How to Raise a Crook / God's Instructions

1.  Give him everything he wants.  This way he will grow up to believe that the world owes him a living.

2.  Never give him spiritual training.  Wait until he is twenty-one and then let him decide for himself.

3.  Avoid using the word, "wrong."  It might make him feel guilty and his schoolwork will suffer.

4.  Do not make him work at home.  Do his work for him so he will learn at an early age to leave the responsibility to others.

5.  Let him watch anything he wants so he can learn from television how to get along in the world.

6.  Give him spending money so he won't be frustrated by having to earn his own.

7.  Do not make rules for him---you might make him angry at you.

8.  When he gets bad grades, blame the teachers.

9.  When he gets in trouble in school, blame the principal.

10. When he loses his job, blame the boss.

11. When he gets caught drunk driving, blame his friends.

12. Let him experiment with sex, drugs, and alcohol so he will be able to make an educated decision.

13. Buy him a car as soon as he can drive so he will have the freedom to go wherever he wants.
--from The Presbyterian Journal written in a gospel tract

God's Word to Parents

Bring our children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. ~ Ephesians 6:4 (NAS)

These commandments are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Write them on the doorframes of your homes and on your gates. ~ Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NIV)

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)


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Clever, Easy Solutions to get your Kids to do Chores

This post is by Contributing Writer Lori Hernandez of Three Acre Farm .

https://www.kitchenstewardship.com/kid-friendly-kitchen/?inf_contact_key=ae7b12b811a3ddf68e6c89d1a68f63acbe ab32f89ea78e676a5a900ea429d3bf

Note from Lois:  Teaching children how to work around the home is so important.  Not only is it a great help to the entire family in helping to operate a home more smoothly, but it lays a foundation for each child before they leave home.  Having responsibility gives them more confidence as well.

Cuteness Overload (Baby Goats)

by Elizabeth Tromm - Used by permissionhttps://wingingthislife.wordpress.com/2016/03/03/cuteness-overload/

Last week I left for five days for Arizona. Leaving my children is always really hard, but this time I was also leaving my pregnant goat who could have her babies at any time. The day I left she lost her mucus plug, so the clock was ticking. We had everything that was needed for my mama and the babies and I told my mom to call me if Daisy went into labor.

Thankfully she didn’t and I got back home safe and sound Monday night to a goat that was still very much pregnant. My husband, Rob, left early the next morning and won’t be home until Saturday night, so I have known that delivering these goats would be up to my children and me. Today Daisy was super lethargic and kept going into the barn instead of free grazing outside of the fenced in area. We knew something was up and I would have a child check in on her periodically throughout the afternoon.

Around 4:00 Carter came running down to the house and said that Daisy was making a terrible noise and he was sure she was having a baby. Mia and Eva grabbed some towels and blankets and ran lickety-split up to the barn so sure that in fact the great moment had FINALLY arrived.



I heard a bunch of hollering, “It’s a baby! It’s a baby! Daisy has had her first baby," and, “Here comes another one!! Hurry, Mommy!”

I got to the barn and saw that the second one had been delivered but was still in the sack, unable to move or breath. I called my goat lady and she talked me through the whole process of taking care of this situation. So I busted the bag open, swiped the mucus membrane mess away from her nose and face and started rubbing her. She wasn’t crying, or breathing for that matter, so my goat lady instructed me to swing her upside down, then clear her airways, and massage her.

I did that and she still wasn’t moving, and that’s when Summer said, “Well, you will have to give her mouth-to-mouth.” Riiiightttttt….”How do I do that? I squeaked. “Just cover her mouth and nose with your mouth and breathe for her,” she calmly replied. I took a deep breath, wiped her face one more time, and then, then she bleated a fantastic little sound, lifted her head, and coughed up whatever was blocking her airways. Yes, no mouth-to-mouth on a goat this day!

As we were taking care of our two new baby goats I was talking to Daisy and helping her dry the babies off. They were just beginning to stand on very wobbly legs when Daisy started making terrible noises again, and Mia started yelling, “Something's coming out of her butt!!” And alas, she delivered TWO more babies! Yep, that would be four babies in 30 minutes, from one goat. So crazy.



We finally got everyone all cleaned up and nursing. Tonight when I went out to the barn to check on them, they were all snuggled in tight against their mama, recovering from the hard ordeal of being born. So now we have four new little balls of fur running around the farm. My children are so excited and can not wait to play with these babies.

