How do you split up household chores fairly?

Sofia - posted on 02/15/2012

Chores are usually design depending on child's age. My 6 & 5 yr olds do simpler chores than my 16 yr old. What you choose to give them depends on what needs to be done.

Rotating chores sound like it might be a good idea for some folks. Others prefer having the samething every week. But I think what is more important is to write them down so kids know what is expected of them and when.



Honestly, my concern after what you shared with us is this: why is your 11 yr ol sd allowed to stay with you on wkends simply because she has a later bedtime? Do her grandparents feel that having a consistent bedtime even on wkends is better, and you dont?

And most of all, is there any truth to your son's complain that SD doesnt have chores to do while she is staying with you? That should not be. If she's there 1 day or 2, she can

have a chore. If she's there everyday, then she has chores.



I think you and your husband might need to look at things abit closer and further than just chores.

Nelly - posted on 02/08/2012

We have 4 children ages 16-10 the older 2 clear the table and load the dishwasher the younger 2 set the table

Cara - posted on 01/30/2012

I have a similar style to the above. Daily chores do not change (setting table/clearing table/feeding dog/etc), but our Saturday chores rotate. My younger two get a bit of help as needed.

Jenna - posted on 01/26/2012

With five kids (ages 8, 7, 5, 4, 10 months), we have a rotating chore chart that changes on a weekly basis. Right now, the youngest is not part of it yet, but I have plans already on how to adjust it when he gets old enough.



Currently, we have four chores: dishes, laundry/garbage, dog duty, and table setter. The person with the assigned chore (which rotates each week) has certain tasks to do each day. The dishes person clears out the dishwasher and the older kids load it after dinner. I do the breakfast dishes, and usually get the help of my preschoolers with that. Laundry/garbage collects all the trash in the house on garbage day and takes it out to the big trash can and then rolls that out to the curb. Even my four-year-old does it with the help of either one of us or one of the older siblings. For laundry, they just help me change the washloads when they're home, so they can learn how to do the laundry themselves. I will probably separate that job when we add the fifth person to the job chart. For dog duty, that person has to make sure there is water in the dog's bowl all day. They feed the dog once a day. For table setter, they set the table at mealtimes and clear away the dishes (after each individual clears their own place) at the end of the meal.



Each chore also has a "Saturday job" attached to it. This is because on Saturdays, I like to do a bit of a deeper clean of the house, so it's at least nice and clean once a week. We do pick up the clutter all week, but on Saturdays, we vacuum, sweep and mop hard floors, clean bathrooms and pick up the yard (in the summers, that entails weeding, mowing, trimming by helping Dad, and also picking up dog poop every time it needs to be picked up). Table setter sweeps and mops all hard floors. Dishes person vacuums the whole house (except for Mom and Dad's room and bathroom). This will probably change as they get older and have less people to a room (all four older kids share one room right now). Laundry/Garbage cleans two of the three bathrooms (mom and dad's bathroom gets cleaned by mom)--they clean the sink, counter, toilet, tub/shower, and mirrors. Dog duty helps with the outside and picks up the dog poop.



It's fair because it rotates and the kids know what's expected of them. I actually have a wheel that I made by cutting out one large circle and one smaller circle from posterboard, dividing into four sections each one, marking the chores on the outside one and the person's name on the inside one, and putting together with a metal fastener in the center of both circles so the front circle turns.



The kids don't get paid for their chores, but they earn tokens and they can use the tokens for video game time and TV time.



You can see a picture of the chart on my blog here:

http://cluttermom.blogspot.com/2011/08/m...