Chores for 5 Year Old?

Updated on July 12, 2011
E.D. asks from North Reading, MA
12 answers

Does your five year old do chores and do you offer money (like a quarter)for "heavier" chores (not daily ones like set the table)? Thanks

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R.D.

answers from Richmond on

I don't get paid to clean up after myself, neither do the kids.

My 5 and 7 year olds clean their room, make their beds, put dirty clothes in the hamper, put clean, folded clothes away, put dirty dishes in the sink, feed/water the dog, water the flowers outside, help put away other laundry (like linens), sweep the floors (one holds the broom, the other holds the dustpan), etc.

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M.M.

answers from Detroit on

No, we do not pay our kids (3 and 6 ) to help clean up….especially after themselves! A friend of mine made a Summer Wish list for her kids (bowling, movies, picnic in the park and so on) and they have a sticker chart they have to fill up & once they do that, they get to pick one item from the list and they will go and do it. They earn stickers for cleaning up and good behavior. Gives the kids a chance to earn something, but you are not paying them direct for each "core" they do.

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T.L.

answers from St. Louis on

The only time we pay our kids is when they help out doing out of the norm things like planting flowers, mowing grass, raking up the leaves etc... but not for their normal stuff.

2 moms found this helpful

A.S.

answers from Detroit on

No money. We don't get paid to clean at home.

I have a 3yr old son and an 8yr old daughter. My daughter puts away her own (folded) clothes. She cleans up her room. She vacuums the upstairs (where there's a rug or carpet). She helps me change her bed. She helps me with cleaning most of the house and then we get to play! My son helps his sissy pick up the toys upstairs (both of their rooms and their playroom is upstairs). He 'helps' wipe down the kitchen. He 'helps' mop the floor (with a Swiffer - not that he does much but he likes doing this). He 'helps' do laundry. He'll sit on the dryer and I hand him the things that need to go into the washing machine and put the soap in that I've measured out. Then he'll put the stuff into the dryer as I hand it to him from the washer.

They offer help all the time. They know that there's way more fun play time after the house is in order. Because mommy will take them someplace fun! There is a fountain in the city I live in that the kids get to play in... It's free, fun, and cooling for all in the summer.

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S.Y.

answers from Chicago on

Our son just turned 6 yo is responsible for setting and clearing dinner table, picking up after himself (putting away toys), helping to bring dirty clothes to laundry room, helping to water the flowers outside.

He does not get paid to do this...this is his contribution to helping the family.

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E.T.

answers from Albuquerque on

We provide an allowance but it's not tied to chores. I like the idea of kids learnig the value of money early so we started an allowance at age 4. Five year old chores will be organizing room and playroom, setting table, watering indoor plants, etc.

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J.P.

answers from Boston on

We were having difficulty motivating our 5-year-old to do simple, age-appropriate tasks, so we set up a chore chart. She gets a sticker when she does the tasks and at the end of the day or week (whichever she prefers), she gets a penny for each sticker. We also set it up so she could lose a penny for inappropriate behaviors. This worked fairly well and taught her a great deal about numbers and money.
There is also a website called handipoints.com where you can set up free chore charts. Kids earn points towards parental rewards and separate points to play in Handy Land. My daughter hasn't even asked about the parental rewards; she is just happy to have time on the computer. There are a multitude of tasks to choose from (household, personal care, eating, exercise) and you can customize however you want. There are also weekly or daily chore charts depending on how you want to set it up. (We use both.)
Good luck,
J.

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J.S.

answers from San Francisco on

My LO is still too young for chores but my nephew has chores..he makes his bed, puts his toys in his cubby drawers before bed, and helps set the table. He does receive an "allowance" per chore..or I think it's per day..I'm not too sure about that one? But here are some great polls that I found on having chores and allowance for 5 year olds:

http://www.skinnyscoop.com/question/q/815?utm_campaign=th...

http://www.skinnyscoop.com/question/q/115?utm_campaign=th...

http://www.skinnyscoop.com/question/q/872?utm_campaign=th...

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L.M.

answers from Houston on

This has been something I have wondered for awhile and decided against it. My husband and I have 3 kids (two are mine, one his) - all girls, ages 7y, 9y and 9y (gasp). Anyway, my step daughter came back home last week from being with her mom and talked about the chores she does in which she gets paid for. She said her chores were "cleaning her room, her game room, not having an attitude, putting away her mom's laundry, vaccuming, dishes". Okay, so...there are a few things wrong with this picture. First of all, she is having to do her mom's things and getting paid for it cause her mom likes having a maid pick up after her and can justify not doing her own laundry by paying her daughter and calling it a chore. Also, to PAY your daughter for acting how she should an not having an attitude??? REALLY??? Well, needless to say, she wanted to get the same allowance while with us. I flat out told her that I am not paying our kids for behaving like they should or for picking up after themselves. Her dad agreed. Well, yesterday...my husband and I were outside triming bushes and raking...she came outside and I looked at her and told her that THIS is a shore... it is something out of what should be expected of you. I asked her if she wanted to help...well, ofcourse after seeing me sweating like a pig as it was 103 degrees outside, she turned me down and went back into the a/c. LOL I was not at all mean about it but wanted her to understand that you should not be paid for the things that you should normally do - picking up after yourself. There is nothing wrong with giving an allowance to teach kids about money, saving and a value of a dollar. I have given my kids a L. "bonus" if you will here and there for something that they decided to do to help mom out. BUT..it is not expected and it is not something I do all the time. I don't think either way (allowance or not) is right or wrong. It is just what you want to do. My kids have gotten to a point where they enjoy helping by rinsing dishes and putting them in the washer, bringing all laundry to the laundry room, cleaning their rooms etc.. They now enjoy the possitive feedback they receive from my husband and I. Maybe have your kiddo help with sorting laundry or something too. And I think a quarter is a good idea if you decide to do an allowance. Good luck with your decision, sorry for such a long response. :)

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A.S.

answers from Dallas on

My 5-year old daughter has chores that include making her bed, keeping her room clean, feeding the cats, putting away clothes, folding towels, and putting away silverware. We do not pay her for doing any chores. She is going to eventually have to learn how to do these things and be able to do them without asking and when she is older no one is going to pay her to clean her own house. Any chores she does extra then she may get a small reward - usually staying up a little later, or a little extra TV time but not money.

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B.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

We had our children start doing chores beyond picking up their room when they were 4. At 4 they washed the plates from B, L, D and cleared the table of common items plus their own plate, cup and silverware. At 5 they washed the cups and silverware, took out the trash and fed and watered the dog.

If they did their jobs with no griping, pouting and complaining they got paid. If they did their job without having to be asked or reminded they got paid more.

It worked fine. Good luck to you and yours.

B.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

I don't think you should offer money for chores, but I don't think a 5 year old should be doing intense chores either. I think helping to set and clear the table is good. Picking up their own toys when they are done is good for that age. Picking up their own room or helping you do it is good.

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