Teens as Time-Savers: Getting Kids to Help Around the House

Community Manager — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:59:00 GMT

Working parents are chronically pressed for time, juggling the needs of family, home and work. Yet many busy families fail to take full advantage of a useful, free resource that can typically be found sprawled across the sofa, cell phone in one hand, snack in another. Yes, we're talking about your teen.

Savvy parents press their teens into service on a variety of tasks around the house: from lawn care to cooking, to shopping and cleaning. Requiring teens to pitch in on running the household is a win-win for all. Parents get needed help around the house and teens learn critical life skills for navigating the adult world.

What's for Dinner?: Turn the nightly "what's-for-dinner?" question over to your teens once a week. In My Sons, The Sous-Chefs, NYT reporter Leslie Kaufman recounts how with some prep work (i.e. providing basic kitchen training and guidance on recipe selection) she was able to outsource two meals a week to her teen sons.

Bag Grocery Shopping: Teens and their bottomless-pit appetites make stocking the house with groceries an ongoing (and expensive!) task. Deputize your teen to take over the grocery run by buying a portable shopping cart they can walk to the store, list in hand. If groceries aren't within walking distance, drop your child off while you run other errands and arrange to pick her and the groceries up at a set time. Online financial site Mint.com has great tips for teaching kids to navigate supermarkets with a budget here.

Live-In Housekeeper: Live-in housekeepers may seem like a luxury for celebrities and mega millionaires but when you deputize the multiple members of a family to pitch in on chores, it's like having your own live-in cleaning squadron. Read Who Needs a Housekeeper? for tips on teaching kids cleaning fundamentals.

Laundry 101: Laundry ain't rocket science but then again knowing how to sort colors, choose water temps and follow garment care labels isn't instinctive either. Take time to teach your teen laundry basics; you are giving them a skill they will use until they are old enough to teach their own kids to take over laundry duty. Step-by-step instructions can be found in this useful post.

Finally, we leave you with advice on setting up a user-friendly, equitable chore chart from our past post Why Scheduling Household Chores Works.

Let us know how your new chore charts work. Does having teens pitch in help your household run more smoothly? Is your teen slowly acquiring needed life skills? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Why Scheduling Household Chores Works

Community Manager — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:20:00 GMT

Tired of arguing about whose turn it is to take out the trash? Commit to a schedule of household chores for less stress, greater efficiency and yes, fewer arguments. Check the chart sweetie - it's your turn!

Not sure where to get started? We have some terrific resources that will have you whipping up a fair, user-friendly division of labor in no time.

Chore Chart by Shift Schedules: A chore maker spreadsheet that assigns chores to individuals in a random manner for a one week period; now no one can say you're playing favorites. Great for big families, or multiple roommates, the chart is able to assign up to eight people to as many as sixteen chores.

How to Maximize Your Schedule with a Family Chore Chart: Offers step-by-step advice on identifying, assigning and checking up on chores. Also includes a chore chart template.

Roommate Cleaning Issues? How to Split Up Chores without Splitting up Friends: Offers advice on how to manage chores when living with roommates as well as a tips on creating charts for the cleaning-impaired (i.e. specific directions on dusting, etc. for individuals unfamiliar with the domestic arts.)

Finally, we leave you with this About.com link which has not only numerous, customizable chore chart templates but useful articles on the benefits of a chore chart, how to convince kids to follow the chart as well as advice on age-appropriate chores.

Do you use a chore chart to keep your household running? What tips and tricks help you use a chore chart effectively? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

Beyond Folders : chores

Teens as Time-Savers: Getting Kids to Help Around the House

Why Scheduling Household Chores Works