Are you teaching your kids to do chores at home?
I am just doing what my mom used to do. At a young age, my mom already taught me and my siblings how to do chores at home and I'm very thankful for that. It taught me how to be responsible and know how to care for myself and for my own family.
Now that I am also a parent, I'm doing the same for my children. I want them to learn how to do things around the house and take care of themselves.
Tips For Getting Kids to do Chores
Not all kids are the same. It would probably be challenging to get some kids to do their chores in the first place. But remember to keep trying and encouraging your child - patiently teaching your child to understand that chores are part of their personal responsibility.
Here are five tips you should remember:
1. Be Consistent
Consistency is very important when asking your kids to do their chores. If they take too long to do a chore or they don't want to do it, don't do it for them. If your pre-teen daughter doesn't want to put her folded laundry away, don't be tempted to do it. Just leave it there, even if it takes hours or days until she puts it away.
It's good to have rules regarding the consequences when your children don't do their chores. When they fail to do their chores, impose the rules. Your kids will soon learn that you mean business and they need to do their responsibilities.
2. Let Kids Help at a Young Age
Do you have when they're already tweens or teenagers? Some parents wait too long to have their kids do chores because they aren’t aware of what kids can do at certain ages. Even kids at ages 2 or 3 years can do certain chores at home. When they start helping at a young age, it will be easier to tell them to do chores as they get older.
My youngest daughter at age 1 1/2 years old was already helping bring in the laundry.
3. Don’t Be a Perfectionist
Your child might not do the chores perfectly the first, second, or third time. But that is ok. It is the effort that is most important.
You can monitor your kids when they do some of these tasks so that you know if something needs to be re-done, such as when washing dishes or not cleaning something all the way.
Don't worry if some things don't' get done perfectly. If you judge them for the way they folded the laundry or the way they fixed their bed, they might not be as motivated to do their chores.
4. Praise Your Child
Let your child know that he or she is doing a good job. By recognizing their efforts, it will all the more boost their eagerness to help with chores.
Every time they do a chore on their own without being asks, do it correctly, or keep up with the chore chart you have created, praise them and let them know they did a good job.
5. Consider Giving a Reward or an Allowance
You may or may not do this. I don't. But some parents find this to work great.
Some parents feel that this is teaching kids they will get a reward every time they do something that should be doing; while others believe it teaches them a good work ethic for the future.
This is your choice. What I am doing is to offer my kids a reward if they do extra chores.
What Chores Can Your Kids Do?
A child as young as 2 or 3 years old can already begin to do some smaller chores. So, this is a good age to get started. Of course, they won’t be able to do everything themselves.
Then, as he or she grows older, more tasks can be assigned with less and less supervision until he or she can fully manage to do things without assistance. The goal is by the time that your child is a teenager, he or she is prepared for adult life.
See the infographics below to know what chores are likely appropriate for the age of your child. Of course, not all kids are the same. Some can probably do one thing while another can't. You know your own child's capability.
In training my children to do chores at home, I found it helpful to use chore charts. I have five children and a chore chart helps me to schedule what chore is assigned to each child every day. I created the chore charts below for you. Please feel free to download, use, and share them with your kids so they know what chores they need to do each day.
By the way, I don't let my children do all the household duties. But I make sure that they help out so they can learn how to do things on their own. Hopefully, by the time my children move out of our house, they already know everything they need to take care of themselves or their own family.
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