I'm not sure they come any cuter than this!

Solution to Keeping Bathroom and Kitchen Sinks Clean

by Lois Breneman
Heart to Heart - 2015

Most households, I would guess, deal daily with keeping the bathroom sink clean.  Soap scum and toothpaste can make quite a messy and germ-filled sink. 

So what is a good solution?  I found this handy and inexpensive little soap dispensing palm brush in the grocery store, and it tackles the problem perfectly.  I bought one for each bathroom and sink, and find it to be most helpful.

Enlist your children to clean out the sink after they brush their teeth.  They just might find brushing the sink more fun than brushing their teeth, and they will be learning how to be responsible for cleaning up after themselves.  They will also be helping to slow down the germs in your home.  Hopefully this will mean less illness in your family, and they can all help in being part of the solution.

When introducing a new job or concept like this to your children, these steps may make it "take" more easily:
1. First show them how to do it.
2. Have the child do it while you watch (and give advice).
3. Have the child do the job alone. 
4. Inspect the job when the child finishes.

Soon your child will be doing the job out of habit, and helpfulness to the family so everyone will be healthier and happier.

After almost filling the palm brush with dishwashing liquid, I added about five drops of immune boosting essential oil to boost the cleaning effect.  Even adding melaleuca (tea tree) oil or lemon essential oil will help with the effectiveness of the cleaning power.

Parenting Insight You Can Use Now

This parenting tip comes from the book The Christian Parenting Handbook: 50 Heart-Based Strategies for All the Stages of Your Child's Life by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN - Used by permission

 

Developing internal motivation in children is one of the fast tracks to help them toward maturity. Unfortunately, too often parents use external motivators to get their kids to move forward. “If you get your homework done then you can go out and play.” “If you clean your room then you can have some computer time.” This approach basically says, “If you do what I say, I’ll give you what you want.” Children trained this way often develop a mentality that focuses on external motivation instead of developing the internal motivations they’ll need to be responsible and mature.

God is interested in the heart. The heart contains motivations, emotions, convictions, and values. A heart-based approach to parenting looks deeper. When parents focus on the heart, then kids learn to ask the question, “What’s the right thing to do?”

A heart-based approach shares values and reasons behind rules. It requires more discussions with kids, helping children understand how their hearts are resistant and the need to develop cooperation. A heart-based approach is firm but also relational. It’s a different mindset for some parents and looks at the interaction of family life differently. Instead of simply getting the room cleaned and the dishes put away, parents are more interested in developing character, values, and convictions.

Another opportunity to focus on the heart is during times of correction. “I can see you’re angry because I said no. You need to take a break for a bit and settle your heart down and when you’re ready, come back and we’ll talk about it.” A heart approach requires a child to settle down first and then have a discussion with the parent about the problem and a better course of action. Address heart issues, not just behavior, and help children see things from a deeper perspective. Over time children will be able to understand what’s right, and internal motivation will come.

Teaching Kids to See What Needs to be Done & Do It

National Center for Biblical Parenting - www.biblicalparenting.org

This parenting tip is taken from the book, "Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids," by Scott Turansky/Joanne Miller - Used by permission

One of the parts of our honor definition is that we do more than what's expected. That means seeing what needs to be done and doing it, and solving problems instead leaving them for others. One family had a sign in their kitchen that read:

If it's broken, fix it.
If it's empty, fill it up.
If it's open, shut it.
If it's out, put it away.
If it's messy, clean it up.
If you can't, then report it.
That's honor.

Take time to teach children that they don't have to be asked in order to do a job. Honor means that we are all contributing to family life. In fact, you may ask a child to go around the house and look for one job that needs to be done and do it, then report back to you.

These kinds of discussions and exercises will help children think outside of their little box and discover that they have a responsibility to the family. They can contribute to family life by just seeing something that needs to be done and doing it.

Of course, that's what makes a valuable employee so you can teach your children something more important than just how to get along better in your family. You may be preparing them to be outstanding employees as they get older.

Cleaning House: A Mom's Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement

Book by Kay Wills Wyma - Thanks to Joyce Quam in Virginia for this good information!

