Are you looking for chores for kids that will be developmentally appropriate, while also earning your kiddo a couple of dollars?
We have hit that phase in our house. My 12-year-old loves to go “downtown” with friends after school. The only stipulation is she must use her own money for whatever she wants to buy! At 12, it is no easy feat to earn the extra few bucks for her Starbucks Refresher.
She keeps saying she wants some chores but… I am that type-A, perfectionist parent that loves a clean house. There is nothing better than a sparkly clean bathroom with a lit candle, and I love laundry that is folded just so and put into neat piles to be delivered to each owner’s dresser drawers. Catch my drift?
While I love the idea of getting a little help around my house (and completely agree with the idea of my kids earning a small amount of money for contributing to some of the tasks)… sometimes my 12-, 9-, and 6-year-olds just don’t quite complete these tasks to my standards.
I know what you’re thinking: “How will they learn if you don’t let them try and fail?” Believe me, I’m trying. I know how important it is for kids to be given opportunities for independence! So, now that my oldest is constantly asking for money, I have decided that it might be A-OK to hand over some of my undesirable chores to her – because, as mom, I can! :)
All joking aside, there are many benefits to children taking on responsibility around the house. Skills like time management, organization, fine and gross motor skills, teamwork, self-worth, and self-discipline! There are chores that can help promote nearly every developmental skill under the sun
Here are a few of our favorite chores for promoting development in kids.
-Taking out the garbage is a great strengthener and heavy work task.
-Washing the floor is a fun tactile, proprioceptive (squeezing out that sponge!), and gross motor activity.
-Making beds is a good proprioceptive heavy work task.
-Washing the car is great for strengthening the arms and hands as well as midline crossing.
-Raking leaves or shoveling snow promotes bilateral coordination and midline crossing.
-Setting the table is an awesome task that involves visual motor skills and sequencing.
-Watering plants is great for targeting hand strengthening and fine motor skills.
I made a printable schedule for her and listed out the chore options that were available to her. For every paid task she completed, she also had to complete one that was “unpaid” to emphasize the importance of her contribution to our family.
Believe it or not, one of her favorite paid tasks is cleaning out the litter box, which is a chore that I despise!! Cat litter is yucky! And she thought so too, until just last week, when we were at my parents’ house and she realized that they use Feline Pine™ Original Non-Clumping Cat Litter.
She decided at that moment that Nana and Papa were pretty smart! This cat litter smells fresh and clean – like pine!! It works by bonding directly to ammonia odors and locking them away. If you have ever smelled a cat box, you know that smell I am talking about! I was amazed and so was she. I think she was super excited because this chore happens to be one of the top paying on her list because it is the one I HATE the most!
The very next day, we went to the store to purchase this fabulous cat litter. We quickly learned that Feline Pine™ Original Non-Clumping Cat Litter is a 100% natural pine litter with no added fragrance and that it is 100% chemical free!
That is huge for our family as we typically use chemical free products when cleaning in our household. It made me feel so much better about my child taking on this chore! Our kitty, Alley, will love this litter too. It is made from kiln-dried shavings from reclaimed lumber production (so no new trees are cut to make it) and the shavings are soft on the cat’s feet!
If you haven’t tried it, here is a coupon that you can use to get a bag! Everyone is happy with this new chore arrangement! The cat’s potty is clean and smelling fresh with Feline Pine™ Original Non-Clumping Cat Litter, and my girl has a handful of cash for her after-school Starbucks run while I have one less thing on my to-do list!!
How do you handle chores for kids at your house? Do your kids choose their own chores? Do you assign them? Do they get paid for their work?
Interested in how chores and other jobs around the house can promote development and independence? Check out these posts: