{"id":809,"date":"2014-12-04T22:41:04","date_gmt":"2014-12-05T05:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/?page_id=809"},"modified":"2015-05-20T18:10:15","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T00:10:15","slug":"wonderful-wonderful-chores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wonderful-wonderful-chores\/","title":{"rendered":"Wonderful, Wonderful Chores!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cleaning-268126_1280\"Not too many people like the word “chores”, but oh, they can be wonderful! They are the best teacher you’ll ever find!<\/strong> They teach a host of skills and virtues such as self-control, “stick-to-it”-ness, joy in accomplishment, problem-solving, perseverance, and the work ethic. Plus, they lighten many a tired mom’s load.<\/p>\n

What is enough and what is too much to expect from children? Here is an age appropriate guide-line<\/strong> (keeping in mind that each child has a unique ability level):<\/p>\n

Toddlers<\/span><\/strong>
\nHelp pick up toys with you working side by side
\nWipe up a spill
\nDo a small specific task before the timer goes off
\nWash a spot on a wall or door
\nPut books back on a shelf
\nFeed pets
\nDust (put socks on his hands!)
\nDrag a light laundry basket or hamper to the laundry room<\/p>\n

3-5 Years<\/span><\/strong>
\nAll of the above, plus:
\nDress themselves, to a degree
\nBrush their own teeth (you will still need to “check” those teeth!)
\nWash themselves
\nSet the table
\nMake beds
\nTake plastic dishes over to counter after a meal
\nWash dishes (after a manner)
\nRinse non-breakable and non-heavy dishes
\nPick up toys, if it is a small confined task and not a whole pile of assorted
\ntoys dumped on the floor
\nPut clothes and shoes away
\nSort things (spoons go here, forks go there)
\nHelp cook
\nPut away groceries
\nFold small items, such as pillowcases and dishtowels
\nUnwrap things (we buy a case of hand soap at a time and unwrap it to let it
\nharden so it lasts longer)
\nMatch socks
\nEmpty trash cans<\/p>\n

6 to 8 Years<\/span><\/strong>
\nAll of the above, plus:
\nTie shoes
\nHang up clothes on hangers
\nChange a baby’s diaper
\nPeel vegetables
\nTake care of pets with supervision
\nTake out trash
\nSet the table
\nSort laundry and put it away
\nLoad dishwasher
\nWash dishes for real
\nWeeding
\nWash walls or mirrors with spray cleaner
\nAnswer the phone and take messages
\nGet up with an alarm clock<\/p>\n

9 to 12 Years<\/span><\/strong>
\nAll of the above, plus
\nDo their own hair (girls can learn to fix their hair now)
\nGet themselves all dressed and ready by themselves
\nSweep
\nVacuum
\nMop
\nFollow a recipe
\nBake bread
\nClear the table
\nDo laundry
\nChange bedding
\nIron
\nScrub the bathtub
\nMow the lawn
\nDo yard work
\nWatch small children<\/p>\n

13 to 15 Years<\/strong> <\/span>
\nAll the above, plus
\nGrocery shop
\nCook a full meal
\nWash windows
\nDeep cleaning
\nWash a car
\nEarn money and buy own clothes
\nWatch babies<\/p>\n

16 Years and Up<\/span><\/strong>
\nAll that an adult can do that does not require experience or mature judgment<\/p>\n

Enjoy the help! Every mom needs it and pitching in on the work only makes the child a more wonderful human being!
\n\"\"
\n\"dianerick2babies\"<\/p>\n

My three grandbabies and my husband Rick<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May I recommend:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"homeschooling-work\"
\nMad Kids & Work
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\"3partplan\"
\nThe “1\/3” Plan for Kids
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\"6397\"
\nChoreganizers
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not too many people like the word “chores”, but oh, they can be wonderful! They are the best teacher you’ll ever find! They teach a host of skills and virtues such as self-control, “stick-to-it”-ness, joy in accomplishment, problem-solving, perseverance, and the work ethic. Plus, they lighten many a tired mom’s load. What is enough and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[40,41,139],"class_list":["post-809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-homeschool","category-homeschooling-moms-sanity","tag-child-discipline","tag-chores","tag-housework","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/cleaning-268126_1280.jpg?fit=1280%2C853&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6IrRN-d3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":584,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/kids-housekeeping\/","url_meta":{"origin":809,"position":0},"title":"Kids to the Rescue! Training Children to Do Housekeeping","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Emily is only six years old, but she loves to vacuum! She is too small\u00a0to maneuver the vacuum cleaner very well, but that doesn\u2019t matter. She is in training, and a partially-vacuumed carpet is better than an unvacuumed carpet! When I began homeschooling ten years ago, I was in for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"DCP_5869","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/DCP_5869-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":495,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/towel-overload\/","url_meta":{"origin":809,"position":1},"title":"Towel Overload","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"With 9 family members taking a daily bath or shower, wet towels built up quickly! I found myself having to do a load per day of just towels. I solved this problem by buying 4\" lengths of colorful grossgrain ribbon. I let each member select the color they liked, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"towel","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/towel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":787,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/mary-poppins-method\/","url_meta":{"origin":809,"position":2},"title":"Mary Poppins’ Method","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"There's work to be done when you raise a family! It is possible, however, to turn time spent in routine chores into time well invested in helping a child practice skills or building memories. Have you tried the \"Mary Poppins' Method\"? I don't think a spoonful of sugar is very\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Molding the Heart"","block_context":{"text":"Molding the Heart","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/why-homeschool\/molding-the-heart\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/character-663356_1280.jpg?fit=952%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/character-663356_1280.jpg?fit=952%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/character-663356_1280.jpg?fit=952%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/character-663356_1280.jpg?fit=952%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":799,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/mad-kids-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":809,"position":3},"title":"Mad Kids & Work","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Louisa was good-and-mad at me (and probably at herself, too). So, I did the unnatural thing: I assigned dishwashing duty to her. At first the pots and pans were being banged around and she was sulky, upset, and sure she was mistreated. Surprisingly, 10 minutes later she was humming happily.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Parenting"","block_context":{"text":"Parenting","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/why-homeschool\/homeschooling-parenting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Photoxpress_276653.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Photoxpress_276653.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Photoxpress_276653.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Photoxpress_276653.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Photoxpress_276653.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1135,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/stop-fighting\/","url_meta":{"origin":809,"position":4},"title":"How to Stop Bickering, Pestering, Fighting, Teasing…","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My son (age 11) and daughter (age 9) seem to bicker and \"pick\" at each other endlessly\u2014even though they get in trouble for doing it. While we're doing our schoolwork, it seems that they try their best to annoy each other...and me (making gross noises, talking nonsense in silly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Parenting"","block_context":{"text":"Parenting","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/why-homeschool\/homeschooling-parenting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/bear-371352_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C846&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/bear-371352_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C846&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/bear-371352_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C846&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/bear-371352_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C846&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/bear-371352_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C846&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1319,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/self-control\/","url_meta":{"origin":809,"position":5},"title":"The King of Me","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Self-control is so sorely lacking in our society! Troubles caused by lack of self-discipline range from littering to illegitimate babies to college shootings. We must start very young in teaching our little children to master themselves. They can never call God \"Master\" until they can call themselves the \"King of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Molding the Heart"","block_context":{"text":"Molding the Heart","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/why-homeschool\/molding-the-heart\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.195.124.81\/~homescp3\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/homeschooling_0086_DCP_2842_2-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7379,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809\/revisions\/7379"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}