Age Appropriate "Chores" for My 11 Year Old Son

My son is 12, and has ADD. He empties the trash, (throughout the entire house) daily, and weekly pulls the carts to the curb for pickup by the trash truck. He cleans his room daily. He runs the vacuum twice a week, and cleans the bathroom twice a week. He folds laundry and matches socks while he watches t.v., and if he doesnt' want to fold and match, then he doesnt' watch t.v.
We don't pay him an allowance as he's a productive member of our family.
To earn extra money, he has to mow and trim the yard in the summer. Shovel snow in the winter. We pay him for that. Sometimes special chores will be paid for, but not the daily ones. He's been doing these since he was 10.

Chores are teaching responsibility and also skills for living out on his own when he is grown up. (I know some boys that can't match socks when they are 20....so these are things that will be useful)

My 6.5 yr old now empties the dishwasher (this started as putting away the silverware when she was 3). She gathers all the trash for Daddie to take to the dumpster. She's learning to sort laundry and help in the garden. And she keeps an eye on her little brother while I'm busy.

She doesn't get paid for this - it's her part of sharing the family load. However, we are starting a "pay-day" where she'll receive a check for $5 per week. (Our Credit union gives tokens to earn prizes for kids making deposits.) She set aside 10% for offering, 50% for savings and 40% for spending.

The chores we have here at home are..

Vacuuming every day
picking things up in the dining room/living room
dumping trash in bathrooms
wiping down the sinks in the bathrooms each day with a wet wipe
clean the toilet once a week (we have the toilet wand..makes it fun for the kids)
sort laundry into appropriate colors/shades
and cleaning up their room every day

I've been told that we give our kids too much..but they do a good job and our 5 year old is learning about money and that it doesn't grow on trees. We have a chart and if everything is done for one day without me having to get onto her or if she does it very willingly, it's a dollar per day. At the end of the week she could earn anywhere from $0-5. Friday is payday.
My four year old however, is a lot less mature than my 5 year old, amazing the difference in maturity whithin a year...anyway, my four year old has to have two days of getting all of her stickers and then she gets something from the prize box.
I would asign him chores on your own and then also ask what he'd like to do (within reason).
Have fun :)
C.

When I was his age I helped out a lot around the house. I took out the trash, sorted the recycling, helped with sorting laundry - washing & hanging up (I would use caution with this one... my brother was horrible at laundry and ruined a lot of my clothes), washed the dishes, swept, dusted, fed & watered the pets, etc.

I'm not sure about allowance, it's been a while... not sure how inflation and the current economy has effected the rates. ;)

Hmmm, having an 11 yr old! Boy would I put him to work....:) I would definitely say: collecting & taking out trash/recycling, helping get younger sibblings to bed/bath when needed, if he doesn't know how to do laundry he should start learning....and definitely help with fold, sort, and put away. Dust, sweep/vacuum floors, clean mirrors/TVs, clean bathrooms, help with yard chores (shovel snow, mow lawn, rake leaves, etc.), keep room clean, make dinner, do dishes, put away dishes, unload car from grocery store and put away food. For an 11 yr old I think $2-3/wk would be appropriate. I would also recommend that he consider starting to babysit. You could do this supervised in the house or give him the job of watching his younger sibblings (while you do something decadant like take a long bubble bath, etc.) This also keeps his options open for 12-15 when he's at the awkward age of not being able to get a "real" job.

My grandma used to tell us what she needed done and had us "charge" her accordingly. Of course, she could disagree or haggle over the costs as well... I think the important thing to teach him is that (as my mom would say) "you have 2 eyes in your head, if you see something that needs to be done, or someone that needs help...do it!" You can't ask for more than that out of a kid these days!

The "chores" should be for the allowance. Chores not done, no allowance. Maybe a better word would be pay.
Some chores that are not to be paid for: Cleaning his room, taking out the trash, taking care of his clothes (hanging them up and/or putting them in the laundry hamper). These are because he is a member of the family and should help out.
Chores to be paid for: cutting the grass, shoveling snow, babysitting the younger children.
I hope this helps. It is the way we raised our 3 children.
E.

