Ah summer! It’s a time for lazy days and lax schedules. It’s also the perfect time to teach your kids some valuable life skills and recruit their help for everyday tasks. During the school year it’s easy to let your kids’ chores slide. Between homework and extracurricular activities, your family might be lucky to just get through the necessities. Channel some of that extra free time into something productive. Here are some ideas for summer chores your kids can do.

The summer months are a great time to teach your kids the important parts of meal planning and cooking. Most kids can help make a grocery list. Your kids can even help you think about what meals your family would like for certain meals and you can put them in charge of a meal. If they’re teenagers, they should be able to execute an entire meal on their own, but younger kids will need help.

Kids have been helping their parents in the yard for centuries, back when the “yard” was a farm. Recruiting your children to help pull weeds and mow the lawn is almost a rite of passage. Teach them how to mow and rake. Plant a garden together. Spend time weekly pulling weeds.  Work together as a family because outdoor chores can feel overwhelming for young kids.

If they don’t already know, now is the time to teach your kids how to wash dishes. Younger kids can dry dishes or unload silverware and utensils. Older kids can load and unload the dishwasher by themselves.

Mom’s rejoice! Your kids can help you with the laundry. Younger children can help sort dirty laundry by colors. Teach older kids how to use the washer. Almost all kids can help fold and put away their own clothing.

Recruit your kids to help take out the trash. Put them to work sorting the recycling. They can also wipe clean garbage cans or take garbage to the curb.

In the summer your kids have more time to clean their rooms. Have them make their beds. Pickup and vacuum their floor and clean their closets.

Kids love washing the car. Get out the hose and soap and let your kids wash away all the grime. Afterwards, clean out all the garbage and food crumbs from car seats. It’ll be so nice to not have everything be sticky.

Although not all parents want to incentivize chores, it can be a great way to encourage your kids to help out around the house. Here are some great ways to get your kids excited about summer chores. They can earn:

• Money for a new toy or an upcoming family vacation.
• Screen time on tablets, video games, or a favorite movie.
• Play time with friends.
• A special trip or outing with mom and dad.

Summer is the perfect time to encourage your kids to do chores. As they do chores around the house, they will learn essential skills and contribute to the family.

• Why you need regularly scheduled time with your child
• Here’s a simple way to connect with your child – Cook with them.
• The 4 C’s of effective parenting