Joyce says, "A dear friend brought this book to Bible 

Study so eager to share it with others. As a mother 

herself she could relate to its message of "generations

of entitlement" and wanted to share this mother's 

story.  The book,'Cleaning House....' by Kay Willis Wyma

is both convicting and insightful and just filled with 

personal testimonies and humor. It is a "must read." 

http://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-House-Twelve-Month-
Entitlement-ebook/dp/B007WKFM7C/ref=tmm_kin_title_
0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1339037936&sr=1-1

A quote from the link above:
Do your kids think that clean, folded clothes magically appear in their drawers? Do they roll their eyes when you suggest they clean the bathroom? Do you think it’s your job to pave their road to success? As parents, so often we hover, race in to save, and do everything we can for our kids—unintentionally reinforcing their belief that the world revolves around them.

When Kay Wyma realized that an attitude of entitlement had crept into her home, this mother of five got some attitude of her own. Cleaning House is her account of a year-long campaign to introduce her kids to basic life skills. From making beds to grocery shopping to refinishing a deck chair, the Wyma family experienced for themselves the ways meaningful work can transform self-absorption into earned self-confidence and concern for others.

With irresistible humor and refreshing insights, Kay candidly details the ups and downs of removing her own kids from the center of the universe. The changes that take place in her household will inspire you to launch your own campaign against youth entitlement. As Kay says, “Here’s to seeing what can happen when we tell our kids, ‘I believe in you, and I’m going to prove it by putting you to work.’”

At the link above, you can read reviews by Elisa Morgan, Jim Daly, Joe White, Dr. Howard Hendricks, and Governor Mike Huckabee.

About the Author:

Kay Wills Wyma has five kids, ages four to fourteen, and one SUV with a lot of carpool miles. She holds a bachelor's from Baylor University and an MIM from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). Before transitioning to stay-at-home mom, she held positions at the White House, the Staubach Company, and Bank of America. She and her husband, Jon, live with their family in the Dallas area.

Organizing Kids' Rooms

from Cindy - A Reader's Tip from The Dollar Stretcher - www.stretcher.com - Used by permission

Additional Dollar Stretcher Resource: More on organizing kids rooms

I have five kids crammed into two small bedrooms, so I understand crowded rooms! Here are some things that have worked for us.

 

We took our kids' nice clothes (the ones that need to be hung up) out of their rooms and made some space in another closet. Their closets are now filled top to bottom with shelves, which hold toys in handy bins. My organizationally-impaired children just toss stuff into whatever bin, while my tidy kids have things labeled. Either way, it gets stuff off the floor.

 

My kids must pick up their rooms every day!  Everything must be off the floor and their clothes must be put away with drawers shut before they watch TV or whatever. This keeps the mess from accumulating for an entire week and making it an all day project to straighten up. On the days when we really clean the room, we fish out all the stuff that's migrated under their beds, etc.

Finally, we've let our kids have a big part in determining what we do with their rooms, and we've allowed them to find a system that works for them. We realized early on that one of our daughters was never going to become an everything-in-its-place kind of kid. It's just not her personality. Rather than fighting it, we've allowed her to do what she likes as long as a minimum standard is met.

The Ten Minute Tidy

Copyright Deborah Taylor-Hough - All rights reserved -  Used by permission
http://simplemom.com/ - Author of  'A Simple Choice' http://hometown.aol.com/dsimple/

Housework and I haven't always been friends. It's been a struggle throughout the past twenty-six years of my married life to learn the habit of keeping a neat and orderly home. Some days I'm more successful at it than others, but I'm learning and growing in this area constantly.

I've often found that reading assorted books by housework "experts" are more depressing than they are inspiring for those of us who are a bit domestically challenged. Yes, these experts know what they're doing. But so often I don't feel like they have even a glimpse of how difficult basic housekeeping can be for someone who just doesn't seem to have it in their genes to do it naturally.

One of the most helpful and simplest things my children and I do to maintain our home is something we've dubbed the "Ten Minute Tidy.”

What it involves is this: Everyone runs around the house picking up clutter and putting it away as fast as they can for ten minutes.  Whenever I notice that the main living areas of the house are getting that lived-in look, I call for a Ten Minute Tidy. Everyone drops whatever they're doing and flies into "pick-up-the-stuff" mode. I actually set a kitchen timer for ten minutes and when it goes off, we're done.
 
