Age appropriate chores by age. Some of these might seem preposterous if you've got a stubborn or distractible child like I do, but I am finding that if you give them incremental responsibility appropriate for their age, they will welcome it. I saw this and initially despaired, because my daughter couldn't possibly do the dishes!
But I pulled up a stool and told her that she was going to do them, I showed her what to do, and she did it. Yes, she was slow, yes, she got water everywhere. But it will get better with consistency. She felt so good about herself afterwards and asked to do it more often. So, although it might seem counterintuitive to give responsibility to our more "irresponsible" children, I urge you to just try. What they might really be craving is a real responsibility to challenge themselves and build their self worth with.
Follow up with an immediate reward to reinforce the positive deed (if they're young) and ask them how they feel about themselves for helping.
