At what age should I start making my daughter do chores?

Question

She will be three next month. I already make her clean up her toys, she loves helping out. I guess I dont know if I should already reward her or not, I mean I give her Positive praise for cleaning up and helping. I dont know.

Answer 1

My daughter is 3 and she has a chore chart on the fridge. She gets a sticker every time she does a chore. I've made them pretty simple. She has to clean her room, brush her teeth, get dressed by herself, help with the dishes, help with laundry, help cook (not around hot surfaces though) and NO TIMEOUTS ALL DAY. I also have one for using the restroom. If she gets a certain amount of stickers a week then she gets a small reward...i.e...(ice cream, a small inexpensive toy, favorite food or drink) Since it's so close to Halloween she's going for her pink power ranger costume she wants.

Answer 2

Having her pick up her toys is a good start. And you're doing the right thing by giving her positive praise, it makes her feel special and encourages her to help. At three, she can also help you with other things such as laundry. My daughter's two and she can just reach up to the top of the washer so she takes the dirty clothes and throws them in and then she closes the top when I lift her. The only thing I really have to do is separate it and put the detergent in. She also helps me vacuum. I do the floor and she takes the attachment hose and does the furniture. She does pretty good too even though she seems to like vacuuming her belly more than the furniture. At 3, she may also be ready to help you make her bed. She probably won't be able to do the sheets or the blanket, but she should be able to place her pillow on it and her stuffed animals if she has any on her bed.

Theres not too much she can do at 3 but those are a couple she can do. And you can also start giving her a small allowance if you want to. We don't do allowance with our daughter yet, but we do deposit money into her savings account every now and then so it's kind of the same thing. She does have a bank at home though and whenever we give her coins or a dollar she says, "Put it in da bank" Shes cute.

Answer 3

2

Answer 4

That's up to you but the earlier the better. Helping them develop good habits when they're young will help them later on when they need to become more independant.

When she is two, three or four she can pick up her toys. Together the two of you can help make her bed (when she has a big-girl bed) when she gets up in the morning. Making these things a routine will make it easier. Always doing this right before breakfast is a good thing to do. It doesn't take long but making it a routine will make it a habit engrained in her. Soon she'll be able to do it on her own while you are making breakfast- for example. As she gets a little older she can help do more things.

When she gets to be about 8 she can help with dishes. At this point in time when she takes on more responsibilities put a wall chart on the wall and have lots of fun stickers nearby. Each time she does a chore (be realistic- one or two easy chores a day) she gets a sticker on that day for that chore. After so many stickers she gets a treat. Like a new book or a $10 shirt at Wal-Mart of her picking. I'm not a fan of rewarding good things with candy or food treats. It will only encourage her to eat unhealthy. Doing this will help keep her motivated and getting a lot of stickers will be exciting to her at that age.

EXAMPLE:
When she is between 7-8 years old
Everyday she makes her bed in the morning and every night her toys or things are put away

In addition:
Monday: She does the dishes with you
Tuesday: She waters flowers for you
Wednesday: She takes a dust rag and goes through the family room with it
Thursday: She washes the bathroom counter and sink
Friday: Feeds any animals

Saturday and Sunday is her time off from school so that's her time to "relax" so I suggest just making her bed and picking up her toys and putting away her things at night.

None of these chores takes all that long but teaches her responsibility from the get-go.

Answer 5

I'm not sure about labeling them "chores" (a term with an often negative connotation), but a three-year-old is perfectly capable of doing so many things to help out around the house. I teach 3 and 4 year olds, and they help me in the classroom with many things. A few of the things a young child can do include:

-setting the table (with non-breakable dishes)
-washing the table before and after meals
-putting away clean silverware (but not sharp knives)
-dusting lower shelves and tables
-sweeping (get a child sized broom)
-vacuuming small areas with a hand vacuum or attachment
-making their bed
-folding towels, pillowcases, cloth napkins, small blankets, and children's clothing, and then putting some laundry away
-wiping out the bathroom sinks
-mopping floors
-putting away toys
-feeding pets

Of course, some of these things will require patient teaching on your part and some supervision. Don't expect perfection, but children do get better with feedback and practice. Working alongside your child in the household tasks is the best way to do things - you get to enjoy each other's company, and your child sees that each family member is expected to contribute to keeping the house nice and clean. A little time, effort, and patience on your part (especially initially) along with constant praise and a genuine "Thanks for helping!" will go a long way towards helping your child learn life skills and responsibility.

Answer 6

Its never to early to teach you children. You can (if you dont have breakable) you can have her help you dust. When your clean the house have her help with little things that she would enjoy. Then when your done give her cookies and milk or something awarding. My mom would take me shopping and even though all i did was hold her purse and list she rewarded me with a drink or candy bar.(we would share the snapple pink lemonade) then as I got older she would tell me what she needed and I would get it off the shelf. I learned why we did things a certain way (eggs breakable and spoil so they go last and can can last forever we get them first.) I hope this helps. Make cleaning a time to share with your daughter so she learns and get to be with you.

Answer 7

you don't need to "make" a 3 yr old do chores- what it is right now is imitating you and a little bit of helpful directives, such as "let's pick up the toys now". If you continue to encourage her to help when she's inclined- and she'll be inclined a lot right now!- it will naturally progress into her actually doing those jobs as she gets older. Toddlers love to "help" with things like dusting, folding laundry, washing and rinsing plastic plates and cups, even vacuuming. It may take longer to do everything, but let her "help" as much as she wants, until it gets to the point that she can take over some of those jobs on her own.

Answer 8

I started small daily chores with my daughter around age three. She would have to pick up the toys in her room each night before bathtime/bedtime. It became a routine. Its so much easier if you teach them these responsibilities at an early age.

Answer 9

At the age of 9.

Answer 10

My two year olds do certain chores. Picking up their toys in the Rumpus room is the main one. I hate when I step on those match box cars. They also have to put their washing in the washing basket. They will help me do other things as well. Hanging washing on the line, they pass pegs to me, they will help wash up, usually more hassle than anything, feed the animals, they try to vacuum and sweep.
I makes them feel important.