Apparently quite a bit, as I have done not much, and my husband is only one person with only two hands..and sorry a guy (really if he was home all the time he would be faster and more in practice, but he isn't, he is a computer guy, not a homemaker)
Anyway the balance of the work is either not done, or done by the kids. cleaning, laundry, dishes, amazing what they can do. And more amazing to me, is what their peers are NOT doing.
Before you go feeling sorry for them, they have scads of time to do what they like as well, after they clean up from lunch or whatever. I have always held that a child must learn to take care of themselves, and the training for that is NOW.
My youngest has very few responsibilities, we take advantage of what he likes to do, and let him so long as he is tall enough, and can get to it. So he tends to take the paper recycling to the bin...after some bigger person opens the door 
. He also Loves to put things in the hamper, and put his own clothes in some drawer or other. I still do not know why I fold laundry nothing makes it to the dresser folded!
My middle girl is showing amazing aptitude for all tasks, from dishes to laundry to 'clean up' She however cannot manage to sweep or vacume yet.
My oldest gets those 'tough' chores, plus some of the higher up dishes (breakables wait on Daddy).
All in all if I had more no cook food availible I would have nothing to do except help UE with the potty and occassional diapers (he is doing great on that whole PTing thing).
So how much work can a kid do?
February 6th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
February 6th, 2007 at 11:23 pm 1170804202
February 7th, 2007 at 02:12 am 1170814344
February 7th, 2007 at 11:38 am 1170848317
February 7th, 2007 at 02:45 pm 1170859523
I am not sure when teaching kids to take care of themselves equated to child abuse or something. my mom had a baby when I was 6 and I remember making my own lunch a lot of the time in 1st grade. When I started gym in middle school that is when my mother taught me how to do my own laundry.
Anyway, not only do the kids help a but but they LOVE it at these young ages. They want to help with everything.
We stayed in a condo in hawaii last summer with extended family and they had a little miniature dust devil vacuum and my son loved it - he helped clean up the condo and such. my MIL got so excited she got him one for his 3rd birthday. I thought she was a little crazy - LOL - but he loves that thing. HE usually helps me vacuum - too big a job to do alone with that but I often have him vacuum under the table for me after dinner - his and his brother's mess.
As much as we encourage their help we haven't really set any chores. You are getting me thinking that there is more he can do like put away silverware from the dishwasher. That we could have the 2yo help empty the recycle bin, etc. Will have to think about that.
February 7th, 2007 at 02:55 pm 1170860121
Measure and mixing is more than I let mine do yet..I am too particular! But I do enlist their help for counting, and 'figuring' (needs half cup, I have a quarter cup measure, how many to make the half?)