Tips On Chores For Children

Tips On Chores For Children. For parents who have kids, it can be a challenge to raise them to be responsible or helpful at home. This becomes especially clear for households who don’t have any nannies or help to do certain chores, like cleaning with dishwasher detergents or doing the laundry. Assigning tasks to kids, therefore, becomes a must at this point, but you might be clueless as to how to make this effective. Here are some tips on how to teach your kids to clean the dishes and do other household chores.

Assign them tasks they can understand.

According to Bright Horizons, kids should be assigned simple tasks or ones that they’ll understand. If your child doesn’t get the value of the chore, he or she might be less enthusiastic about doing it. For instance, they need to learn why washing dishes after meals helps keep the kitchen and dining area clean and free of odours.

Your kids can also learn that tidying the bed before sleeping and after waking up helps keep the room organized. By introducing them to the simple actions associated with these tasks, like folding the sheets or bubbling the sponge, they’ll find it easier to do the chores regularly.

Be clear with rules and instructions.

Parents should be clear when assigning tasks to their kids. For instance, you should keep things serious with rules and not get too lax at times. Parents should sincerely establish that they have to follow through with the tasks and not assume that somebody else will do the tasks for them. This will let your kids know that they are expected to finish simple chores, which can lead to more cooperation instead of your tasks falling on deaf ears.

Give praise when kids deserve it.

You don’t have to be strict or intimidating to your kids when setting rules or assigning tasks. You’re encouraged to give praise or rewards when the kid does the task well, on time, or in a way that exceeds your expectations. The mere act of following through with the task is enough to warrant appreciation from you.

Parents who recognize a chore accomplished effectively can make the child more willing to continue doing the chores. You can even use this as an opportunity to teach your kids about money by rewarding them with bills or coins that they can save up. This will further incentivize the kids to do well with the simple tasks assigned to them.

Set the time that works best for the kids.

As a parent, you might have a sense of what time works best for your child. They might be preoccupied with school homework at a certain time of the day, while they might already be sleepy at a certain hour in the evening. There may also be days more ideal than others. For example, the weekend may be the best time to assign your child chores as that’s when they’re less likely to be occupied with school and similar responsibilities.

Letting the kids do simple household chores on days without school or work obligations will benefit both them and you. With every family member free, you can periodically do family chores. Still, you need to make it clear that the children have to learn the chores on their own.

Ask the kids what they’re interested in.

Children can have short attention spans at times, especially if they get bored with what they’re doing. Assigning them random tasks without regard for what interests them could result in them sulking about or not completing the chore. This necessitates asking your kids what chores they might be most interested in doing. A child might prefer, for instance, washing the dishes over putting soiled clothes in the laundry machine.

Letting your kids do tasks that they’re interested in will let them know that you care about their preferences. Still, your children should be able to grasp chores that they’re not necessarily familiar with, as they might come to like it or see its value.

Let family members participate.

As mentioned earlier, you can let other family members participate at times. Having an older sibling or a family member do the same simple tasks that the kid is doing will let the latter know that such chores are to be done by the whole family, depending on who’s present to do so at the time.

Seeing older family members do the household chores can also inspire the child and can help forge a tighter bond between children in the family. One chore that might have the whole family together, for example, would be putting away toys and other items meant for the children.

Make it fun and fresh for the kids.

When teaching your kids simple cleaning or other household tasks, they don’t have to be done at home; you can let the kids do simple tasks while you’re camping or staying at a hotel while on vacation. This can make the learning opportunity fun and new for your kids.

For instance, you can have them wash the utensils or cookware after you’re done eating meals when camping. You can also have the kids make their bed after waking up while you’re staying in a hotel. By doing this, your kids can understand the importance and utility of these tasks wherever they are, be it inside or outside the home. Before you know it, your kids might already display these skills at school or on a field trip, thereby earning recognition from the teacher or their peers.

Chores Are Good For Your Children

Introducing your children to household chores doesn’t have to be a stressful thing for you and an unenjoyable experience for our kids. There are tips that you can follow to ensure that both parties get committed to this learning opportunity. As the parent, just be aware that you should ideally assign tasks that your kids can understand, be clear with your rules, and reward your kids when warranted. In addition, setting the best time for chores, tailoring the tasks to their interests, and letting the whole family participate is very conducive to an environment where chores are productive and, in a way, fun.

If you follow these steps, you’ll be able to teach your kids household skills that they’ll bring with them both inside and outside the home.

Resources – Bright Horizons, WebMD, ReviewThis

*This is a sponsored guest post.