Usually I tidy the kitchen and main bathroom myself while the kids tidy the living room, family room, and if there's still time left, their bedrooms. It's amazing how quickly the house can go from looking messy to looking neat when everyone works fast, works together, and works smart.
 
The purpose of the Ten Minute Tidy isn't to actually deep clean the house, but to tidy up the rooms so our home looks neat and livable again. The cleaning and regular maintenance is done during a scheduled "Upkeep" time each day. I always focus the Ten Minute Tidy on the areas that make a first impression when people enter my home. In our case, that's the entry/hallway, living room, kitchen/family area, and main bath.

I’ve found it’s a great way to train my kids – and myself – to keep up on the housework without making it into a horrible chore that everyone dreads.

Chores: You Are Not Doing Them All by Yourself, Are You?

by Lori Seaborg ~ Used by permission

When I was a kid, I remember telling my mom once, "You just had us so you'd have servants!" Now that I'm a mother of four, I think ... well, yep, that sounds about right. Those kids make great servants! Plus, they're cute to look at while they work.

But the biggest reason to teach them while they are little is not so you can get out of the work yourself, but because if you don't teach them, adulthood will be that much harder.

I have a friend who was pampered as a child and not taught to do any cleaning or cooking. She is now the mother of four preschoolers and has the hardest time keeping her home. My friend recently found a bag of flour in her cupboard. Her mother had left it after visiting one day. My friend didn't know what to do with flour; she had recipes, but didn't know how to follow one! So she called her mom to ask what to do with the flour. Guess what her mom said?

"I am so sorry I never taught you those things you need to know."

Don't you wait until your child is an adult to teach him or her! Teaching can begin today.

The kids don't need to add to our burden. They can be little helpers! Don't dustpan the floor after you sweep, get your 5yo to do it. Don't wind the vacuum cord after you vacuum! Call him in, tell him it's a race track and he gets to drive the cord around the track, winding it up.

Think of yourself as a manager. You are delegating the small stuff so you can work on the big stuff. You will enjoy the little breaks that you receive and you will be less stressed. Your children will be filled with pride. But their real reward is later.

When they grow into adults they will know how to take care of themselves.

(Sometimes we just don't realize what chores our children are capable of. In the below posts, you will see my lists of chores that my children can do at ages 2, 5, 7, and 9.)

WHAT 1-2-YEAR-OLD WALKERS CAN DO...

1-2 year-old walkers can...

• Load the clothes' dryer as you hand over the items one by one. Say the names of the colors of the clothes as you hand them to her, so she'll learn her colors at the same time.

• Empty the silverware container from the dishwasher. My 2-year-old dumps the silverware into the drawer, so we have to straighten it, but at least it is in there!

• Take the silverware to the table for setting it

• Sit on the counter as you make cookies and dump the cups of ingredients into the mixer as you hand them to her

• Clear her items off the table after she eats

• Fill the dog or cat dish with the food that you give her

• Pick up her own toys (if she can pull them out of the basket or drawer, she can put them back in!)

WHAT A 3-5-YEAR-OLD CAN DO...

3-5 year-olds can...

• Pick up an assigned floor (our little guy is in charge of making sure the living room and the library room floors are clear all day long)

• Dust low areas

• Sort socks (call it the "Matching Game")

• Wind up the vacuum cleaner cord after you vacuum

• Use the mini-broom and dustpan after you sweep the floors into a pile

• Clear the table after meals

• Empty the clothes' dryer into a basket

• Get the mail (if your mailbox is in a safe area, of course!)

• And he can do all of the 1-2 year old's list, in the above post

WHAT ELEMENTARY-AGED KIDS CAN DO...

Elementary kids can…

• Drill the preschoolers on numbers, colors, and letters. We keep flashcards, chalk, a Leap Pad, and dry-erase boards for this reason.

• Fold clothes from the dryer (Start them out with just towels, then shirts, socks, and finally Daddy's looooong pants. Nobody folds anyone's underwear! Those just get :::eww!::: tossed into the owner's pile)

• Clear and wipe the table after meals (our 9yo Brenden does this at supper; 7yo Brittany does this for lunch)

• Sweep the kitchen floor after meals (9yo's job at lunch; 7yo's job at supper)

• Vacuum a room or two

• Be in charge of keeping the floors of two rooms clear all day long (9yo does the boys' room, foyer, and hallway; 7yo does the girls' room and kitchen)

• Clean windows

• Give the baby her bath (I'd wait until she is well old enough to sit, and your elementary-age child has to be trustworthy enough to do this!)

