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Summer time. Such a beautiful time of year. The vegetation is beautiful, birds are chirping everywhere, and your kids are home from school, every day. If you have teenagers or pre-teens, this can mean lots of sleeping in and dirtying countless cups, plates, and forks. You might be looking for ways to keep them busy and teach them a thing or two. If so, this article is perfect for you. I’ve compiled the best summer chores list for teenagers.
Are summer chores important?
For me, the answer to this question is a loud YES.
The teenage years are formative years of learning responsibilities. Kids are transitioning to wanting more autonomy and freedom. Yet, they often don’t want the offset, which is to be a productive asset in the society they live in.
It’s our job as parents to teach them that, to reach independence, they must be willing to take on the corresponding set of obligations.
Assigning them chores teaches essential time management and organization skills. Just think about how hard it is for you sometimes to get it all done.
Additionally, research have shown that children who have a set of chores at home have higher self-esteem, are better able to deal with frustration, and handle delayed gratification.
It likely won’t come without pushbacks, heavy sighs, and complaints. However, someday they’ll appreciate and understand the efforts you put toward making them great adults.
Summer chores list
Recurring summer chores list
I strongly recommend a mix of recurring and one-off chores during the summer. This will save you from having to come up with new things for your teenager to do each day or week. This will also add more diversity to what they are asked to do.
- Mow the grass (we have a lightweight electric mower that is perfect for a smallish lawn)
- Vacuum the house (if you’ve read any of my blog posts, you know we are Dyson fans! Here is our vacuum)
- Do their laundry (including sheets, towels, etc)
- Drive sibling around
- Watch younger sibling
- Make meals (here are some easy meals for them to attempt)
- Dust house (favorite washable dusters)
- Clean floors (favorite floor mop for hardwood and tiles)
- Walk the dog
- Feed pets
- Load/unload the dishwasher
- Take out the trash/recycle
- Clean the bathroom
- Clean their room
- Water plants, garden, etc.
Having a set schedule for these recurring tasks can be extremely helpful.
It will prevent you from having the same conversation over and over. Furthermore, it teaches them how to organize a large number of responsibilities to get it all done while also saving time for hobbies.
One-off summer chores list
Larger, project-like chores, are also a great way to involve your teen and teach them everything that is involved with keeping a household running.
You can choose to do some of these projects with them or assign them the full task.
- Power wash the siding on the house
- Power wash the patio/deck
- Plant garden (you can even assign them the responsibility of the seedlings!)
- Trim bushes/trees
- Wash windows (get a glass bottle and try to make my outstanding non-toxic glass cleaner!)
- Remove weeds from garden/flower beds
- Add mulch to flower beds
- Clean/sort clothes in their closet
- Dust baseboards
- Dust ceiling fans
- Clean/vacuum inside of car (we love this battery-operated small shop vac)
- Wash car
- Paint a room
Tips for implementing summer chores
The jury is out and experts are often polarized on whether or not you should reward your kids with money for doing chores. The idea is that people won’t pay you as an adult to keep your household going.
We do give our kids an allowance which is tied to chores. Our opinion is that it also allows for the opportunity to discuss spending, budgeting, and money management.
However, as they get older, the basic recurring chores are an expectation. Larger chores are often when we are more willing to compensate.
Tips for success
- Set clear expectations about the frequency of the task and the desired results.
- Don’t hover! Once you’ve set expectations, let them do the chore the way they choose to. It is okay to inspect once they are done and provide feedback.
- Be firm, but flexible. The dishes need to be done after dinner. However, not 6 hours later. Give them expectations that allow for some level of decisions on their end.
- Help them create routines. It’s much easier to remember to do their laundry if it is done on the same day each week.
- Involve them in creating the chores calendar. It’s important for them to feel ownership over their expected responsibilities. Here is a free Monday-Friday template.
- Don’t nag. Once you’ve set your expectations, set routines and a calendar for chores, don’t constantly remind them. Allow them to “do their thing” from that point on. If they don’t follow through, then you can have a conversation.
- Don’t overload your teen. Chores are there to teach responsibilities, but not to maintain the house for you.
- Lead by example.
In conclusion
There are tons of benefits to assigning chores to your children. You will find some clear advantages to splitting the chores amongst additional family members, but the winner in this will be your teen. In the long, they will benefit from better organization skills, confidence, and time management.
I encourage you to print this free summer chores list printable as a guide and work on something that works for you and your family this summer.
Thanks for reading!
Cat xx
