Do you ever wonder why there are not enough hours in a day?!?! That thought comes to my mind often. The amount of laundry piled up in the hallway, dishes in the sink, homework to finish, supper to make, it can go on and on. At the end of the night, I look around and realize that all that work is still there, and I AM EXHAUSTED! I mean what the heck did I do all day??

The amount of work we put on ourselves daily is so daunting!! I always list everything in my head that I need to get done and then I attempt to tackle all these things on my own . To only realize half of the things I wanted to accomplish is finished and the rest are still literally sitting in front of my face! I mean really, that underwear will not fold itself!!

<SIGH>

I then stress out, feel like a failed mom and then go to bed adding on more things to my previous list!! Now I can’t sleep because my chest won’t stop palpitating.

stop yourself!

Why do we keep doing this to ourselves? I mean there are plenty other people that live in the same household as you, aren’t there? We need to allow ourselves to ask for help, and simply slow down and notice whats really important, our health and sanity!

I have read many articles about chores our kids need to start tackling on for themselves. They were all great, but I realized thats not for MY kids. So I wanted to come up with a simpler, more feasible chore list that we can all agree on.

I feel that as soon as children can dress themselves, they need to start chores. Some of my kiddos started this at the age of 2, but I also had some late bloomers, my twins, who started at the age of 3. I feel 3 years old is a great age to start, they are already becoming defiant and want to be independent, so why not let them?!

Ages 3-4

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Ages 5-6

  • All above
  • brush teeth (with supervision, C’mon guys they’re only 5!)
  • Comb hair
  • Clean sink after done brushing (I HATE stuck on toothpaste)
  • Put away coats, shoes and bookbags
  • Feed themselves a snack
  • Clear the table of their dishes
  • Start homework and ask for parent help when needed
  • Shower (I just started my twins showering on their own, I am with them if they need help, especially my little girl with her long hair)
  • Get themselves ready for bed, brush teeth, use potty, pick out their own book for someone to read to them (I use my older boys to read to my 5 year old twins, life saver!!)

Ages 7-8

  • All above
  • Set supper table
  • Clear/clean supper table
  • Fill their own supper plates
  • Get themselves a drink (with permission of course)
  • Cut up their own food
  • Load/unload dishwasher (I have my boys pile the heavy glass dishes on the counter so I can put them in the cabinet, too high for them to reach)
  • Feed the pets
  • Clean up the disgusting doggy poop outside (thats awesome when springtime comes, HA HA!)
  • Collect all the trash
  • Take out the trash
  • Dust furniture
  • Clean windows
  • Bring dirty clothes to laundry room to be cleaned
  • Fold laundry
  • Shower

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Ages 9-11

  • All above
  • Sweep floors
  • Vacuum
  • Clean bathrooms (unfortunately I still clean toilets, could you really trust a 10 y/o to clean a toilet correctly?? I don’t think so)
  • Make own breakfast
  • Make lunches
  • Help wash and dry clothes (my 10 year old is starting to do this, but still needs help with settings)
  • Put laundry away
  • Walk the dog (Not too far from the house!)
  • Wash vehicles
  • Plant and weed the garden (my son planted ours this summer, it was amazing!!)
  • Water flowers
  • Rack leaves
  • Shovel snow
  • take vitamins

Ages 12 and up

  • All above
  • Mow lawn
  • Wash floors

My kids have the understanding that when you start getting bigger the more responsibility they have. As do their parents. We need to teach children at a young age that not everything is handed to you!! You need to work hard for what you need and for what you want.

My older children are a big help to my 5 year old twins and myself included!! My long to do list in my head is now cut in half by chores. This list is feasible for all families, especially for new parents. We all have to understand that kids do depend on us for a lot, and thats ok! That being said, not all chores should be started too early. We have to let kids be kids for awhile. Sometimes I do miss the dependance I once had with somethings.

The list above is a great reference to guide children in the right path for future success. It is our duty as parents to show them that hard work and self discipline is very much essential to our daily lives!

Remember that daunting list you had in your head earlier? Isn’t it nice that you can just make it go away?

Chore list = Success! with one happy sane momma 🙂

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