• Clean the bathtub after the younger ones use it

• Make a basic recipe (our 7yo can make French toast if I assemble the ingredients first. She also makes cinnamon toast; our 9yo can follow the directions on a box)

• Fill the cereal bowls of the younger children in the morning

• Fill the baby's sippy cups or bottles, or the preschooler's cups, as needed (our 9yo doesn't always want to do this for his 5yo brother, but I always say, " I was filling your cup when you were his age, so you're going to do it for someone else now!"

• Open and close the window blinds/curtains each day.

• Do everything on the lists above, for 1-2-year-olds and preschoolers.

Lori Seaborg is a wife and a homeschooling mom of four.  She enjoys writing and homemaking in the countryside of the Florida-Alabama Gulf Coast.  You may subscribe to her monthly newsletter, Keeping the Home, by sending an email to:  keeping_the_home-subscribe@welovegod.org . You may also read her blog at:  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/KeepingtheHome .

Children's Chores / Mean Moms

CHILDREN'S CHORES CAN BE A DELIGHT
by Malia Russell - Excerpt from the article: Delightful Delegation - Used by permission

Frequently I am asked how my children do so many chores around the house without the usual arguing and complaining seen in other children.

Part of the reason our household routines work so well, is that the older children (and mom!) do their work cheerfully. We make games and incentives out of the seemingly difficult tasks. You can see an example of this in a recent decluttering challenge we took at our house. We also have our work organized. Everyone knows which tasks are expected, depending on the day. This means I have thoughtfully considered our work for the day and have assigned portions to each child. For example, on paperwork day I examine the tasks before me and assigned some to each girl. The same is true for our errand day, kitchen day, gardening day and cleaning days.

Another thing we have done to make learning new and difficult chores a delight is to call it "Home Economics" and assigned a "teaching time" and a "final." For example, when Anne Mary was learning to use the pressure cooker at age 7, we had the first session just an observation session. The next time she was able to do parts by herself with very close supervision. The third time she did all the steps with minimal supervision. We took pictures and celebrated her passing her final. Now when I need her to prepare dinner using the pressure cooker, she will be delighted and do it with joy, with minimal supervision.

One day, I had a flashback to my childhood of the delight I found in being the Office Assistant in school. This child took the class roster to the office, used the ditto machine, and carried notes to the office. I sighed, thinking, "I need an office assistant." Then, I realized that with a little training, I could have office assistants, too. So we made a couple of new titles in our home: Office Assistant and Kitchen Manager. The Office Assistant checks the mail, answers the phone, takes messages, makes photocopies, staples, collates files, etc. The Kitchen Manager changes the numbers on the perpetual calendar, replenishes the wash clothes, sweeps after meals, and helps with dinner preparation. We mix fun jobs along with the work to make sure it is fun and rewarding. It took a little training, but very quickly they became valued and helpful assistants.

Another thing we do is use routines. Once a chore becomes a routine part of the day, it is seemingly done without effort or thought. Christina's (17) is fairly flexible. She is making her own schedule and helps when available. I have a routine that I keep to make sure I have the proper amount of time allotted for my duties. The children each have their own routines and we adjust them as needed. Because there is some redundancy in the routines, some things really only need to be done once a day, but just in case something gets missed or is rushed, it will be caught the second time around.

As a family, we have worked very hard to eliminate Chaos in its various forms: distractions, decisions, lack of delegation, determining family goals, and multiplying spiritual disciplines as I describe in my book: Chaos to Order, 25 Tools Bringing Organization to Your Home. Finally, we work very hard to apply Biblical principles throughout the day in the way we treat one another. This makes the task of delegating and sharing housework a delight, rather than a burden.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe. Philippians 2:14-15

What things have you done as a family to make delegation a delight instead of a drag? 

Malia Russell is the blessed wife to Duncan, thankful mother to four children, ages 3-17 and an author, conference speaker and director of www.homemaking911.com. Visit her site for inspiration, encouragement and practical help in your roles as a godly wife, mother, homemaker or home educator. For more help with home management, see my book and audio CD: From Chaos to Order: Bringing Organization to Your Home.

