When children are young they are often eager to help with things around the house. To them, having more responsibility is fun. Parents often don’t let young kids handle things because they can take care of tasks faster themselves. This is a big mistake. Kids like to feel needed. Dealing with teenagers is a little different. Teens rarely get excited over chores. For example, if you have water fountains, young kids are always ready to help on cleaning day, even if they are only rinsing the tubing to the pump (still a very important job). Teens may need a little extra in their allowance or the promise of a new DVD or video game for a big job like cleaning the water features. If you don’t have any yet, you can find a huge variety of water fountains at Soothing Company. The tranquil sound they make calms nerves and helps reduce stress. Any parent can appreciate those benefits!

(My teenager pretending to pout over doing chores! She really knows how to do them all and is ready for the world unlike so many of her peers in this regard!)

The more variety you have in a teenager’s chore list the best chance you have of things getting done with minimal complaints. No one likes to have the same responsibility every day. Here are a few ideas your kids may be able to handle depending on their age.

• Keep their room clean
• Take out the trash
• Place trash bins by the curb the night before or morning the garbage truck comes
• Prepare some light meals for themselves, siblings, and the whole family
• Mow the lawn
• Give the dog a bath
• Walk the dog daily
• Help prepare a grocery list
• Clean the bathroom with safe cleaning products
• Vacuum, sweep, and mop floors
• Babysit siblings, when needed
• Do the laundry (at least their sports uniforms and gym clothes or loads of towels)
• Change light bulbs, as needed
• Test smoke alarms monthly (make a chart to initial so you know it is done)
• Wash the car and vacuum the inside
• Help wash walls in the spring
• Wash dishes, load and unload the dishwasher
• Dust ceiling fans
• Vacuum furniture with attachment
• Wipe baseboards in a different room each week
• Water plants
• Pack lunch for themselves and younger siblings
• Shake out area rugs outside
• Clean the cat’s litter box
• Clean the inside of the fridge
• Weed the garden
• Clean outdoor furniture
• Vacuum the pool
• Rake and bag leaves in the fall
• Shovel snow (unless it’s too heavy to safely shovel)
• Clean snow off the car before school (let older kids start the car)
• Help hang holiday lights
• Rotate pantry products
• Vacuum the stairs
• Clean windows
• Clean tracks for sliding shower doors
• Clean inside of microwave, including removing and cleaning the plate
• Wipe down all molding, door handles, and light fixtures
• Smile (yeah, they will think you are corny, but put it on the list anyway)