Immigrating to the United States focuses on life in the United States: In China, if a child actively helps their parents with household chores, they are often praised for being filial and understanding. However, for foreign friends, it is not unusual for children to do chores. Compared to academic performance, American families are more willing to prioritize fostering children's independence and self-sufficiency. They design chore lists suitable for children at different stages based on their age.
In the United States, most children have a chore list. Parents believe that children's participation in household chores is not only to lighten the burden on parents but, more importantly, to help children better experience the feeling of being a part of the family. They design chore lists suitable for children at different stages based on their age:
9-24 months: Simple instructions can be given to the child, such as letting the baby throw their dirty diaper into the trash can.
2-3 years: Under parental guidance, they can throw trash into the trash can or help fetch items when parents request assistance; help mom hang clothes on the rack; use the toilet, brush teeth, and water plants (with parents providing an appropriate amount of water); tidy up their toys before bedtime.
3-4 years: Better use of the toilet, wash hands, brush teeth more carefully, water plants diligently, tidy up their toys, feed pets; retrieve newspapers from the front door, help mom make the bed before sleeping by getting pillows and blankets, place their plates and bowls in the kitchen sink after meals, help mom put folded clean clothes back in the wardrobe, and place their dirty clothes in the laundry basket.
4-5 years: Not only should they master the chores required in the previous stages, but they should also be able to independently retrieve mail from the mailbox, make their bed, set the dining table (starting with helping parents get utensils), return dirty dishes to the kitchen after meals, fold and put away clean clothes (teaching children how to properly fold different types of clothing), and prepare their clothes for the next day.
5-6 years: In addition to mastering the chores required in the previous stages, they should be able to help wipe tables, make beds/change sheets (starting with helping mom remove dirty sheets and bringing clean sheets), prepare their backpack and shoes for kindergarten the next day (as well as various items needed for school), and tidy up their room (picking up and returning misplaced items).
6-7 years: In addition to mastering the chores required in the previous stages, they should be able to wash dishes with parental assistance and independently clean their own room.
7-12 years: In addition to mastering the chores required in the previous stages, they should be able to cook simple meals, help wash the car, sweep and mop floors, clean the bathroom and toilet, rake leaves, shovel snow, use the washing machine and dryer, and take the trash can to the curb for collection by the garbage truck.
13 years and older: In addition to mastering the chores required in the previous stages, they should be able to change light bulbs, replace vacuum cleaner bags, clean windows (inside and out), clean the refrigerator, clean the stove and oven, cook, make shopping lists, do laundry (the entire process, including washing, drying, folding clothes, and putting them back in the wardrobe), and mow the lawn.
Putting together the chore lists for children in China and the United States is not intended to compare superiority; Chinese parents are more willing for their children to spend time on studies, thus providing a better academic start, while American families place greater emphasis on life skills training, which fosters more independent children. Each has its strengths; starting with helping with household chores, creating more opportunities for children to develop self-care skills is certainly beneficial.