There is 1 tradition that happens in families all over the world when seasons change. We hand things down. Yes, the normal family will go through clothes and toys and pass them down to the youngest child in the family they fit. In our family we have the same tradition with chores. Chore training can be time consuming so the summer is a great time to tackle it!

It takes a lot to make a family go around. Mom and dad can not, and should not, do it all on their own. Many hands make light work, it is proven. Giving our children chores is also good for them. It trains them to take care of themselves and develop an attitude of service. But I don’t think I need to convince you of the virtues of chores. But how often to you evaluate chores? Train for new ones? We all get in a rut and sometimes it is just easier to do it ourselves, at least in the short run. But summer is the perfect time to evaluate who does what chores and who can handle more!

Here in the NerdFamily we fol;low the mentality that the youngest child who is able to do something does it. This frees up the older children to take on more mature responsibilities thus freeing mom and dad to take care of those things that never get done!

There are 3 main areas I break these chores into: laundry, cleaning, and cooking. Each have different levels of responsibility.

Let’s look at the laundry process. The general responsibilities (getting more difficult): putting your clothes away, folding your clothes, running the clothes in the dryer, running the clothes in the washer, sorting the hampers, deciding what loads get run. In our house we start having the kids put their folded clothes in the drawer pretty young. Then we slowly progress them. Right now we have 1 who runs the washer, 2 who can do the dryer, 1 who can sort, and I decide what loads are run. But we are ready to progress.

First: Have a conversation. Talk to the younger child about the fact they are ready to learn something new. Remember that more responsibility may mean more privileges (always a selling point).
Second: Then you have the younger child shadow the older child for an agreed upon time period. During this time they get to ask the older child any questions they want! I even encourage them to take notes if they feel they need it (more of a cooking issue).
Third: The older child will shadow the younger child while the younger child tackles the choir. The older child is there to make sure it gets done correctly but with minimal input from them. Usually I say this goes on until the younger child gets it perfect 3 times.
Fourth: Officially hand this responsibility to the younger child and train the older child to do something new!

That is it! Chore training may take a little time but it will pay off big time all year and for years to come.

This is part of my 10 Days to a Better School Year. Make sure you check out my other posts and everyone in the 10 Days of Tips for Homeschool Moms. And enter the giveaway!!!