thread: What chores do your older kids do?

  1. #1
    BellyBelly Member
    Add Party-of-five on Facebook

    Sep 2008
    bunbury WA
    2,114

    What chores do your older kids do?

    DS is 11 now and here is his current list of jobs...

    Making his school lunch
    feeding dogs(putting dry food in bowl)
    changing dogs water twice a day
    taking bin out
    unstacking dishwasher about twice a week maybe 3 times max
    amusing his sisters whilst Im cooking dinner sometimes

    The inlaws have been saying that he has too much to do but DH thinks he should be helping mow the lawn now??

    He is ment to make his bed and tidy his room but thats a constant battle

    Just curious as to what other kids are doing

  2. #2
    BellyBelly Member
    Add Party-of-five on Facebook

    Sep 2008
    bunbury WA
    2,114

    Anyone??


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Nov 2007
    Off with the fairies.
    4,370

    That doesn't sound like too much to me. My eldest is only 7 so not up to many chores yet.

    I was actually wondering about what age they mow the lawn. Lol. My boy wanted to mow it the other day when I said I was going to do it so that got me thinking.

    Hopefully some others can help about chores with similar aged kids.
    Sorry, I'm not helpful.

    xox

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Mar 2011
    Brisbane's Southside
    988

    I'm not sure sorry - dd is only 5 - but I think having chores around the house is a really good thing for kids.

    Good luck figuring it out!!

    Do you give him pocket money for his chores?

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Apr 2007
    SE QLD
    2,321

    My son is only 3, but his chore is to put the dry cat food in a bowl at breakfast.

    I'd have thought lawn mowing would start about 13...

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Jun 2010
    Tiny Town
    4,675

    I definitely don't think that's too much. At 11 I was doing what your DS does. I also did the dusting on the weekends and cleaned the bathroom. My brother did the bins and some outside things. We had one night a week that we'd cook dinner (although I think I only ever cooked spag bol hehe), and we alternated doing the dishes - one of us would dry while either Mum or Dad washed. At about this age I also started doing my own washing because I got sick of losing my socks

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Nov 2004
    Australia
    1,247

    I don't think that's too much. I too was doing chores at his age and will be introducing similar ones when my boys get older. I especially like the idea if cooking once a week it teaches boys to stand in their own two feet.

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Apr 2008
    Mandurah WA
    120

    My son is 9 and his are:

    Help empty/sack dishwasher everyday
    Empty rubbish bin
    keep his room tidy (well at least let me see some form of carpet!)

    These are his only regular chores but he does others to help out when needed. He does receive $5.00 per week pocket money which gets deducted with bad attitude etc.

    Due to his bad attitude of late, he is currently in debt of over a million! lol

  9. #9
    Registered User
    Add DANNIIM on Facebook

    Sep 2007
    Northern - WA
    1,786

    DS1 is nine and his list of jobs per day are:
    Tidy bedroom.
    Do dishes normally some in the arvo from brekki and lunch and help me with the night ones.
    Take out the compost and recycling.
    He is also asked to do vacuming on the weekend - somehow he thinks if i buy him a Dyson vacume cleaner it will be easier but tells me he won't vacume the walls like in the ad LOL

    He whinges most the time but i keep telling him he will make a good husband one day!!

  10. #10
    Registered User

    Apr 2010
    1,118

    Miss 10 has these:

    Pick up toys in lounge, $5
    Sweep kitchen floor, $5
    Sweep front path, $2
    Sweep bathroom, $2
    Sweep laundry, $2

    It takes her about 3 hours to do this. She reads the labels (ie nutritional information) of every wrapper she finds, watches tv, reads books before she puts them away, reads entire junk mail catalogues before putting them in the bin etc. Drives me nuts cos when she's not here I can do all her jobs in under 15 minutes. The front path takes me about 30 seconds, takes her 45 minutes. I don't understand it ...

    Oh and don't buy a Dyson - I hate my Dyson! It is the least useful device in the house but it still sort of works if you only use the floor tool (it is an upright). Most of the tools are broken, it clogs up really easily and now bits of it come undone so it stops sucking. It has never worked well, and has even been serviced. I'm struggling to justify spending $1000 replacing it with a decent brand - my previous vac was a Wertheim and it worked great for 10 years before it broke.

  11. #11
    Registered User

    Sep 2005
    whoop whoop or not, not sure yet!!!
    1,347

    my 7 1/2yr old does the following:
    empty the dishwasher as its needed (couple of times a day as its a twin drawer)
    tidy room (as do his brothers)
    tidy play areas (along with younger two children - bigger battle than any other "chore")
    put away his folded clothes
    take out the recycling as necessary
    tidy the bathroom after shower (shared between himself and 5 yr old)
    set the table (share between himself and 5 yr old)
    get his own breakfast
    takes the laundry from the room laundry baskets to the laundry
    makes bed (as do the other children)

    my 5yr old does the ones listed above and:
    hangs the shoes on the shoe rack in the garage as required

    none of these take terribly long or take up to much of his child time (except of course when he gets distracted and starts playing instead of packing up).