Does your 8 year old.....?

[kathymuggle]

Get food for themselves.  Use stove or toaster?

Put themselves to bed?

clean up after self without being asked?

Walk themselves somewhere (name number of blocks).  

I know I have babied my youngest.  I would like to encourage a bit more independance - but I forget (lame!  I have 3 kids!) what 8 year olds are capable of.

I would prefer it if only people who have or have had 8 yr olds respond.  If you have 6 yr old who does one of the above - that is cool too. 

TIA!

Kathy

Edited by kathymuggle - 8/18/11 at 11:24am

[4evermom]

Just turned 10 and no, no, no, no, and no.  

He has come a long way this year, though.  He went to the motel lobby on his own recently.  I think he'd go to the library on his own (2 blocks) if he liked going to the library and felt confident that the librarians would be nice.  I don't really want him walking around our neighborhood alone, anyway, though I let him go as far as he wants elsewhere. 

He'll get dry snack food on his own.  He'd probably use a toaster but no way would he want to spread things or scoop things or otherwise risk sticky, messy hands.  He'll clean up dry messes, not usually without being asked, but sometimes.  He'll certainly pick up something he drops, not just leave it.

I have always encouraged him to be independent but I don't force him past his comfort level.  He has always been the least independent kid I know, but he is getting there!

[ancoda]

It really depends on the child. 

When you say toaster, do you mean toaster oven or just a regular toaster that sits on the counter and you put bread, or bagels in it?

My 9 year old has been using a toaster since he was about 7 and my 5 year old can make his own toast as long as I open the peanut butter for him. 

My 9 year old has also been making his own mac and cheese on the stove for about a year now.  He still needs help draining the noodles because the pan is a bit heavy for him. 

My 9 year old knows how to clean up most messes he makes, but chooses not to unless told he has to.  My 3 year old will see a mess and try to clean it up though.

[DariusMom]

I have an 8 year old boy. He'll be 9 in December.

He definitely gets food for himself, though he'd be happy to let me do it for him if I hadn't started having him do it for himself when he was 6 or so!

He has to pull over a chair to get glasses out of the cabinets, but he can definitely toast his own bread, make his own sandwich, and heat stuff up in the microwave. He can turn on the stove but, to my knowledge, he's never actually cooked something himself. We do make cookies together.

He gets himself ready for bed (brushes teeth without supervision, gets undressed, gets into bed), but we always read him a story and tuck him in.

He kind of cleans up after himself. He likes his room to be neat, so he'll clean it himself and sometimes he just decides to vacuum or clean up other areas of the house (*LOTS* of positive reinforcement for this behavior!). But a lot of the time I have to remind him to take his glasses and plates to the kitchen, rinse them off, etc, unpack his backpack, and generally pick up his stuff.

He can and will walk himself places -- up to about five/six blocks. We live in Europe and our neighborhood is safe and relatively car free, so most kids play outside pretty unsupervised. We're pretty free-range, in general. However, it took some encouragement to get him to where he'd feel comfortable walking and playing on his own. He's naturally a bit hesitant, so we've had to actively encourage independence.

[LynnS6]

I've got a 7 and a 10 year old.

Get food for themselves.  Use stove or toaster?

Stove no. 7 year old will use the toaster and get food for herself. 10 year old prefers to be served. No way he would have at 8.

clean up after self without being asked?

That's a trick question, right?

Walk themselves somewhere (name number of blocks).

At 8, our son would walk about a block (really, down the block and around the corner). He's a cautious kid. He STILL wants us to pick him up from the bus stop. The bus stop is 1/2 a block from our house. The 8 year olds at the stop usually walk themselves home (about a block and a half).

[Alyantavid]

Mine's 9 1/2.

He can make himself a few things to eat.  He uses the toaster on his own all the time and can cook a few things on the stove.  He does ride his bike or walk across town to get to the swimming pool.  We live in the country so I don't usually let him walk/ride down the road on his own because it's a windy, hilly road and I see way too many flying down it.  He can pick up after himself but sometimes needs reminders.  Both him and my 5 year old help clean, make their beds everyday and pick up their rooms and the playroom. 

[JollyGG]

Originally Posted by kathymuggle 
 

My son is 8

Get food for themselves.  Use stove or toaster?

My son can get food that doesn't need cooked out of the cupboard, fridge or freezer himself.

He uses the microwave and toaster.

He is starting to learn to cook and can make scrambled eggs, pancakes, and grilled cheese (we must be home and he has to have permission to use the stove)

Put themselves to bed?

He puts himself to bed, but does need reminded that it is bed time and he needs to do so.

clean up after self without being asked?

My son needs to be asked. He also usually needs a lot of guidance on how and what to do.

Walk themselves somewhere (name number of blocks).

We allow my son to go to the neighbors and elsewhere within a 1 block radius without supervision.

