This content uses referral links. Read our Disclosure Statement for more info.

Chores for a 5 Year Old



When people find out that my children have chores, they seemed surprised.  Actually, it surprises ME how surprised they are.  Chores are important for young children as it helps them get a sense of ownership in the house that they live.  They are part of the family, and more importantly part of the mess, so they should have cleaning chores as well.  I'm a stay at home mom, so yes that is one of my responsibilities, but with 3 children living in this house, (and ahem, a husband), this house would be EXTREMELY messy without their help!  

Melissa and Doug



Our older two are expected to do chores daily, and if they complain about it, or forget, they know that we will add on a few more for them to do.  There is always something that is age appropriate for each child.  Heck, even the two year old is expected to put his shoes where they go and help clean up his toys.  

**Funny side note - I actually caught my 2 year old son attempting to sweep up debris into a dustpan, and throw it in the trash today.  I say attempt because I'm not sure he got anything in the dustpan, and subsequently anything in the trash, but he TRIED. 

This story is just proof, that if you start having your children do something from a very young age, they will just accept it as normal!  Now, if you tried having your now 10 year old, just start doing chores out of the blue, I would expect some whining on their part.  That being said: Do It!  Enforce it now!  The longer you wait the harder it will be!  

Anyways, the other day I was cleaning.  I had my oldest playing with my 2 year old in his room, so I could get more done.  My middle child was just walking around, though, and just bound to get in trouble if I didn't give her something to do.  So I told her she was going to help me clean!  As you can see in the pictures, there is some smiling going on.  She didn't hate it.  She's about to be 5 in less than a month, and she LIKES helping.  She likes being treated like a big kid with big kid responsibilities.  

I took pictures of some of the things she did, to show everyone else, that yes, a (almost) 5 year old can have chores.  They can be helpful! 


I have found her, more than a few times lately, drawing pictures on the mirror with her finger and toothpaste.  Really?  So guess what her first job was?  I sprayed down the mirror and gave her some paper towels.  Now I know she's not going to do the best job, but there she is, washing the mirror.  She's probably having more fun than I intended it to be since I allowed her to stand on the counter!  


I then told her to take rolls of toilet paper to each bathroom to make sure they were fully stocked.  Also, she was to take the hand towels, fold them, and put them under the sinks.  


Our bag pile was getting a little unruly so I had her pull out all of the bags, and shove them into one bag.  Easy enough for her to do, and it actually made that area look so much cleaner! 


Sweeping is a staple in our house.  It has to get done at least 2-3 times a day because of messy animals, I mean children.  This broom is actually something SHE asked Santa for!!!  We must be doing something right!


This right here is her job.  Shoes.  We usually take them off at the front door, and sometimes walk down to the shoe hall to take them off there.  Either way, it is her job to collect all the shoes and organize them on the shoe rack.  


Some other chores that she has includes: 
  • emptying bathroom trash containers
  • picking up clothes/socks etc that end up around the house, and bring them to the laundry room
  • bring laundry baskets to the laundry room
  • put her clean clothes (that I have separated) away in her room
  • clean up her room
  • help clean up her brother's room
  • put her dishes away
  • clean her bathroom sink (how does so much toothpaste end up stuck to it???)
  • wash walls (I just get her a wet rag and tell her to pick a wall)
  • wipe down baseboards and windowsills
Now don't worry, she doesn't do ALL of these chores every day.  These are just the different things that she is able to do.  I'm sure there are more that I just can't remember at this point as well.  When she's getting antsy because she's bored, or she's starting to be mean to her brother or sister, these chores get pulled out.  It gives her something productive to do, and she actually likes it.  


Do you have your children do chores?  I'd love to hear which ones!!!

Wal-Mart.com USA, LLC

Comments

  1. I'm surprised that people are surprised that kids can actually do chores. My daughter is six and when it's the weekend she helps me do my chores :) It's also our mother-daughter time together - actually fun! ;) Dean of Little Steps

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww that's great that you two have that time together!

      Delete
  2. My 2 year old just loves to help us. He will sweep (not always in the right direction), mop, put his clothes in his laundry basket, put his toys away and washing the glass door (only as far as his arms reach on a 2-step ladder). Thanks for sharing this post.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think it is a great idea to give children chores that they can accomplish independently! Refilling the toilet paper rolls was such a good idea!

    Http://laceedoeslife.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's great. And they actually like having responsibility!

      Delete
  4. This is awesome! My daughter LOVES doing chores. She is about to turn 2, so the part about your 2 year old attempting to sweep was very familiar to me! While she has trouble actually doing a lot of the chores she attempts (we keep telling her she can't actually use the lawn mower!), I love that she wants to. I hope she keeps that love of chores as she gets older!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! That's hilarious that she wants to use the lawn mower! My oldest is 8, so I think I still need to wait a few more years for mowing the lawn.

      Delete
  5. My daughter loves doing chores, too! For some reason her favorite is dusting. She says she likes doing them because she likes being able to help and spend time with me :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's great! If they're cleaning, just go with it right?? LOL

      Delete
  6. I live with my girlfriend who has a 5 year-old boy. some of his chores include doing dishes, making his bed and keeping his shoes organized. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have to admit, I'm a little afraid of my girls doing the dishes. Bringing them to the sink is all I allow right now!

      Delete
  7. It is so important to give appropriate responsibilities to our children. It helps them feel like they are contributing and teaches them that we all need to work together in life, whether it be at home or out in the world!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great article! Kids feel such accomplishment when they finish one of these tasks, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They sure do! And they are more likely to keep that area clean if it's their job to clean it!

      Delete
  9. We were pretty big on making sure the kids learned how to do age-appropriate, skill-appropriate household tasks early in childhood. I can remember having our oldest help me find the socks in the dryer. He would learn his colors by matching them. Now I have three growing boys who are capable of doing laundry, cook, clean, do dishes, take care of the grass, etc...and they themselves would have it no other way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's fantastic...such a big help to you too, and now you know when they go off on their own, they'll be good to go!

      Delete
  10. awww your daughter is so good. My daughter just turned 5, I better start letting her help with some of the chores. Thanks for these ideas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your welcome! It's never too late to start, but the sooner the better! I put music on blasting in the house and they kids have fun dancing while they are cleaning!

      Delete
  11. I think it's wonderful to give children chores! My daughter prefers house chores over cleaning her room!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment