Many parents want their children to be responsible, hard workers. One way to accomplish this is to have your children do chores to earn their allowances and to give consequences if the chores aren't completed. It's important to teach your children that these household chores don't get done magically, but you don't want to give your children chores that aren't age-appropriate.
Toddlers
Many toddlers are interested when their parents are cleaning and picking up. Sometimes they want to copy their parents. That's why fake kitchens with fake food items and children's vacuum cleaners are so popular. Give your toddler some responsibility by expecting him to pick up his toys. Make sure that he can accomplish this by having storage bins or shelves that are on his level where he can put the toys. For instance, you might have a small basket in each room where he can put his toys when he's done playing. Make dusting fun by including your toddler. Give him socks to wear on his hands and show him how you dust.
Preschool
Children around the age of 4 and 5 are probably attending preschool where they're expected to clean up after themselves. Continue to encourage this behavior at home. Also, add a couple of chores such as helping to feed a pet and clearing dishes after a meal. This is the time to get your child excited about doing chores, and you can do this easily by making a sticker chart. Hang the chart somewhere the child will see it often and list her chores on the chart. Put a sticker by the chore that the child completed each time she completes one.
Early Elementary School
Teach your child to make his bed, set and clear the table, fold laundry, sort recyclables and dust. Continue to get your child excited about chores by giving him an allowance. Tell him how much he can earn by completing each task. For instance, you might give him 10 cents for making his bed each day and 50 cents for dusting once a week.
Late Elementary School and Early Middle School
At this point, your child can handle more responsibilities. However, you don't want to overload her with chores. Figure out how much time you want her to spend completing chores each day and then give her reasonable chores. If you have multiple children, you might give each child different chores each week. At this age your child could walk the dog, wash the car, take out the trash, help cook, rake the leaves and clean the bathroom.
Middle and High School
You can give most children over the age of 13 adult chores to complete. Every child is different, so don't give your children chores that you know are beyond their developmental level. Some chores you could add at this age include preparing meals, caring for the garden, cleaning the gutters and running errands if she has a driver's license.
