Chores Equal Responsibility

All members of a household should have some chores. One person in the family should not be responsible for all of the chores. Chores can teach a person vital life skills including: respect and consideration. When completing chores you are working on your fine and gross motor skills, which is great for kids and adults. The chores should be based on the person's abilities. In our house we have a list of chores that are acceptable for our four year old. He does not always get his chores perfect, but he does try. The more he does the chores, the better he gets at them. I never go behind him and "do it correctly", instead I have just learned to live with streaky windows because he will soon get it just right.

Chores acceptable for preschoolers:
Dusting
Cleaning windows
Put away laundry
Set the table for meals
Put items in the dishwasher
Put away silverware
Sweep floors
Pick up toys
Put books on a bookshelf
Wipe table with wet cloth
Make bed
Feed pets

This is just a small list of chores that are acceptable for a preschooler, in your home there will likely be different ones that your kids do.

In my household, my son does not get paid for chores. As he gets older this may change, but right now I just want him to realize that everyone in the family needs to help out.

Standard chores that he is supposed to do include: Wash hands, brush teeth, put away toys, set dinner table, put away books, sweep kitchen floor and clean off the table after meals. As he gets better at doing chores there may be additional duties added to his list.

In my house, we do not "correct" a chore that he completed. We show him how to do something and then he does it to the best of his ability. Is every speck of dust off of my floor? No, after all they are being swept by a 4 year old. Some times you have to learn to live with something that is acceptable but not perfect.

His chores teach him responsibility by showing him he can not do one activity without completing another. If he wants to run races in the hallway, all of his toys must be picked up first. If he wants a snack, he can not have one until his hands are washed. The list goes on an on. They also teach him that as a family, we must all help out. He sees Mommy and Daddy doing chores and understands that he must also do chores. No member of our family must do all of the chores, we are a family which means that we always help one another.