I had my son do the followings chores:

Take the recycling to the garage as needed
Keep the living room/family room picked up
Vacuum same room 1 time a week
Keep his own room picked up,clothes to the hamper, etc.

If all these things were done with no more than 1 reminder, he would get $10.00.

Okay we do something a little different than anyone else that responded. I have 9 and 12 year old daughters. We have a chore chart at our house with the minimum chores expected each day such as making beds, putting away clean clothes, music practice, feeding the dog, etc. They check off each chore as they do them as well as any additional chores they do such as sweeping, unloading the dishwasher, cleaning the bathroom, etc.. At the end of the week I add up their checks. Each check is worth 5 points and each point is worth 10 cents. They can earn up to $30 each week (don't have a heart attack yet, keep reading). They give a 10% tithe to church, 40% goes into savings, and 50% is theirs to use however they choose. They pay for their own clothes, camp fees, etc. out of their savings. They buy their own toys, movies, games, etc. out of their half of allowance. They are much more conscious now to make sure that the stuff they are buying is stuff they are really going to use and need. In fact, a common phrase I hear from them now is "I really like this, but I'm not sure I would actually use it" or "maybe I'll wait til it's on sale."

By the way, we also deduct points for chores not done or for bad attitudes/behaviors if they should pop up. However, it has been quite some time since I've had to deduct any points.

Hey S.,

See list below for what my 11 yo son does for chores. Keep in mind he's been working up to it and I've been training him since he's been about 3. He's the most capable kid of all his friends. I highly recommend chores for real life training in skills he will actually need and use. Also, it helps attitude and helps kids realize you are not their personal slave. I give my son $3 per week but that is just for being part of the family, not for doing his chores. However, if he refuses to do chores I wouldn't be against docking his pay in order to pay another sibling or myself to do his chores.

I set up a weekly rotation of chores that I change 1-3 times per year as he gets bored or frustrated. I've tried to gear chores to generally be 1/2 hour or less but as you can see, some would take longer. Here are all the chores he has done:

Load/unload dishwasher
vacuum/sweep all floors
clean/dust/vacuum his room
clean sink and toilet in bathroom
vacuum car
dust all rooms
water plants
change oil in cars (this is recent and he wouldn't be doing alone yet)
mow lawn (recent too but his is very capable - we pay him $15 to do this)
wipe out cabinets (kitchen/bathorom)
wipe down appliances
wipe out shelves in refrigerator
take out trash
gather trash from all rooms
supervise younger sibling for 1/2 hour
clean windows
deadhead flowers
cook dinner
do laundry
scoop cat litter

Hope that helps!

Amanda

Hi S.,

i think that an allowance is a very good idea for almost any age child. These days it is just easier to give children money without teaching them the value of money.

My advice is to make it progressive. Begin his chores with something that he likes and something that he doesn't like to do so much both inside and outside. Pay him a smaller amount to begin with and as he does his job better and better, increase his allowance. Make it agreed on that if he DOESN'T fulfill his agreement, that he will not receive his allowance. AND STICK TO IT.

What he does as chores will depend on what your needs are... dishwashing, vacuuming,etc and the pay needs to be whatever you can comfortably afford.

Also, I suggest that he agree that he will put back and save a portion of his allowance and be able to spend the remainder on anything that he wants.

On the other hand, you don't want him to grow up thinking that everything that he does for you or around the house he should be paid for. (I think) that it should be his responsibility to keep his room cleaned up and do little things for you without expecting to be asked or paid for. Chores and allowances should come second. Make that plain from the beginning.

The most important things about chores and allowances are to establish responsibility, the value of money, and most important, as a man he will have a better understanding of what a woman goes through to make a home a home.

Hope this helps a little! P. H.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME:

I am a part time stay at home mom and I have 2 children. I am a director with www.coastalabundance.com. I love to travel and make a lot of money from home in my spare time. If I can do this...anyone can!

Great question! I have 5 children and "chores" are done because you are a part of the family and I feed you. My 11 yo son is in charge of all of the vaccumming, the trash, feeding the pets, cleaning the yard, getting the mail and the paper, setting and clearing the table each night and making sure all of the laundry is in the laundry room. He also makes the coffee and helps with the cooking. the 3 yo can be in charge of quality contol wiping things up, putting dishes away and setting the table. the 18 mo can be in charge of making sure the silverware is put away properly (this is actually building math skills with the sorting and matching. An allowance would be earned on extra jobs. Negotiate on compensation for cleaing out the garage, mowing, other yard work and cleaning bathrooms.

When my twin brother and I were 11, we were doing dishes including hand-washing, taking out the trash, cleaning vehicles, dusting the whole house, mopping, sweeping porches, organizing the messy desk, even cooking simple dinners and cleaning up those dinners. An 11 year old can do a LOT! Our son's jobs when he was 2 was putting the silverware in the dishwasher, throwing trash away when we asked, helping move the clothes from the washer to dryer (front-loading), and much more! I don't know what the going rate is, but our kids will get a weekly allowance, but not as a reward for chores, just part of being in our family. However, if they slack, allowance will be taken away. EXTRA jobs that are above and beyond the normal chores will warrant a little extra allowance.

I like the words, "Chores are things we do to help the whole family" which implies that everyone is expected to do certain things just because they're part of a family and we do things to help each other!

I have an 11 year old daughter. She sweeps the bathrooms floors, and cleans the sink and mirror with glass cleaner (these are only done a few times a week). She also is responsible for unloading the dishwasher and changing the loads of laundry from washer to dryer, adding the dryer sheet, and folding any that come out of the dryer. She also has to fold all of her laundry and put it away. I lay it out for her, but she learns that if she puts them away sloppy, then they will look sloppy when she gets it out to wear it. I have other children and my going rate is half their age. The older they get, the more involved the chores, but the more money they get paid as well.

Everyone's ideas on here are really great. and i'll be taking some of these ideas with me.

I have a 4 yr. son and a 3 yr. old son. Both of them make their beds before breakfast. They also pick up the toys in the play area. they help unload the clean dishes(not the knives or breakables)from the dishwasher, my oldest loves to fold the wash cloths when i do the towel loads.(he can't manage a big towel yet.) He also sorts out the socks and he'll put his own together and put them away. He also put some of his other laundry away. He also helps me with putting laundry in the wahser and takes it out of the dryer. Both boys help dust. My oldest brings the empty trash can from the road back to the house. We give them quarters for every job they earn and we have a quarter jar for each of them.(i made them with plastic jelly jars and put construction paper around it. They decorated it how they wanted.)
I remember being 11 and having to keep my room picked up, help do dishes, clear the table or set(i have a brother so i did one, he did the other.), take out trash to the cans and also took cans to the road, brought them in, dusted, vaccuumed, swept the floor, fed animals, cleaned litter box, raked leaves. We got 5.00/week for all the chores. Once i became 16 i got my own job at mcdonalds. That was then my source of income to do with what i wanted.

Doing the dishes, taking out the trash...as well as gathering up the trash through out the house, running the sweeper, dusting, watering the plants & wiping down the bathroom every other day. He's eleven & depending on your chore list & budget I think ten/twenty dollars a week. Good luck to you & God Bless.

At 11 your child can do almost anything that you can do, just don't expect it to be perfect! I have four kids ages 9-1 and each of them have "chores" small things that I don't mind if not done perfectly or would be no big deal for me to go back through ( when they are not looking ) and redo it. My 9 yo is resp for unloading the dishwasher vacuuming her own bedroom putting away her own laundry in charge, not doing all, of playroom clean up etc. 6yo loads dishwasher, with help,puts away own laundry, mops w/ non toxic cleaner etc 4yo wipes bathroom w non toxic cleaner puts away own laundry etc. i yo puts toys in appropriate room. They all chose their own chores during a meeting and sometimes they trade amongst each other. They do not get paid, our rule is at 10 if you want allowance you get it but it covers your expenses, going out w/friends going to movies etc. But they do get prizes on the occasion for their efforts! Also for younget kids there is a website called housefairy.org it is really neat and helps encourage kids to clean their rooms!

First of all he shouldn't be paid for things that are just apart of life such as keeping his room clean, doing his laundry, taking out trash, doing dishes, cleaning the bathroom, cooking and general house cleaning. I pay for painting rooms, cleaning the garage, mowing the yard (sometimes that is just a normal unpaid job depending on the size of the yard), washing the car and cleaning the inside of the car. He could also mow your neighbor's yard for extra cash. Remind him to give 10% to charity, save 50% and spend 40%. This will give him good money managing skills.
D.-mom of 9

Hi S.! My response is going to be alot different than the rest you have received. My oldest just turned 13 and he's been getting an allowance since he was at least four with out any responsibilities attached. I started with a few dollars to help him learn to manage money. He has been getting $10 a week for about 5 years now. (No, I don't have high paying job or live in a mansion or drive brand new vehicles) There's always been a catch to this money, such as if he wants to go somewhere & it's not in my budget he pays his way (movies, McDonalds, skating) My kids also don't get toys, video games, movies just because when we go to the store, if they want it they buy it. I don't tell him what he can or cannot do with this money or how to distribute it as it is his money to learn to manage. I make suggestions & give guidance, but demand nothing. I have been teaching him how to do laundry, take out trash, dust, how to actually CLEAN his room (not just move the mess around)because he needs to learn these things to survive in life & be a good father. I also have a 7 year old boy who loves to help out (folds towels, mops, cooks, sets table), same rules with him. Remember they're not going do a perfect job but don't be too critical or they won't try at all. I figure any help (with honest effort) I get beats if I had to do it all by myself or if the job hadn't gotten done at all. Hopefully you'll find a solution that's good for your family.

My son is 11 also. My husband spent a weekend teaching him how to mow and to be safe and now he mows the neighbors lawns for money in the summer and makes pretty good money.
He also takes the trash out on trash day which is quite a lot for a family of 6. He can do dishes, haul in groceries... But I also think it's important that payment is minimal. Those chores are part of makine a household run and everyone should pitch in. I will only pay him for the extras. When he does someone elses chore because they aren't home. He's 11 so he doesn't need to make a ton of money... And for the recored, my 7 year old is now dumping the kitchen trash and dusts for me sometimes... Kids are far more capable than they let on. I have 4 of them. 13, 11, 11 and 7.

My son is 12, and we don't pay any og the children for household chores as we believe that he is a part of the family, he needs to help out. My 5 year old just got the resposibility of helping empty the dryer when it is done, folds towel and washclothes, cleans the TV room and her room, and helps set the table each day. We DO however pay for "extra" things (raking the mowed lawn, shoveling snow, helping clean out the garage and barn,) and before he starts he needs to tell me or dad what he thinks the job is worth. THis teaches them the value of their time and effort.....hth

~A.~ (mom of 6, going on 7 and only 1 boy so far)

Hi! I have 4 kids.I was told by a neighbor once not to pay my
kids to do chores just hire them out to the neighbors for them
to earn money so what we did was every 2 weeks we gave each
chils ten dollars and taught them to tithe,savings,and spending so that's what we did and as they got older we increase the money until they were 15 or 16yrs old and had
a job then we stopped with the allowance. Here are some of
the chores my boys did mow the yard,they loved to did a hole
to plant something or remove something and they also did dishes and clean out the vehicle.Sometimes I would ask them what chores they want to do for 2wks then have them do something different the next 2wks. We live in the country so
its easy to find something to do and we have all went and
helped elderly people get some things done that they can't
do anymore. And there are those times we just reward they
with a few dollars because we senn them do something without
being told to do it. I hope this helps you out. Have a great
week. B. K.

