Swimming, hiking and going to the movies. These are all things my children think we will be doing this summer. And yes, they will be doing all of those activities. However, with the extra time we have together, I plan on having them learn some skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives: chores.
I recently watched an hilarious Instagram reel where a dad was going through the house chanting, “There’s some chores in this house” to his children, while handing them a broom. Along with making me laugh so hard, this reel inspired me to teach my kids to do chores with me around the house. Summertime is so much fun, but a lot of the household work piles up over the summer because my time is filled up by doing fun outings with the kids. But, if I teach my kids to do their laundry, then they can do it for the rest of their lives (and it is one less thing I have to do). I am in a middle phase of parenthood where I have middle schoolers and older elementary kids. They are capable of doing things for themselves and around the house.
These are the chores I plan on teaching my children this summer: how to do their own laundry, make dinner, and yard work.
My laundry room turns into a comic book scene during the summer. Every time I open the door, a pile of laundry falls out. Laundry is the chore that falls behind the most in my house. I am going to teach my kids how to use the washer and dryer, when to use the hot water and cold water, what items of clothing need to be hung up, and how to fold and put everything away. Each child has his or her own laundry basket for his or her clothes. I have already had success with this one. I gave each kid a laundry basket with all their clothes in it and told them they had to put them away. To my amazement, they did it and did it well! I am holding on strong to this small victory. 
Making dinner is an activity my kids are more excited about. I am letting them choose a meal they want to make. They are in charge of looking up the recipe, making the grocery list for the items needed, going to the grocery store with me, picking out all the ingredients on their grocery list, and actually making the meal. The kids that are not on meal duty that night will help with clean-up. It will rotate through the week, so everyone gets a chance to make dinner and help with clean-up at least once. This will help my kids learn how to meal plan, be confident in the kitchen, and learn how to price match items at the grocery store. 
Yard maintenance in East Tennessee is no joke. We live in a temperate rainforest and the lawn has to be mowed a lot. The kids are taking turns mowing the lawn and weeding. This is a family affair because it is a lot. We have a small vegetable garden we planted. The kids are learning how to take care of it and how to differentiate between a weed and a vegetable plant. They will get to see the fruits of their labors — literally.
