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SaraP
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| Posted: June 22 2010 at 1:48pm | IP Logged
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Ideas, please. Thanks!
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Mama to six on earth, two in heaven and two waiting in Russia. Foxberry Farm Almanac
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: June 22 2010 at 1:52pm | IP Logged
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dust low things.. wipe down lower walls.. pick up floors.. put away silverware.. rinse dishes in a sink of water if you handwash.. put clothes into the dryer as you hand them out of the washer.. hand you anything.. one child loved to hand me clothespins when I was hanging clothes on the line.. we practised counting with them while hanging out clothes too 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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St. Ann
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| Posted: June 22 2010 at 2:40pm | IP Logged
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Put all the shoes away nicely in the mud room or entry way...
Use the little dust pan and hand broom to sweep up the pile of crumbs under the table.
Dry dishes.
Match socks while you fold the other laundry.
Let her wear an apron while doing chores! 
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Stephanie
Wife and mother to Hannah '96, Maria '99, Dorothea '01, Helena '03
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: June 22 2010 at 2:47pm | IP Logged
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::Put shoes away
::Hang up/straighten coats
::Sweep front porch (not perfectly of course)
::Water plants
::Match socks
::Fold clothes (esp. towels....we save all hand towels and washclothes in a bin for the little ones to fold)
::Hang up bathroom rug
::Empty dishwasher with things that are at a low level
--with older child who does the rest
::Swiffer under couches
::Use the Dustbuster on designated areas
::Wipe doorknobs
::Shake small rugs
::Empty small recycling baskets into a central one, if reachable.
::Help transfer laundry
::Gather laundry from drying racks and bring to XYZ
::Fill up water bottles in the morning
::Wipe windowsills or other reachable surfaces
::Keep various paper products filled: paper napkins, toilet paper, etc.
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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hylabrook1
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| Posted: June 22 2010 at 3:26pm | IP Logged
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Dusting can be fun if you wear an old sock on your hand as a dustcloth.
Peace,
Nancy
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Erin
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| Posted: June 22 2010 at 3:45pm | IP Logged
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Help set the table and clear.
Pick up toys.
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Erin
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Seven Little Australians
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Lori
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| Posted: June 22 2010 at 4:11pm | IP Logged
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Nancy, the old sock for dusting idea is awesome! Thanks!
We always had the little ones feed the dry food to the pets and fill up the water bowls...fold the socks, hand towels, washcloths...straighten the "shoe barn" (what my dh calls the spaces under the bench in our entry way)...wipe the table after meals...set the table, etc
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herdingkittens
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| Posted: June 25 2010 at 7:56pm | IP Logged
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spray and wipe down bathroom mirror and sink (or door knobs, or whatever) with vinegar water in a spray bottle and a rag.
I have to say, this post makes me smile imagining various 4 year olds doing these tasks. I love watching a 4 year old take their little jobs so seriously. What a SWEET and darling age!
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lovebeingamom
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*How* do you present these chores to little ones? Does anyone use a *responsibility chart*? Do you use a reward system? I have a hard time grasping an allowance for things I expect my children to learn and do - i.e. chores.
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herdingkittens
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| Posted: June 26 2010 at 11:14am | IP Logged
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We do not do rewards or allowance. We call their "chores" "helps". Based on the fact that we as a family all help each other out to keep the home running peacefully (or at least we are trying!  ). Really though, I think children love this. They love knowing they are needed and part of the team!
They have a list of helps for after every meal posted in the kitchen. We all work at the same time and for a certain amount of time. We try to let each child do jobs that they are good at or enjoy, which works very well. For example, my oldest is good with detail work and likes to make things pretty, so she gets jobs like tidy the counter (returning stray items to their homes). My son likes big motor skill jobs like watering plants and wiping the kitchen table. They are happier to do things they are well suited to.
My husband created this system (he is much tidier than I) and it has been an absolute blessing.
HTH!
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Lori
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| Posted: June 26 2010 at 11:16am | IP Logged
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Personally, we don't do allowance until we expect a child to participate in "tithing" and paying for some activities/items on their own...usually around 10 or so. And then there are still certain jobs that are more "just because we're family" and some that are more "revenue producing!"
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violingirl
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| Posted: June 26 2010 at 1:59pm | IP Logged
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Our 4yo is responsible for a few things daily that serve the family:
- sorting/putting away clean silverware while I put away the other dishes and my almost 3yo puts away the little kid cups.
- putting all the shoes away in the closet at the end of the day.
- setting the table before meals.
- picking up toys.
He also is responsble to put his own laundry away after I fold it. I do sort it into piles for him so he just has to put the stack in the correct drawer. He's learning to fold some laundry too. :) He also helps with other things when I ask- his favorite is to spray and wash windows, but he also helps with taking sheets off beds and dusting.
We haven't done any kind of allowance yet, but DH and I have discussed it lately and don't want to tie daily chores to earning money. When I was a kid we didn't earn money for regular chores but my mom kept a list of jobs we could do to earn money and how much the job was worth. So you could earn $1 for putting photos in albums for her or weeding in the garden, and maybe $5 for a really big job like sorting and organizing all the toys in the garage. We're thinking about that kind of system for our family too.
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Erin
DS (2005) DS (2007) DD (2012)
Mama In Progress
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StefA
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| Posted: June 29 2010 at 7:53am | IP Logged
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My son is almost 3 1/2, and he has been doing a lot of things listed here for a while now. He puts the silverware away from the dishwasher, will help with dusting, with sweeping, with putting laundry in the dryer, etc.
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~Stef, wife to Tsion, mother to Keegan (2-15-07) and Gianna (10-01-09), stepmother to Jayden (5-3-01)~
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Chores that a 4yo can do
