Chores, a Different Kind of Volunteering | Tidy Thursday

Welcome to the seventh installment of Tidy Thursday! Here at VolunteerSpot, we’re committed to simplifying the busy lives of parents, teachers and active volunteers. Along that theme, we’re pleased to support your personal efforts in getting organized and gaining quality time and present guest organization expert April Welch, The Mental Clutter Coach! Today, April makes organizing a family affair as she shares her ideas for household chores appropriate for all ages. Thanks, April!

 

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Age Appropriate Chores 

By April Welch

 
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is:

“What are age appropriate chores?”

While the Mom in me went in search of this answer long ago, the expert was surprised to learn that we severely underestimate those little tikes we’re raising!

Starting with Toddlerhood:

This age loves to feel in charge ~ so let them! Give them easy things to do like:

• Folding washcloths & towels
• Putting away silverware {after the knives have been removed}
• Drying the counter after it’s been wiped down

Tidy Tip: Create a spot for “kid-friendly” dishes where they can reach, put their own things away & also get their own things out

Moving on to School Age:

This age likes to be helpful. Give them tasks that are part of a process:

• Changing the laundry from the washer to the dryer
• Putting clean dishes away {again, after removing sharp knives}
• Acting as a “runner” when you’re picking up the living room ~ returning items to their appropriate spots

Advancing into Tweenhood:

These kiddos are in a love-hate relationship with their identity ~ so it’s a great time to provide tasks that allow them to shine ... Consider:

• Sorting laundry by loads {in my house this is lights, darks & towels}
• Putting left-overs away after dinner
• Unloading the groceries from your car

Finally, Teenagers:

Surprisingly ~ most teens are pretty compliant when it comes to chores IF they feel others are pitching in too. Try doing chores as a family & have them:

• Choose the music you’ll play
• Pick the tasks they’ll be in charge of
• Even running a few errands afterwards

As for how to motivate, I can only speak to how we do things around my house ~ you’ll have to figure out what fits best for your own family. Here’s the rule{s} of thumb we use:

• Chores are created based on ‘what you’ll need to know how-to-do as an adult’
• I only pay money for chores that have been created because of a choice we made

example:

• I pay for mowing the lawn ~ we chose to live on land ... you can choose to live in a condo
• I don’t pay for laundry ~ you’ll need those skills all your life {& no one will pay you do them, or ... maybe they will if you smell bad enough? I digress}
• I pay for washing the car ~ I’ve chosen to drive ... you can take the bus if you like
• I don’t pay for doing dishes ~ cleaning the kitchen is necessary when you use it

Sure, any smarty pants teen could argue my viewpoints, but rarely do.

Now for the things they “just do” I offer a reward system. {I recently found a site that works brilliantly for this: MyJobChart.com}

The important thing to remember when rewarding ~ focus on experiences.

For example, The Pipsqueak {who is almost 12} really likes to get ice cream from a shop in our town. So, he can earn the points by doing his chores & then spend them on an ice cream cone trip together or he can continue to save them for “3 iTunes songs” for his iPod.

I like to offer rewards that won’t add clutter to their lives ~ {since usually, they don’t like taking care of the things they already own!}

Which brings me to the age old battle of:

“How do you get them to clean their rooms?”

Easy.

If they still like you ~ hang out with them while they clean. Read a magazine, check your email {on your laptop} ... just be in the same space so they don’t feel alone.

Once they figure out they want to be different from you {& hormones have kidnapped their brain} allow them to blare their music, re-decorate {within house rules} and overall claim their identity within their four walls. If you’re not happy with the final product ... shut the door.

When all is said and done, be sure you spent some time each day away from any topics of tension and reconnected as a family. Any child is more likely to want to help take care of a space they feel comfort in.

Next week we’re going deeper and covering the even stickier topic of “Laundry ... how to finally find the bottom!”

Till then, find my chart of Age Appropriate Chores over on The Mental Clutter Coach.

Keepin’ it Tidy,

April

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April Welch, CPO© is a Certified Professional Organizer residing in Central Washington State with her husband & two children and has been instinctively organizing most of her adult life.

While her philosophies are centered on how individuals are ‘wired’ she believes in providing a fun and educational environment with simple solutions to all organizing dilemmas. She offers live workshops, virtual organizing, tele-classes, habit assessments, public speaking, a radio show online and most recently Mental Clutter Coaching. April is the Franklin Covey® Family Organizing Guru & the Spokesperson for ListPlanIt.com April can be found on: Facebook and Twitter

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