My kids loved it if I filled the kitchen sink with sudsy water and let them hand wash my plastic cups and bowls. They also emptied the dishwasher and put away dishes, sorted laundry into different colors, emptied garbage cans and dusted furniture and shelves. They loved spray bottles, so I'd let them Windex the bathroom sink and counters, the kitchen counters, even some of the windows (where our dogs would leave "nose marks!") If you have pets, a five year old can be in charge of feeding and brushing them. If you are willing to lower your standards a bit, a five year old can also vacuum and make their bed. The way I've always looked at it, a school age child can help out with almost any chore that is not potentially dangerous. Just to mix it up, I would sometimes write all of the little chores down on slips of paper and put them in a basket. The kids would draw a chore each day, so they were never having to do the same thing over and over again. Good luck to you -- you will be very glad that you instilled a helpful spirit in your boys at an early age!

i wound think starting him out with something same so that he dont get to bord and keep it exciting for him with same small surprises.

My 4 and 5 year olds make beds, clean their rooms, help put their laundry away, get dressed, put clothes in laundry, brush teeth, bring their dishes to the table and any other little thing I need help with.
Hope this helps,
J.
Mom to 4 and soon one more through another adoption.