Last summer (with my husband being deployed) we were busy with something every single day and barely home. This summer the kids wanted to just chill out more, which is totally fine by me. So this is the 1st full week of school being out and I am letting them veg and have totally free time this week. It is driving me slightly crazy though and need to get us all on a schedule for the rest of the summer. Starting on Monday. So my question is what all summer time chores (and regular chores) do you have your children do? My girls (4&6) are very capable of doing just about anything you ask of them except hang their own clothes up because they can't reach the pole with the hanger. How much time a day should the kids spend on chores? I don't want to work them to death and them not enjoy summer but I want to enjoy summer too. What kind of schedule do you have for summer with 3 school age kids at home. Limit on TV/videogame time, etc? I am very strict during the school year that they not watch any TV or play video games on school nights (sunday thru thursday). So I want them to have enough to compensate but not too much. Let me add that my kids do chores but it has become lax lately from busy soccer and ballet schedule this spring. I want new schedule but with more than just school year chores since more time and more stuff to do!
My schedule hasn't changed too much (up at 6:30 take dogs out, walk and train each of 2 puppies, while waiting on coffee, enjoy coffee with bible time, feed dogs, start laundry. By this time the kids are up and it is breakfast time. after breakfast I do about 1 hour of inside chores then by 10 head outside for those chores. We have 3 acres and huge veggie garden plus my flower beds. My chores are done by about noon but I would like to be done alot sooner. If the kids did more maybe I could be!
get them going on helping out when they are young!
Mine are teenagers and they just don't want to do anything for me.
I leave a list when I leave for work and if they get things done then I will choauffer them to where they want to go, but if not, they have to stay home and catch up on chores with mean mommie supervising!
Dear J.,
I would continue to limit television and video games through the summer. Kids should be outdoors playing, swimming, exploring nature and getting fresh air and exercise. Check out your local Y and other agencies for low cost/no cost day camps and summer programs for kids.
I would also enlist their help with the dog training and clean ups. It could be a great family project for your kids to help out in the garden.
If they are not going to camp or morning activities, I would divide up the chores so all of you were freed up by noon or sooner.
I would install the hardware for closet that have upper, lower poles and storage compartments (so no space is wasted), then your little one's can hang their own clothing.
Summer schedules don't have to be a drag, it can be fun and keep kids from the NEVER ENDING "Mom, I'm BORED"!
The occasional movie and pizza during the day in summer is COOL!
Blessings......
I dont know if I can help you??? But can I send my family to your home for the summer......sounds like you can whip them into shape! LOL!
My kids have always helped do just about everything. At 10, 9 and 7, here is the current schedule (a little different because we homeschool, but on the other hand your issue of how to keep them busy, i deal with year round). Kids up at 9, feed pets (fish, turtle, dog, hermit crabs) help set table for breakfast, help empty dishwasher while I cook. BTW kids come downstairs dressed and with clean hands, faces and teeth, hair brushed monday-friday. kids clear table, put their dishes in the dishwasher, wipe down table while I clean up the kitchen from cooking. same routine at all meals, and they often help cook. they are completely responsible for their rooms, dusting, vacuuming ect. this gets done weekly. after breakfast cleanup they do some summer school work while i take care of the other chores inside. They put away their own laundry, and my boys help my daughter hang her clothing since she too is to short. then we head outside, spend maybe an hour on the yard/garden together, they weed, pick up any sticks ect. use manual trimmers on bushes, sweep ect. tv and games are limited to from after lunch till 3, it's often to hot to be out then. we have a snack at 3 and spend the rest of the day at various activities or outside, and they get the tv back after 8 untill 9 or 10 when they go to bed. still means that i am doing my own chores till about noon, but i get a later start than you and i loose some time working on school with them. good luck!
We use the point system for rewards throughout the week which includes the kids doing their chores, and schoolwork! On Friday Family Nights, we count up the points and then reward the kids with special activities on any given day of the following week! Keeps their energy level up and their involvement for studies at the top!
We have set up daily chores and then other chores that they can chose to do to get paid. My kids are 10 & 8yo, girls and 5 yo boy. The daily chores are things like, making bed, brushing hair, put clothes in laundry, read, clean in bedrooms, clean in playroom. The paid chores are things like, clean their bathroom, change sheets, kitty litter, dishes, sweep, vacuum. I am trying hard with this because we have been very lax with the kids too.