I know I have babied my youngest.  I would like to encourage a bit more independance - but I forget (lame!  I have 3 kids!) what 8 year olds are capable of.

I would prefer it if only people who have or have had 8 yr olds respond.  If you have 6 yr old who does one of the above - that is cool too. 

TIA!

Kathy

[Kuba'sMama]

I have an 8 year old boy.

He can get himself food, make a sandwich, get a bowl of cereal (his favorite food), etc. He's generally not into food though so that's not really much of an issue, lol.

He can and does put himself to bed and will stay up reading generally as long as he wants (he has to be in bed at a certain time but if he's reading I usually let him be, unless he has to get up early the next day).

He is pretty clean and will keep his room clean, put his laundry in the hamper, backpack/lunchbox where they go, etc. This is contributed to prior years of nagging, lol. How else do little boys learn this stuff?

As far as venturing out on his own, we live in the city and going by his peers and friends, it seems that nobody really allows them to wander around the block yet. He is allowed to play outside by himself but he stays within earshot or near his friend's house (couple houses up from ours). In the next year or so I might decide he's ready to start walking home from school (2 blocks), library, or local park.

ETA; just noticed your user name, lol- He loves Harry Potter too, that's what he's reading till 11 most evenings, lol.

[FiveLittleMonkeys]

Originally Posted by kathymuggle 

Get food for themselves.  Use stove or toaster?

I have an almost 10 yo son.  He can fix his own breakfast, he packs his own lunches.  He can use the stove for simple things like scrambled eggs or grilled cheese with supervision.  He is allowed to use the toaster.

Put themselves to bed?

He takes a shower, brushes his teeth, and puts himself to bed.  I or my husband goes upstairs to tuck him in (along with his almost 12 year old sister)

clean up after self without being asked?

Yes, for the most part.

Walk themselves somewhere (name number of blocks).  

We haven't done too much with this yet.  We just moved to our new neighborhood in June.

[pianojazzgirl]

My dd is 6 (7 in a month) and I thought I'd answer since she does do some of those things.  She gets food for herself (and her brother).  Mostly cold food (cereal, make a sandwich, other snacks) but uses a toaster too.  She doesn't use the stove or oven without my help.

The farthest she goes by herself is to the corner store (literally just on the corner - so no street crossing).

My dd sometimes puts herself to bed.  She does everything (tooth brushing, pjs, etc) herself, but likes to have company.  Plus I'm always there to help her 3yo brother anyway.  But I don't read her a story any more.  She prefers to be by herself and read to herself.

She NEVER cleans up after herself (maybe if she's spilled something... and even then she often tries to get me to do it).  Grrr....

[tinuviel_k]

Get food for themselves. Use stove or toaster?- Yes, my eight year old does get food for herself for snacks. She may use the stove with direct supervision (she loves making scrambled eggs) but I am not yet comfortable with her using the stove if I am not in the kitchen. We do not have a toaster or a microwave, so her cooking is limited to the stove.

Put themselves to bed?- I'm sure she could, but we have a lovely bedtime routine that we do not want to change.She gets ready, brushes her teeth, and then we have stories and songs together in bed before we say goodnight and turn out her light.

clean up after self without being asked? Sometimes better than other times, but she is a pretty neat kid.

Walk themselves somewhere (name number of blocks). She'll walk down the block to her friend's house, but that's it. I had a couple of bad experiences walking alone as a child. Once a guy exposed his crotch to me, and another time I was followed around a residential neighborhood by a seedy car with dark windows. I had to knock on a strange door for help. I'm not comfortable with my daughter walking alone at this age.

[childsplay]

Originally Posted by kathymuggle 

Get food for themselves.  Use stove or toaster?

Yes. He uses the toaster, microvave and toaster oven. Not the stove though. ( my rule)

Put themselves to bed?

Yes. But still needs me to tuck him in, get him water and find his stuffed dog : ) But if he's tired, he goes to bed, he actually says things like 'well I'm turning in now' or 'time for me to hit the sack'

clean up after self without being asked?

Hahaha. Nooooooo. Only if it's something he's got a vested interest in. like his boat, he'll clean that up all day, but a plate? or a messy room? Forget it.

Walk themselves somewhere (name number of blocks).  

Yes. He'll walk himself to sailing school (1/2 mile or so) and walk halfway across town to go fishing or 'clear his head' as he says. - he's kind of like an old man

I know I have babied my youngest.  I would like to encourage a bit more independance - but I forget (lame!  I have 3 kids!) what 8 year olds are capable of.

Mine's the second oldest - 10 years younger than his big bro and with a set of twins right on his heels (16 mos younger) So his independance most likely came partially from his big brother and a lot from the twins, he was kind of booted out of babyhood by nessessity. Poor little guy.

I would prefer it if only people who have or have had 8 yr olds respond.  If you have 6 yr old who does one of the above - that is cool too. 

