Wondering which chores you can have your child do in the Fall?
The following tips were provided by Gregg Murset, CEO BusyKid, the first online chore chart where children can earn, save, share, spend and invest real money wisely.
There is a crisp in the air and the sun is setting earlier every day, sure signs that fall has arrived. And it brought with it a whole new season of household tasks that need to be tackled.
Families are busier than ever with school, homework, sports and other extracurricular activities, which can make fitting chores in a challenge. Overtired kids might be more likely to whine and complain about doing the dishes or raking leaves, but stay strong parents because these tasks are not only teaching them life skills they will want to know one day, you can turn these jobs into a valuable lesson in money management and personal finance!
The key is to treat your kids’ chores like they are a real job. Make it fun! Give each of your kids a title around the house that correlates to the tasks you are expecting them to accomplish.
For example, a younger child who is in charge of picking up toys and clearing the dinner table could be your Secretary of the Household. You get the idea, be creative and customize this to your own kids’ personalities to make it fun.
Next, open your wallet on a weekly basis. If you are not giving your kids access to money, they are not going to learn the value of a digital dollar, how to manage themselves to learn the value of saving, or how to budget. Identify a dollar amount you think is fair for your child to earn per week and then create a list of chores that must be completed to earn that money.
And don’t waiver. If a job is not completed deduct that from what your child is earning. After all, when they get their first hourly job in high school or college their boss certainly won’t be paying them if they don’t show up at work one day!
Once you have the essentials established of how chores will work in your home, it will be easy to swap out tasks based on the seasons or as your children grow and can take on more responsibility. This fall consider giving some of these chores over to the kids to handle!
Kids (5-8) – raking leaves might a little much to handle for kids this age. But they can still help out by putting leaves from a pile into yard waste bags and picking up any sticks in the lawn. Indoors put their mobility and shorter stature to work by having them dust forgotten areas of the home like baseboards and table bases.
A change in the season is also a great time to make time to donate. Have kids sort their clothes and toys to donate items that are outgrown.
Tweens (9-12) – at this age kids can handle more responsibility. Outdoors they can wash windows and patio furniture, pull weeds, and help trim back shrubs for the season. Indoors plan a deep cleaning to get rid of the bugs and dust that were tracked in during the summer.
Have kids vacuum windows, help you take down curtains for washing, and clean any gardening tools, sports equipment and toys that are going to be stored for winter.
Teens (13 and up) – they’ll be asking to use it soon enough, if they aren’t already, so there is no better time to start teaching kids about car maintenance. Have them help with a detail cleaning and waxing, topping off fluids and checking tire pressure.
Kids this age can also help with trading out seasonal décor around the house. And you might even want to consider having them help prepare grocery lists, meal plan for the family and take over packing their own lunches. Turn them loose on a few recipe websites and see what new fall-themed ideas they can come up with to spice up your go-to family meals.
More Chore Resources
- AGE-APPROPRIATE CHORES FOR KIDS BY AGE
- 8 REASONS PETS ARE GOOD FOR KIDS
- TEACHING KIDS ABOUT MONEY
- How to Get Your Children Involved in Household Chores
More Tips from Busy Kid
- 8 Really Unique Ways Of Teaching Kids About Money
- Teaching Kids About Money This Summer
- Spring Cleaning Tips for Kids
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