MEAN MOMSAuthor unknown - Thanks to Rosanne Ayers in Virginia for sending this.

Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my "Mean Mom" told me:

I loved you enough . . to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to make you go pay for the bubble gum you had taken and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it."

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough . . to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.  Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end, you won too.  And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.

Was your Mom mean?  I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison.

She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.

Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us has ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime.  It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.  I think that is what's wrong with the world today.  It just doesn't have enough "Mean Moms!"

Appropriate Jobs for Children (Beginning at Age One)

by Lois Breneman, © 2009, Heart to Heart

Young children love to mimic their parents and help with jobs, so the earlier parents teach their children to be helpers at home, the more eager little ones will be to learn.  The work ethic will become part of a child's character, so that needs cultivated very early as they mature.   Children who are taught how to work in their homes are much better able to manage their own home when they leave the nest, including being more efficient, organized and respectfully sanitary during their college experience. 


His skills or lack of them will follow him into marriage as well.  So, parents, we have our work cut out for us, as we teach our growing children the basics of doing many small jobs as little tykes, and as they grow older, gradually moving up the ladder to more difficult tasks, all in the name of child training.  Parents who teach their children to work in the home soon reap the rewards of having help with all aspects of running the home and creating increased harmony in the home.

A one or two year old might go along with you to the newspaper box, and as you lift him up to reach the newspaper, he can help by pulling it out.  A word of caution about having young children get the mail or newspaper alone, depending where you live.  No matter where you live, be watching as a young child leaves your front door.  If crossing the street is a factor in getting your mail or newspaper, the age would need to be changed, of course.  Use your own discretion on this.

You will notice the last job listed for a two to three year old.  And, yes, a two year old is fully capable of vacuuming with a Swivel Sweeper, if he is able to walk.  This is a light and cordless vacuum that uses a rechargeable battery and does a very good job at picking up surface dirt.  Our grandson loved vacuuming the beach house where our family stayed after he had just turned two, and he did a great job.  We were amazed!  Your toddlers will surprise you at how willing and capable they are to do many jobs, under your supervision. 

First show your child how to do a job, with him watching.  Secondly, have him help, and thirdly, have him do the job himself while you watch. 


Be gentle in correcting and guiding, rather than being critical.  Soon he will be capable of doing the job without your watching!  The best part is that after you take the time to teach your children to do these jobs well, they will have learned a lifelong skill and you will reap the benefits many times over!

Ages 1 to 2

Pick up paper and put in wastecan

Help pick up toys

Take own personal dirty clothes to hamper

Be a "gopher" (They love going to get things for you.)

Ages 2 to 3  

All of the above, plus:
Pick up toys

Hang clothes on hooks

Carry dirty laundry to the laundry area

Carry clean laundry from laundry area

Get a diaper for baby sibling

Help feed animals

Bring in the newspaper (See note above)

Help wipe up spills

Mop a small area

Help pull up covers to make the bed

Vacuum with a Swivel Sweeper

Ages 4 to 5
All of the above, plus:

Make own bed

Keep bedroom picked up

Set the table

Clear dishes from the table

Get the mail

Help in the kitchen

Help pack lunches

Clean pet hair off furniture with lint remover

Help carry groceries into house and put away

Help spread mulch

Help plant flowers or vegetables
Help unload part of the dishwasher

Sort clean laundry on piles to be folded

Fold washcloths

Ages 6 to 12
All of the above, plus:

Gradually take over unloading dishwasher altogether
Keep bedroom picked up

Cook and bake some dishes

Cook a simple meal

Wash and dry dishes

Help wash the car

Sort clothes before washing

Vacuum, sweep and mop floors

Clean the bathroom completely

Make own snacks

Pack lunches

Rake leaves 

Shovel snow

Use the washer and dryer

Hang laundry as well as fold properly 

Remove linens from beds to wash

Collect and take out the trash

Take care of pets

Pull weeds

Ages 13 and older
All of the above, plus:

Change light bulbs

Replace vacuum cleaner bags

Wash windows - inside and outside

Clean out refrigerator

Clean stove

Clean microwave oven

Prepare a more elaborate meal

Make a grocery list
Help paint inside or outside of house

Handle laundry from start to finish

Completely clean the house

Mow the lawn

Trim shrubbery