Is 5 years old too young to have chores as a child?

Question

Do you think that is too young to start a child off at?

Answer 1

NO! As toddlers they should be putting away their own toys as they finish with them.5 yr old can dust,take out small bags of trash,put their laundry in the basket and fold clothes and put them away, sweep, sweep the porches and garage,hand wash plastic cups and bowls, and lots of other things. NO they shouldn't do all of these but they should be keeping their room picked up and be doing at least 2 chores daily.Always praise them for every accomplished job. If they mess up just tell them that you will repeat how you wanted it done and they will remember then. NEVER yell or cuss at them.Hugs and praise is best! If they don't learn now to be responsible for themselves you will have a very hard time with them at 12 when you decide to tell them they can't go somewhere because their room is a mess. By then the rebellion will be embedded well into their behavior.Responsibility and respect needs to be taught from 8-10 mo and never stop! Best wishes.TO PRINTNINJA ABOVE: 5 yr olds can and will do a good job IF they are taught and then it is expected of them. If they are aren't taught unil 8, they have missed yrs of training and will how to make good choices away from home. If routine and consequences are taught early then their life's main goal is set and they will make good choices in all areas.Parents must stick to their rules and consequences and everyone in the house HAS to have equal responsiblities and punishments(according to age).Then they are prepared to be successful adults.

Answer 2

No, it's not too young, but...

--you need to keep it really simple, at a level a five year old can understand.

--you need to make sure you have the time set aside to actually *do the chore with* the child, the first several times if need be, so that he or she knows *how* they're "helping momma", that is their motivation, not so much doing something as "helping out" so make sure they get it even if it means doing the chore *with* the kid some of the time.

--and as a couple of people have mentioned, *always always* watch over the kid and use some good judgement in terms of what is going to be safe for the kid to do. Five years old is not the usual age for kids to *just know* about abstract concepts like "sharp and pointy", you know?

But yeah, keeping all that in mind, five is just about perfect for getting the kid used to the idea of helping out. The kid still has that infantile instinct to "help the adult" and yet is able enough to walk and talk and grasp things on their own that you don't have to spoon feed more than *half* the task to the kid.....

Good luck to you, and remember, sharp and pointies are not good for anyone at that age!

Answer 3

No, that's a perfect age to introduce the concepts of responsibility for one's self and also of contributing to a greater good. Just keep it simple and short, so that it doesn't become a burden, and make sure you give sincere and meaningful appreciation. At age 5, whatever you ask the child to accomplish shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to complete. They could take a bag of trash out to the garbage can, and they would feel proud of contributing to the household in that way. Start really small, make sure you give praise and recognition, and increase the responsibilities as the child gets older and more capable. Chances are that he or she will LOVE the opportunity to be a contributing member of the family.

Answer 4

Heck no my kids have been doing chores since they were 4 may have not been perfect, but I like to think it has taught them self discipline and my daughter is 8 and she can do all house hold chores laundry and dishes. I do not make them do anything but keep their room clean everything else is just to help me out when they want to or used as a punishment very rarely.

Answer 5

I never thought of it as a chore.I just felt important when I could help with the dishes or the cooking.I still remember the first time I got to set the table all by myself.I even had the little chart with stars on it.Let your 5 year old help.You can make it fun.

Answer 6

No. Just make sure the chores are age-appropriate. I also think it's a good idea to provide rewards, including praise, for chores well done. Chores actually make kids feel worthwhile & good about themselves if you do it the right way. Also, the ultimate goal of parenting is to teach the kids to become independent one day, & that takes years & years of little steps...

Answer 7

i think the earlier you get them involved the better the relationship you have and the easier it will be to get them to do chores in the future because they are use to it. you don't have to view chores as something that's bad to do - you can make it fun like sometimes i let my cousin who's in the first grade...so roughtly 6 yrs old help me rinse dishes when i'm washing and she puts the dry ones away. it's fun and its a good way to bond. just make sure you're watching them so they don't end up in places they're not suppose to be. =P hope that helped.

Answer 8

They like feeling needed just make sure the chores are 5years old chores not 10 years old. Keep it light.

Answer 9

At five years old they can put away their toys, make their bed, help set the table (set the flatware and/or placemats on the table), put away their clean clothes after they've been washed, make sure their room is tidy. You can also make the everyday things that they do (get dressed, wash, brush teeth, etc.) a chore.

Answer 10

No way!! There are alot of things that a young child can do to help out with the household...Helping with laundry, he or she can try to fold (they need practice!). They can pick up their own toys and put their clean clothes away..My kids loved to wipe down tables with a spray bottle filled with water and a cloth...It helps them build their self esteem knowing that they do those things