TIA!

Kathy

[ameliabedelia]

I have a 9 1/2 year old, but I'll answer as to what she did at age 8

Get food for themselves.  Use stove or toaster?

Yes and would use the toaster and microwave.  She still doesn't use the stove.

Put themselves to bed?

yes

clean up after self without being asked?

  Without being asked??? Not usually.   If asked, yes, she will.

Walk themselves somewhere (name number of blocks).  

A couple of houses down (4-5) to the neighbor's house and back and to the mailboxes where we live (out of eyesight of our house, but very close..probably about a 1 minute walk).

[Alyantavid]

I skipped the bed question.

Both of them get ready for bed (teeth, toilet, pj's) but I always tuck them in.  My 9 year old reads for awhile after that.

[FarmerBeth]

I have an 11 year old, a 9 year old and a 7 year old who does some of these things.  All three kids get themselves cereal and toast.  My 9 year old also managed getting the kettle for instant oatmeal and cooking eggs (fried, boiled or scrambled that age.  My oldest was not ready at that age due to sensory issues, but he is now.  My 7 year old still gets help from the olders.  We love reading to each other at bedtime and telling stories, even my oldest (and the middle has been at an adult reading level for over a year and still enjoys reading together), so we choose to do bedtimes together.  If I am working late, all three put themselves to bed for their father.  We now love in the country, so our walking situation is different.  When we lived in the suburbs, all three (the youngest was 5 at the time) were allowed to walk three blocks to the neighbour's, but there were no street crossings.  Since there was a street crossing for school, I walked with the oldest until he was 7 (it was about 3 blocks as well).  After that the older children walked with the younger ones.  Now that we are in the country, the older two can walk about a mile away either direction as long as they let me know, but my 7 year old has to take an older sibling because the highway speed is fast here.  My younger two clean up after themselves without being asked, my oldest has special needs and requires prompting to do so.  A lot depends on the child and where you live, but that's where we are at.

[archersmama]

My children have various levels of what they do for them selves.  My 6 year old will get himself cereal or toaster waffles. He can make himself a pp & j and a big mess to go along with it.

My husband and I put all 5 of our kids to bed. It  helps us reconnect after a long day. The 2 year old still sleeps with us. 

[Peony]

I have an 8y and um, no to all! She will get snacks, and *can* make a sandwich but rarely will, I just find the stuff sitting out waiting for me to make it. Anything on the stove, no, microwave yes, the toaster scares her so she won't get near it. She has walked 2 blocks or so to gymnastics before but she didn't like it. I'm hoping by next summer she will be comfortable with that. 

[sagewinna]

My almost 8 year old made her own scrambled eggs this morning, start to finish. She can make toast, oatmeal, sandwiches, etc.She's pretty good int he kitchen.

She clears her place at the table, but leaves stuff almost everywhere.

After story, she says prayers with us then puts herself to bed. We check on her once after that.

[Daffodil]

I have an 8 1/2 year old DD.  She doesn't get food for herself very often.  Even if we have something like cherries that she can easily get out for herself, she won't usually think of doing it on her own.  She doesn't use the stove and doesn't want to.  She can use the toaster, but she complains that it's too hard to get the toast out because it burns her fingers.  (I suppose a pair of wooden tongs would solve that problem.)  She hates to butter toast herself and she's not very good at it, but I've made her practice some, so she can do it.

I normally tell her when it's time to brush her teeth; she might or might not think of it if I didn't remind her.  The kids don't have a bedtime (we homeschool), so after they have their teeth brushed and I read to them, they can do what they want and they get into bed when they feel like it.  If she did have a bedtime, I'm pretty sure I couldn't count on her to notice when it was bedtime and go up and brush her teeth and get into bed without a reminder.

What kind of cleaning up after herself do you mean?  If she spilled a glass of water, there's a pretty good chance she'd find a towel and mop it up.  But she doesn't take her dirty dishes to the kitchen or sweep up crumbs she gets on the floor or pick up stuff of hers that's lying around the house or anything like that. 

We don't live in a neighborhood with sidewalks; she'd have to walk along the shoulder of a busy road to get anywhere.  But if we lived in a place where it was safe, I think she'd be willing to walk at least a few blocks alone.  I'd probably feel comfortable letting her walk a mile along a familiar route, once she'd had some practice crossing roads, but I'm not sure she'd feel comfortable going that far alone yet.

[One_Girl]

My dd is 8 and she gets food for herself, uses the toaster, cooks eggs on the stove top with supervision, and will clean up her meal stuff without being asked but rarely her room unless ask her to.  We have a bedtime routine so I don't expect her to put herself to bed but she does definitely fall asleep by herself after I give her a hug and kiss.  I don't let her walk alone here, but that is because I don't trust our neighborhood.  She can be at the opposite end of the park, block, or building and that is fine but not off on her own.