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I’ve talked a lot about kid’s chores over the years, but I thought it would be good to give an update on where we are at right now. Every phase of life requires tweaks and changes to how we handle kids’ chores and paying them. We are in the teenage years now with our oldest girls (twins). We are getting close with our 3rd daughter. By the end of this summer, my kids ages will be 14, 14, 12 and 6.
We are doing things a little different than when all the girls were still in elementary school. The older girls are ready for more responsibility, yet are also busier with school and extra-curricular activities. There is a balance between teaching responsibility and completely overwhelming them. We’ve decided during this past school year that we would focus on daily habits of responsibility rather than having them do much of the house-cleaning. They’ve been making their lunches, bringing me dirty laundry on their assigned laundry day, cleaning their own rooms, and helping clean the kitchen after dinner (the after-dinner jobs are a must).
But, school is almost out, so I’m making plans for the summer. I already have their summer chore lists up and ready on their magnet boards. I may not be over-excited for summer!
These chore lists are in the Kid Chore Bundle and also in the Spring Cleaning Printable Pack.
Because they are old enough and have been trained for years now, their cleaning skills are actually very good. It will be a very big help to me to have them share house-cleaning chores this summer. And because of that, the older kids will be getting an allowance this summer if they do their chores for the week. The plan right now is about $7-14 per week. (I’m still in conversations with my husband. We tend to over-analyze these decisions.)
Will I pay my 6 year old? Probably, because all of his sisters will be getting money, but definitely not as much. He still needs help being helpful. Of course, if I pay him 50 cents, he’ll be thrilled. He is a lot easier to please! I’m still doing the picture chore chart with him (and all during the school year, not just summer). He did learn to read in kindergarten, but the picture chart is still best for now.
(The download for the preschool chore chart is in this post.)
Some of my kids are ready to be a little more independent with money. They like the thrill of buying something with “my own money.” We don’t always do allowance because we provide everything my kids need, but I understand the need to build some independence. Allowance will help with that, but I also want to give them a chance to work harder and make more money (if they choose).
I updated the sticks in our Jar of Job Opportunities so they are the jobs that would help me most right now. They can pick these jobs out of the jar anytime to earn a little more money. (The turned over stick says Wash Back Door – I didn’t notice it was flipped until right now, definitely not while I took this picture. 🤦♀️)
One of my kids in particular is very motivated to make money. She may personally knock out this whole jar of sticks on her own every week, and why shouldn’t she if she is motivated? If I choose jobs that are helpful to me for prices I’m willing to pay and all the kids have access to them, but she gets it done … she should be rewarded.
And while we are talking about kids’ chores, job sticks, and allowances, here are a few of the most helpful things from the billions of posts I’ve written the subject –
More Helpful Things
- A Big Huge List of Kid Chores (grouped by Age)
- Jar of Job Opportunities (FREE Printable)
- Room Cleaning Checklist (FREE Printable for Teens & Tweens)
- After Dinner Jobs
- How I Torture My Kids to Keep My House Clean
- The Easiest Way To Do Kid’s Laundry
- Kids Chore List Bundle (from my shop)
- Spring Cleaning Printable Pack (from my shop)
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Whether you’re getting started on kid chores or just making tweaks, it is worth it to try! No system is perfect, but a good system will help your kids learn responsibility and life skills. Win-win-win. The third win is for having a clean house that you didn’t have to clean all by yourself.
From my home to yours,
Mary
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