My daughter is 8. At our old house, her allowance was $2/week. She had to make her bed every morning, put all dirty clothes in the laundry, pick up her room before bedtime and make sure none of her things were in the living room (in case I wanted to tidy up after she was in bed). Forgetting to do any chore any day cost her a quarter. Two weeks ago, we moved. She now has her own bathroom. We added changing the empty tp roll and emptying the trash and general "keep your bathroom tidy." So her allowance is now $3/week.
Allowance is a fabulous motivator to get your child to remmember to do all of the things you want him/her to do. Before we started allowance, we sat and talked about what we would put on the list and what would happen if those things were not done. Then I printed that list (concequences included) on the computer and framed it on my daughter's wall. In the 9 months we have been doing it, she has only lost 2 quarters.

Hope you have as much luck with it as we have!!

At 11 he can do alot of stuff around the house.
Dishes - set table - unload/load dishwasher.
Laundry - all HIS laundry to the laundry room - sort laundry by whites/darks/brights - put away laundry in his drawers.
Trash - empty all baskets from the house into the big one. Take the bin to the curb on trash day and return it after pick up. And the Recycling.
Clean up his room - toys - trash - laundry.
We have 5 boys and we wanted them to be good husbands someday so we taught them early! We agreed with Dr Dobson years ago when he suggested to Train Your Children Backwards. Email me if you want an explaination on that!
And at our house at "double digits" they can start to mow the lawn.
BTW - they never got PAID for doing any of this. They are part of the family and we all help.

I would think an 11 year old can do about everything. My kids are 15, 12, and 8. They do the dishes, sweep and mop the floor, vaccuum, dust, cook dinner, do the laundry and we have 10-15 loads of laundry a week, clean the bathrooms, mow the lawn, clean the cars, and other stuff. My 8 yr old takes out the trash, does dishes, helps cook dinner, dust, vaccuums, makes his bed, carries down laundry and sorts it, sweeps and mops the floor. I pay them so much per chore. They range from .25-2.00 each for the house chores and pay them 5.00 to mow the lawn. Depending on how much they do they can earn 10-20.00 a week if they wanted to but most of the time they make 3-7.00 a week as they haven't figured it out that the more they do the more they could make but are content with what they make right now and they are very involved in youth activities and campouts so they have to pay for these events with their chore money. I got tired of paying for every event and them not helping out so came up with the pay per chore so I could see how much they are helping out. I have the chart on the fridge with a plastic cover over it and use a dry erase marker. They put their initial in the box when they do that chore. I have Sunday-Saturday at the top and the list of chores down the side then they put their initial on the chore under the day they do it.
My husband and I also put our initials in when we do a chore so the kids can see that we do the chores too and it's just not them doing all the work.
I do not pay them for cleaning their rooms or making their beds. That is expected and if I have to clean their rooms I charge them a minimum of 1.00 and could be more if it is real bad. Their rooms are their responsibility and is our expectation to keep them clean and they put their clothes away and make their beds without pay. I also pay them cheap as I told them they live here too and can't expect to get paid what they might make working for someone else. Most of the chores are .25-.50 each and pay them 2.00 to clean the bathroom but must be very clean and 5.00 for the lawn.
When my 15 yr old needs more money for camp or something big he will do all the higher paid chores to make more money quicker. This year they will be going on a fine arts trip that cost about 300.00 per kid as they are going to a national competition and I will be going as a chaperone and also church camp which is 140.00 per kid so they are working hard and will also be working fundraisers to earn their money to go. They also get deductions for attitudes. They also know that we are paying them so they can go on their outings but that they should still help others out without pay and not everything they do in life will earn money. We are very involved in our church and they help out wherever needed and don't expect anything in return. They are all good workers and other people in church love to have them help because they do a good job and don't complain about doing it and sometimes they pay them as well but they are willing to work for free if asked too.

FYI- I read a couple months ago that involvement in household chores is the single best predictor of future success in school and life (not IQ, extra-curriculars, etc.)- so it's great that you're getting your son involved. And your 3 year old is old enough to put clothes in the laundry hamper after bathtime, etc. too.

Hi there! My kids are 13, 12 and 8. They have been doing chores for the ast 2 years at the house. We switch every week and they are to do them 3 times a week....usually 2 are all that realistically happen though. There are 3 "groups" of chores:
1. Bathroom: Sweep and swiffer (dry cloth) the floor for dust and hair, clean the mirrors and clean the toilet and sink.
2. Living room/Dining Room: Sweep the floor and swiffer (dry) dust cofee tables and clean the tv.
3. Kitchen/Laundry Room: Sweep and swiffer (dry) the floor, take out trash and recycles, and clean out kitty litter.

