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When my triplets were two years old I began to wonder if I would ever be able to start a sentence without the words “Don’t” “Stop” or “No”. I knew I was in the thick of obedience training but it was wearing me out! I wanted to find an easy way to reward good behavior and get to know them as individuals. Young children have such a great desire to help and feel great pride in doing things by themselves. Capture this excitement early! As with everything you’d have to judge the temperament of your child and determine what they are ready for. I’ll start by sharing with you what chores they do now as 5 year olds. Each child has three chore tickets a day to complete and put in their "Done It!" envelope. Here are the titles and descriptions.Pet Assistant- Feeds the cats every morning and lets the dog out of the garage. (I had to buy a special food bin that they could open and shut without help.)Kitchen Assistant- Empties the dishwasher, helps set the table. (I bought non-breakable dishes and put it all in a low cabinet that they can access without help.)Vacuum Person- Uses a very lightweight stick vac to clean the kitchen floor after dinner. (I plug it in and they get the breakfast nook, kitchen and first floor bath.)Table and Chair Washer- I recovered our chair bottoms in black vinyl. They wipe down the seat covers.Bathroom Washer- This is their second favorite job. They put on two non-latex exam gloves and get a Clorox wipe. First they wipe the light switch, then the door handle, then the potty handle, then the top, then the first seat, the rim area and finally they wipe down the floor just in front of the potty (I have two boys). Laundry Assistant- Takes the daily kitchen dish towels to the laundry room. Carries any clothes that were thrown down the stairs to the laundry room. Empties any clothes in the dryer into a laundry basket. Dish Washer- This favorite job. They get a sink of soapy warm water and a small cloth. I give them some dishes that aren’t too dirty and aren’t breakable. However, I have to rewash anything they wash but the groundwork is being laid! They get to practice how you wash a dish and it is training them. At almost 6 years old they graduated into loading the dishwasher. Right now, Keep in mind that initially this will make more work for you as you train them to perform their jobs but once they “get it” your load does get lighter. Every toilet in my house gets wiped down every day without my help. How great is that? In addition, each child is responsible for taking their dishes to the kitchen when they are done and putting their clothes away at night.I started laying the groundwork for all of this at 18 months. Part of our bedtime routine was singing the clean up song every night as we collected all their toys into one of our large Rubbermaid containers. At two they could use the Swifter on the kitchen floor, help set the table, and sort the silverware after it was washed. (no knives, of course). At Three I got a lightweight stick vacuum so they could vacuum the kitchen. Three years of age is also when I began letting them dress themselves. We didn’t have any clothes with buttons or zippers so they could put on most items without help. I attached index cards to each drawer with a picture of what was inside it. Boy Underwear, Boy Shirts, Girl Pants, etc. I had to swallow my tongue a few times when GooseyGirl came down in orange and red but as long as we weren’t going anywhere important I didn’t care. The payoff for letting them take care of this was worth it and they were so proud of themselves!Once a week I would declare it to be “Mommy Choice Day”. They had to wear what I picked out. They didn’t get a vote. I started this on days when we didn’t have to be anywhere so that I wouldn’t be stressed and rushed while teaching them what “Mommy Choice Day” meant. The boys didn’t have a problem with this concept but GooseyGirl needed a couple of time outs to get it. Now they accept it without question.The other side of this is that they are beginning to put their clean clothes away after the laundry assistant gets them out of the dryer. That mountain of laundry that we all live under doesn't have to be overwhelming. With help, it can be manageable. The key is delegation! I just adore the liberated feeling of turning to my crew in the morning and saying, “Go get on your clothes” while I get my second cup of coffee!
As I guide my kids academically I know there is a mountain of life skills they must master as well. Chores and other household responsibility is the logical way to build their independance and trustworthiness. I distinctly remember my Mother telling me, when I was six, that I was old enough to start cleaning up my own room and making my own bed. I thought to myself, “Why should I start now?” Because of that, I decided to make chores for my kids a part of everyday life as early as possible. Now cleaning the potties and sweeping the floor is just part of their routine. Have you thought of other ways to do this? E-mail me and I'll post the responses here. 
