Chores can teach our kids valuable life lessons, making them more independent and more successful later on in life. But when you have multiple kids, dividing chores amongst them can be a chore on its own. After all, you don’t want things to feel unfair, but you also don’t want to give your kids more than they can handle.
Here we discuss how best to divide chores between your kids to keep everyone (mostly) happy in your household:
Make it age-appropriate
The types of chores you assign to your children will depend largely on their age. For instance, a 12-year-old could handle vacuuming their own room, but you can’t expect the same of your 6-year-old. Keep the chores age-appropriate so that everyone can handle their fair share. If you’re not sure what’s appropriate for your child, look through this list here.
Use a buddy system
A buddy system can ease the burden and even make chores a bit more fun for everyone involved. A younger sibling can help an older sibling with their tasks, allowing both to get through their chores quickly. You can also pair similar-aged siblings together to complete the same chores.
Rotate chores
If your kids are close in age, then the fairest way to divide chores is to rotate them. In other words, if Stacey cleaned the toy room last week, then it’s Tom’s turn to clean it this week. This keeps things fair, but it also changes it up and prevents chores from becoming too monotonous.
Have a reward system in place
Frankly put, your kids won’t do their chores just because you tell them to (though we certainly wish that were the case). A reward system will motivate kids to keep up with their tasks and do what is asked of them. This reward system can be a simple allowance, or it can involve presents such as a trip to the ice cream shop or a new toy.
If your kids have been keeping up with their chores, then consider rewarding them with a stuffable animal from The Zoo Factory. Look through our inventory today to get started!
