Growing up in the 80’s, I received a weekly allowance. Like all of my friends, my allowance was based on cleaning my room. I can tell you now, I never cleaned my room. Despite my laziness, most weeks I still received my $5. I definitely wasn’t learning about the value of work or even how to keep a house tidy.
I knew I wanted our children to actually work for their allowance. I also wanted them to learn how to clean and maintain a home. The chores I selected for them are important life skills that they will need once they leave the nest. Below are the top 5 chores that will help prepare children for adulthood.
Dishes
We do not own a dishwasher. All dishes are washed by hand in our house. Our kids are responsible for washing dishes after lunch and dinner. This is probably the most important daily chore in our house.
Garbage/Recycling
Our oldest son takes out the garbage, while our oldest daughter takes out the recycling. They are responsible for taking all of the garbage from the house to the cans (as needed) throughout the week. They are also responsible for taking the cans to the curb on garbage day.
Laundry
This is another very important chore in our house. We don’t buy a ton of clothes for our children. Laundry has to be done within a week’s period of time, or no one has anything to wear. The kids are responsible for sorting and washing everything. At this point, I still fold all the clothing.
Bathrooms
I don’t make the kids scrub the tub or the floors, but I do make them tidy up the bathrooms every weekend. They are responsible for scrubbing the toilets, cleaning the sinks, and windexing the mirrors.
Mowing the lawn
This is a new chore for our oldest son. He has been mowing the lawn every weekend. I initially suggested that he share this chore with his dad, but he insisted that he wants to do it by himself. He’s a pretty amazing kid.
Of all the things we do to maintain our home, I think these are the top 5 chores that will help prepare children for adulthood. It’s incredibly important to train children to be productive adults. Part of that training involves teaching them to care for their home. They are also learning the value of hard work. My hope is that when they are finally ready to move out, they will feel confident and ready to face the realities of adulthood.