OMG this helps me tremendously!

I give my kids 5.00 a week for doing this.....if they do them and I have them put 5-10 in their savings account at the bank every month from what they get.

Hope this gives you some ideas!

Good Morning S., I would think your son could and should make his bed before school, keep his room picked up etc. If you want to add taking out trash he is old enough. Maybe helping to set the table or clear it after dinner.

Have him be responsible for a few things for a while and add to it as he becomes used to helping out. If dad has things he could do out side in the summer months get him involved with a few of those. Give him alot of thank yous and praise for a job well done.

Five dollars a week is good to start or you could have each task with a different amount.
Example only. Room up keep per week 1 dollar a day, if he misses a couple of days he gets 3 dollars for the days he did the task.

Talk it over with your hubby and see what you can come up with.
Good Luck and hang in there kids have tendency to want the money but not the jobs to earn it. :)

Always
K. aka Nana K of 5 grand kids

S.,

When my 13 year old daughter was 11 her chores were to empty the dishwasher, fold clothes and put the stacks in the proper rooms, help clean off the table after supper including putting the food back into the refrig not just on the cabinet. She also had to put her dirty clothes from her hamper in the laundry room 2 times a week and pick up her room every Saturday morning. With 3 kids and working two jobs the everyday cleaning is kind of hard.

We kept a list on a dry erase board and she marked through each chore as they were done. We paid her a quarter a chore. If a chore was not done or she complained and threw a fit before doing it she did not get paid for it.

There are chores that she needs to do just because we are a family and as part of a family we do them without pay but to teach her how hard you must work for the money we thought that some chore/pay jobs needed to be started. However, with the allowance being paid, I do not buy her extras when we are out like gum, candy or juice at the gas station. She is earning money she can pay for the extras. If I have to buy them, then we don't do the allowance. She needed to learn that there are consequences for her decisions.

Now, during the school year she does the chore/pay and in the summer months when we do more, she does the chores without so that I pay for her extras when we go places.

Good luck with your decision. It is hard to decide how many chores and how much to pay but make sure that what you pay your budget can afford. I have 3 kids and it can get tight some times.

L. K

I also have an 11 year old son and his chores are, make his bed, gather up all dirty clothes and take to laundry room and take out bathroom and kitchen trash he also has to unload and load dishwasher. I would say 10 bucks or maybe less would be good. I fortunatley have a child that does not expect to be paid but understands the importance of helping out the MOM.

Hi S.,

I know you have had lots of responses, so I will try not to bore you. As a mother of 8, I discovered what you call "chores" can make a difference in attitudes. We call our "chores" a PLS. PLS stands for Productive Life Skills. By 11, there is not anything I can think of that needs to be done on a regular basis that a child cannot do. Our children are required to do their own laundry from 10 years old on. My mother had 6 sons and all of them knew how to run a household before they left home and that knowledge has stood them in good stead. Since we have several children, we are able to spread the "chores" evenly by rooms, but depending on how large a home you have, you may want to go easy. I would say 30 minutes of work above and beyond his own room and clothing is a good starting point. Whatever bathroom he uses the most is a MUST in my book and his future wife will love you for teaching him that cleaning up unnecessary messes is not a fun job!! : ) As for amount, that could be determined by what you require him to pay for out of the allowance. If it is just "fun" money, he should have a lot less, (I advocate tithing on "fun" money too,) but if it is to cover his "expenses" for youth group, scouts, school activities, etc., then you will want to give him more. All our children started helping out with specific assigned tasks by age 5. Hope this helps.