I have a 3 and 5 year old and they probably spend 30 minutes in the morning on chores. They get dressed, pick up their room, make their beds, brush teeth, and then they do one job for me (bathroom sink and counter, wipe down the walls up or down the stairs, vacuum the steps - something like that).
I try to limit their TV time also, but I struggle with how much. Somedays it's none and sometimes its an hour or so. I try not to let them watch much more than that unless it's been raining for a few days. I'd say the 11 year old could do an hour (?) or so of chores. I'm interested to see what everyone else says here b/c I think that chores and limited TV are both important for kids.
I think that you are already on a good track - just get the kids up and have them help you with whatever it is that you are doing....one thing that I do with my kids is that they have to read for as long as they want to play video games.....you'll be surprised how much they will read just to get to play their video games. So if they read for an hour they get to play video games for an hour....good luck (although it really doesn't sound like you need it!)
Seems like you probably have a good idea for chores for your kids. In addition, I suggest getting the kids involved in some projects. You talk about veggies and flowers - lots of kids love gardening. Teach them to recognize and pull weeds. The oldest is certainly capable of trimming bushing and other things. Make the garden a "family chore" that you do together. (Also, calling it a family project, instead of a family chore would probably help.)
I've had this page open for a while wanting some specific ideas myself. Some interesting comments, so I'll tell you what we do.
My oldest son is nine and the next one is only two. The nine year old has his own calendar and has a chore each day. The chore can be done on his own schedule, but if it's not done before bedtime he doesn't get paid for it. To encourage him to still do that chore at some point, all chores have to be done by Sunday to get paid for any of them.
Monday he does the trash. The main kitchen trash, bathroom trash, and any diaper trash (we have a three month old son, too). This all goes outside and he even takes the toter to the curb.
Tuesday is dishes. They need to be done about every other day, so with three of us (me, dad, and him) capable, we're each doing our share as part of the family.
Wednesday he spends thirty minutes doing scout or project work. He doesn't get paid for this, as we pay his scout dues. He agreed that's fair. :)
Thursday is recycling. All of our recyclables get stacked by the trash can or on our kitchen counter and we try to take out and sort every other day with dad and I doing our share as well.
Friday is his own room. He's not allowed to have anyone over or go do anything until it's done. He would really procrastinated on this one so we hoped by putting this extra rule in place, he would take the initiative to do this early (or even, I know it's radical, keep it clean through the week!). Keeping it clean through the week would mean he only had to dust and vacuum Friday. He agreed this would be a great idea but we've yet to see that happen.
Saturday is housework, which means where his help is needed, or our choice.
Sunday is laundry. Washed, dried, folded, and all put away. Just his own clothes.
He gets $1 per chore, so if he finished them all on time, he'd get $6 for the week (no pay for scout work).
We sat down with him to determine the things he does so that he had his say and wouldn't come to us later claiming something is unfair. Most of it is his stuff. Trash is the only thing we don't necessarily do ourselves, but dad and I do the bathrooms and he agreed that's fair enough, he'd prefer to take out the trash than clean toilets.
I feel he gets a good lesson in what it takes to keep the house in order and take care of his own things. He's old enough to start receiving an allowance, so we use that as incentive, but that's just us.
He gets 30 minutes of free time (almost always video games, whatever he chooses) if his chore is done at least 30 minutes prior to bedtime.
I know this is long Amd detailed but maybe something helped someone. It took us a while to get it all hammered out and follow through with it.
We are somewhat flexible though and what we consider reasonable also in that if dad happens to be doing yardwork and son goes out to help without being asked, he may get paid for that as a bonus, or we may count that as his chore for the day, depending on what the scheduled chore is.
I'd like him to have more that he's responsible for over the summer, which is why I was really curious to see the responses you got. None of his chores are very time-consuming.
It does sound like you have a lot of opportunities for help with your dogs and gardening. Just be sure your kids agree it's fair. Well, I suggest that anyway. We recently sat down with our son again and went over all he does to see if he thinks we ask him to do anything he thinks is unfair. I know there are plenty of people out there who would say, "you're the parent, he does what you say whether he thinks it's fair or not" but I feel like we get a better response treating him as an equal in this way. He's not our slave! We feel he should have some say (within reason).
Hope something helped.
Enjoy your summer!
