Activity AND chore ideas for a 5 year old....

[WDWorBUST]

DH is going to be gone for 11 weeks for training with work - he'll get to come home 3 weekends during that time. So here is my dilemma - I am going to be a single parent for 11 weeks. DD is a little bit spoiled (okay maybe a lot) and I've been wanting to work on giving her some responsibilities....some will be because she is a member of this family and some will be for an "allowance". I also don't want to get in a rut of sitting around watching tv so I'd like to make up a list of activities (free or cheap) that we can do a jar and she can pick one each day. So it needs to be a fun activity of about 1/2-1 hour. I really want to make sure I'm getting quality time with her. SOOOO....I need ideas for:

1.) Age appropriate chores / responsibilities for a 5 year old.

and

2. ) Fun activities that can be done in an evening (things like playing in the backyard count).

Thanks!
Amanda

 

[AwaitingMagic]

She can put silverware away out of the dishwasher; pick up her clothes; fold washclothes, small items of laundry; if you have a pet, she can help feed/water/take care of the pet; water flowers and plants; make her bed.

For fun things - play a game, have an ice cream cone, read a story, go to the park, stay up 10 min. late

 

[tricia]

My DS has had to Swiffer the dining room and kitchen every night after dinner for the past 18 months. Doesn't do a great job, but it is his responsibility.

Playing board games, Jenga, Operation, Trouble. Outdoor, kicking a soccer ball around, back yard tennis or badminton, running thru sprinkler (if weather is nice), bike ride, roller blading.

 

[pjzkent]

We use set the table as a member of the family job...

My 5 yo likes to take the laundry out of the washer and put it into the dryer, and then take stuff out of the dryer as a reward job

Also, take out the trash and put their laundry away is also a reward job. We pay with tokens, and after they save xxx number of tokens they can trade them in for a special treat, like a Burger King trip

Activities-go to the park in our neighborhood. A bigger park with more stuff to do that we don't go to very often is also a treat

 

[cuppycake]

Some chores that my girls do (ages 6 and 4):
-put away silverware from dishwasher
-clear their own dishes from dinner table
-match socks when doing landry
-fold towels
-help put clean shirts on hangers
-make their own beds (of course, not perfect)
-pick up their playroom before going to bed (again, not perfect, but so you can see the floor )
-they love to swiffer and/or sweep the tile and wood floors
-take mail to/from mailbox (with me watching out the door, of course)
-help to feed cats

A few thoughts on fun activities...my girls are really into crafty/science-y things, so something like making homemade playdoh, making slime, growing crystals and things like that get them really excited.

What about cooking a special dessert together (my girls love to decorate cupcakes)? If you use a homemade recipe, rather than a box, you get to do more together and can make a smaller amount.

Xtra books before bed.

Do a puzzle together. They make some great ones that aren't too hard for kids, but aren't simple either (maybe 100 pieces?).

I think the go to a bigger park is a great idea! Board games as well!

What about a special movie night (a little longer)? My six year old is starting to really enjoy some movies now.

Hugs to you. My husband voluntarily deployed with his job (government) for 4 months to Iraq last summer, and I know how rough it can be doing this job alone when you aren't used to that. Take it one day at a time, and things will be fine.

Another thought...my girls absolutely LOVED the countdown to daddy coming home chain that we made while he was gone (took a link off every night). It really helped them to understand how long he would be away.

 

[NHdisneylover]

May I suggest if having Daddy gone for extended periods is new for your child that if at all possible you start this new routine a few weeks before your DH leaves? It can be hard for kids to have a parent gone and adding more changes in the routine (and expecting more of a child--ie adding responsibilty)at the same time could make the situation much more stressful.

That said I absolutely commend you for wanting "chores" to become a part of your child's daily life. I think it is great when kids see and understand first hand what goes into being a family and know they are a contributing member. In addition to the many excellent suggestions already posted I will add the following that I did not notice (may have missed something--I skimmed):
*help prepare dinner (set out butter and condiments, slice bananas for fruit salad with a butter knife, wash apples, put rolls in a basket, etc.)
*dust low surfaces
*check for low toliet paper in bathrooms and bring spares to needed areas. Same with klenex or paper towels anywhere you use them he can reach
*carry baskets of folded laundry to correct rooms


My DH works away quiet often and started having to do so when my oldest was about your son's age. For activities one thing that works well for us is to do things when DH is away that he doesn't like, but the kids do. It can be anything from watching movies he doesn't care for (in our case musicals), going bowling or mini golfing (both hard on DHs back), eating foods he doesn't care for for dinner, etc. It seems to take some of the sting of his going away out and the kids get their fill of listening to the Beatles (yes, I married the one guy out there who doesn't like them), etc. so that they don't mind not doing so when DH is here(not that DH would tell them they can't).
I also really like to read aloud from a novel to them every night when DH is gone. I know we will have many nights in a row when we are not rushed and have the time to sit and read. I love the closeness of it and introducing my kids to books they love that may be beyond their own reading skils. Some of the Roald Dahl books would be great for your little guy's age. Or, for soemthing more classical the Paddington or Winnie the Pooh origianl novels.