Hi S. G,
My 9 year old boy empties the dishwasher every day, he also empties half of the little trash cans around the house once a week and sweeps the kitchen floor whenever asked.
My 7 year old boy folds the towels twice a week and empties half of the little trash cans around the house once a week and sweeps the kitchen floor whenever asked.
They both help pick up the living room a couple times a week because my 1 yr old and 3 yr old make a big mess. I might start my 3 yr old daughter on some task but don't know what's appropriate for a girl because she's my only girl. I hope this helps. Being part of the family and contributing to the family chores is a necessary part of life. It builds character and it even helps build their self asteem. They don't get "paid" for doing these chores, however, they do get an allowance as 'being part of the family'.
I was told that Fifty Cents per year (i.e., $4.50 for 9 yr old) is a good amount for allowance, but we can't afford that so ours is about half of that. (They learn to just save up until they have enough for another Playstation game.) Oh, and I almost forgot, I was also told not to 'spot them' the money if they don't have it with them. Just remind them to bring their money if you are going somewhere. Also, we shouldn't help with the tax when they are making a purchase, they should save up enough for the whole purchase. Hope this helps.

take out trash and set trash can to the curb on those days. make bed and keep room clean. Take cloths to the laundry area on a certain day. Yard work. sweep garage or patio. I would pay a weekly amount of what your budget allowes, I think that we all need to have children do these chores they are not punishemnt but teaching them life lessons to carry into adult hood.

Okay...I've read most of the responses and I have to give you this advice first:
MAKING THEIR BED AND KEEPING THEIR ROOM CLEAN IS THEIR RESPONSIBILTY, not a chore for which they should receive allowance-they receive payment already for this with room and board, laundry services and food. Seriously. Some of you will probably roll your eyes at this notion, but it works and teaches them accountability as well as responsibility. You can start this train of thinking with your 3-year old right now.
The chore chart works great as long as each task has an amount associated. For example, in our house, taking the trash out to the outside can per trip is $.25, or $.50 if they gather the trash from all the cans in the house (usually 2x/week). Yard duty, including poopy pick up and disposal is $1.25. Walking the dumpster to the curb and returning it to its home is $1.00 (2x/week). Dishes per unload/load is $1.00. The chart should have all of the chores listed on the side and the days of the week across the top. When each chore is completed, have your son mark an "X" in the completed chore on the day in which it was completed. Add up the amounts at the end of the week.
The opportunity is there for my son to earn about $10 per week. Be sure to emphasize the word "earn" and when you dish out the allowance to him, tell him how proud you are of the hard work he's done. Good luck!

I raised 2 boys and there chores where take out the trash and make sure that there room was clean.
Maybe do the dishes now and then.
Maybe vacuum his room.
Maybe help clean the bathroom as well not much for a boy. Now that it is getting to be spring some yard work like picking up trash in the yard or sticks.Or straightening up the garage if you have one

And the going rate for allowance that depends on you I would say.

Maybe 10.00 or 15.00 a week and as he does more then add more money to it.
I had even taught my boys to cook but at a little older age. There are so many boys or “men” living alone that I wanted them to be able to fend for themself.
And to know how to keep there place clean as well. Don’t make him do it all but share in the responsibility
I hope that this will help you out…
and good luck...

Dear S., I have now 3 grown children. Chores are inportant for children as they grow now. If he has had chores before now then just add a few. I started out with the dishes and watched them. Sure it takes more time to do the job but it is well worth it later. When they became teenagers they knew how to take care of themselves. My son said to me one day during his first year in the servise: mom, you would not believe how many guys can not wash their own clothes. I had a day for each of my children to wash all the clothes. They learned to gather from the main laudery and sort, and etc. Hint don't forget to tell them that certain clothes are not washed in hot water I had forgotten and ended up with a sweater small enough for Barbie doll.
Making their bed: basic cleaning their room, gathering the dishes. Be pecific in what you want them to do because some will get frustrated if you just say clean up the room. I remember when I was a teen my mom said to clean up my room and I went into my closet and threw everything out: Sorting everything. My mom sure was mad at me. I just did not understand how to organize. Most of all make it a game and fit into their time of homework and freetime. Some children will clam they have more homework just to get out of chores so you have to get creative with games. Like beat the clock and have upbeat music for him; his syle. Have a great smile-ly day.