Holiday Activities for Teens – Chores to do Around the House
Time is one of our most precious assets. Do you want to help your teenagers use their time efficiently during the holidays? Our tips will show you how to use chores to do around the house as holiday activities – to the benefit of everyone. And don’t worry, they may even like doing them.
Are you expecting to just hear sighs from your teenagers when you mention chores to do around the house? In many households the older kids are also quick to complain about how boring the upcoming holidays will be. Visiting their friends or planning an expensive holiday trip doesn’t have to be the only way to keep them happy though!
There’s a lot to keep the young folk busy simply by helping you with home management tasks and being productive. And if your approach it correctly with Enzo, they may just end up enjoying this holiday more than ever before.
At What Age Can Children Start Doing Chores?
Below we share lots of helpful tips on how to keep your teenagers busy with chores to do around the house. But you don’t have to wait until they’re in their teens before giving them some minor tasks and responsibilities. In truth, even kids as young as two can start helping out at home—even if it’s just tidying up their room under supervision.
You can use characteristics relating to different developmental stages to keep them motivated. For example, while kids are really small, they’ll love to get your approval, so praise their actions and they’ll enjoy helping you clear up a mess. For older kids you can turn chores into fun games everyone does together or assign chores according to a child’s interests. A tween who likes cooking may prefer cleaning the kitchen to working in the garden.
But now, what are age-appropriate chores for the teen in your home?
Age-Appropriate Chores for Teens
By the time your child reaches his or her teenage years, they have the physical and cognitive ability to perform most house management tasks. Perhaps they don’t do it as well as you, but they can lighten the load of general chores to do around the house.
Admittedly, many teens are very busy with schoolwork or sports activities. But during the holidays you can entrust any of the following in their fairly capable hands.
In the Bedrooms
It’s ideal to teach kids respect for their living environment by requiring them to keep their rooms neat in general. It doesn’t have to be 100% tidy at all times, but expect them to take a few minutes each day and pick up clothing, books and other loose items from the floor.
During holidays you can add to this responsibility by having them declutter their rooms. A good rule of thumb is to throw out anything not used for the past six months. Give them the privilege of deciding what they want to do with it:
- Donate to charity
- Recycle to be environmentally friendly.
- Sell it in a garage sale or online!
Giving teens a choice can get their buy in to commit to this holiday project.
Laundry Time
The regular tasks of washing, hanging, ironing and folding laundry are easy enough that most kids can help with some of it. Teens should be able to do it all. Simply give them detailed instructions so they don’t end up ruining your favorite blouse.
Teens may state the need to rest during the holidays. Counter this by suggesting folding the laundry while watching a movie. Teach them the possibility of turning the ordinary into fun moments—a skill that will serve them well throughout their lives.
Kitchen Chores
The kitchen offers many chore options for the whole family. Equally divide jobs like packing the dishwasher and wiping down surfaces, so everyone gets their chance.
But also add some elements of fun in the kitchen:
- Make it your teen’s turn to prepare dinner and give them the honor of picking the menu.
- Turn dinner preparations into family time, with everyone doing their part. This serves for great bonding time and memories.
- Suggest having a YouTube cooking channel and see how many followers you get by the end of the holiday.
Bathroom Tasks
Interestingly, cleaning the bathroom is the task most people dislike the most. So, no wonder your teenager will try anything to skip this chore. But, somebody needs to do it! And in terms of how to clean a bathroom properly, teenagers have the ability to do any of it, from descaling the shower head to cleaning the toilet.
Going Outside
In the garden and garage there are also lots for teens to do. Including them in these will keep them active instead of just staring at the TV screen all day:
- Washing the car
- Grass cutting
- Raking leaves
- Walking the dog as part of their holiday fitness routine (especially for the teens who want to stay in shape for the upcoming term’s sports try-outs)
Getting Creative and Festive
Another way to keep teenagers busy while also getting some housework done is to link their tasks with the holiday theme. Or, ask everyone to suggest creative ways to keep spirits up and work through the days’ to do lists.
Some examples to get you started:
- Assign ‘setting the table’ to your teens, with the challenge of doing it with the holiday’s theme in mind. What about ‘summery’ or ‘winter-white’ or ‘festive-flair’?
- Ask the nature loving teens to pick and arrange flowers on a regular basis.
- Let the creative teens take care of those small extras you don’t have time for, such as place cards when the whole extended family comes over.
- A family challenge to find the most interesting recipe to try out for dessert once a week.
Do Teens Need Supervision While Doing Chores?
As mentioned, many teens can be given chores to do around the house of the same kind that you’re performing every day. Ideally, you want to assign them tasks and have peace of mind that it will be done efficiently as well as safely.
Managing Chore Safety
To ensure safety, do consider your particular child’s abilities. For example, if they haven’t had a lot of experience using chemicals for cleaning before, you need to supervise the first few times. Also, if they’re taking on tasks like driving around younger siblings, babysitting or shopping on your behalf, it should only happen if you have sufficient proof that they’re up to the task.
For example:
- Let them babysit while you’re working in the home office before leaving them completely alone the first time.
- Any chores to do around the house that require power tools are only appropriate for teens if they’ve worked with the equipment under your watchful eye in the past.
Will it Get Done?
You can ensure the holiday chores actually get done by creating a family chore chart or daily to do list your teen can follow. No excuse for forgetting anything!
A chore app like Enzo also comes in handy:
- Some teens may enjoy notifying the family as each chore gets done, all via a user-friendly app.
- You can share details about how chores should be approached to prevent misunderstandings.
- The calendar feature and due dates can help them plan their days, ensuring time with friends AND chores to do around the house all get the necessary attention. Teaching them about time blocking can be helpful for this purpose.
- They’ll get reminders which is great for teens who tend to sleep late while you meantime need them to rake the leaves by 2pm, in time for the party you organized.
Can Teens Make Money with Chores?
Having a discussion about chores to do around the house is an ideal time to teach your teenagers about financial management. Do they realize that doing chores can become an income stream to add to their pocket money, in order to buy the latest Xbox game or trendy shoes?
Experts do advise not to pay kids for all their chores. After all, they must learn that some tasks are simply part of their responsibility as part of a family. However, if they do anything on top of their usual list of chores to do around the house, you could offer to pay them a bonus.
Furthermore, they could offer do some chores around your neighbors’ homes, like raking leaves or cutting grass. This could be very helpful for the elderly or someone recovering from an operation. These neighbors may be more than willing to pay a small fee for assistance during the holidays. Meanwhile your child can learn life skills, such as considering their role as part of a community.
How to Manage Chore Lists as a Family
As mentioned above, a chore app like Enzo is a wise investment for families who need to communicate efficiently about chores. You can download our app on Android or an Apple device, giving teens easy access to their chores for the day.
If they help you with home management, perhaps reward them with a fun day out before they all head back to school?