 

[WDWorBUST]

Thanks for all the great ideas so far. We have been working on the chores for the past two weeks so I think that is helping....I'm just trying to figure out what else I can add to it and trying to make it a little more structured. We are also working on her learning the value of money - hence the allowance chores - but I don't want her to think she should be paid for everything she does because that's part of being a member of the family. We are also at a point that we are working really hard on getting control of our finances and really getting aggressive with out debt so she is being told no more - which isn't a bad thing - but I'm trying to explain why and I think it will help to teach her with her own money....but I want a way for her to "earn" it because if I just give it to her I'm not teaching her anything. We have already told her we will make a countdown chain to help her understand how long he'll be gone and to build up him coming home. I know I am currently in a rut of "I can't right now sweetie I need to do fix dinner - or take care of laundry or load the dishwasher or whatever"....there never seems to be time to just play. I need to work on my own time management skills too - there is never enough time in the day.

 

[badblackpug]

Maybe to teach her the value of money next time she asks for something, tell her the price, then tell her she can do "work" to earn it and buy it herself. Make a list of chores that she can do for spending money (these will be in addition to the chores that she does as a member of the family)

for a 5 year old "member of the family chores" could include:

straightening up her room daily (including picking up toys, putting laundry in hamper making bed)
Putting away her laundry
putting away pots, pans, silver ware (my pots/pans are in low cabinets)
feed and water dogs/pets
take out trash
set table

"money chores" could include

Folding towels
sweeping porch
weeding flower beds
putting away your laundry
making your bed
watering flowers
sorting laundry
sorting recycle-ables (if you have to sort them, we don't)
in the winter cleaning snow off cars (thank goodness that is over!)

I usually assign a dollar value to chores ahead of time, the harder the chore, the more money! Cleaning the garage will get you more than making my bed! Then use a chart to keep track of how much money she has earned, so she can see her progress towards her goal.

Some inexpensive activities:

baking with mom
decorating cookies/cupcakes/cakes
make cards to send to dad
writing letters to dad
extra hour of TV/video games/computers/reading
movie night with PPV or rental and popcorn
...or a matinee
invite a friend for a sleepover
board games
plant a flower or vegetable "garden" (we do our vegetables in pots on the porch)


I have to second the previous poster who suggested reading from a longer novel each night. My parents always did this with me and I do this myself. Read a chapter from a book each day before bed. It is calming to help them sleep, and it also helps cherish a love of reading, and it is a wonderful bonding moment.
I second the Ronald Dahl books and would add

The "Little House" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The "Ramona" series by Beverly Cleary (I read they are making a movie)
Charlotte's Web
The Enormous Egg"
The "Stuart Little" books

 

[PixiePlanner]

With my DS10 when he was that age, I made a behavior/chore chart. The days of the week were across the top and the tasks were down the side. I am trying to remember what the things on there were.

I got ready this morning
I was nice to my friends at pre-school
I helped Dad after school
I helped Mom in the kitchen
I set the table
I kept the water in the bathtub
I put my toys away
I did a good job brushing my teeth
I had a really good day (this was if Teacher, Dad or I had witnessed him doing something extra: kind to a friend, help sister, etc.)

After brushing teeth, we would get the chart. DS put smiles (he hadn't mastered a star yet) in the appropriate box. At the bottom of the chart I had rewards listed depending on how many smiles for the week. More smiles, the better the reward. Call a relative(out of state-he loved this because he got to pick who),Bake cookies w/ Mom, Buy a new book, Buy a new toy. Only one week did my son not earn a reward. He was upset but learned from it. My husband loved the homemade cookies too.

 

[Tinkmom75]

It's so great you are adding chores for responsibility. A lot of the kids in my neighborhood don't understand that my kids can't play if their chores aren't done. They don't have chores.

My DS3 vacuums and he likes it. He tried the dishes the other day with my supervision. It was his idea. No knives of course. They weren't clean and there was water everywhere, but he enjoyed it and he was actually trying to scub and rinse them. I had to re-do them of course There are a lot of good ideas here.

 

[littlezar]

Chores my 2 yr old (3 next month) does: feeds the dog (I hold the bowl and tell him when he's scooped enough), helps 11 year old take out recycling and throws it into the can, puts away certain groceries (he knows where go-gurt, lunchmeat, cheese & popsicles go, LOL) and cleans up toys (I usually have to go back and put stuff into the correct bin so it's easier for him to find but I do that after he goes to bed)

My older boys keep their rooms clean, make their beds, vacuum their rooms, hallway upstairs, stairs and all of downstairs, take out garbage/recycling and to the curb on appropriate day, clean 1/2 bath downstairs and their full bath upstairs, cut the grass (oldest only), sweep patio, put groceries away, sort laundry & clear the dinner table. (There's probably more but that's all I could think of on 1/2 cup of coffee)

 

[PixiePlanner]

I don't know if anyone mentioned this board game. I think it is called Princess or something. The "pawns" are Sleeping Beauty in different colored dresses. My daughter got it for Christmas & loves it. She and I battle over the crown. It only takes 10-15 minutes to play so sometimes we have played up to 3 times. My nieces now 16&18 played when they were little and said they would still play it!