Kids hate doing chores around the house and frankly who can blame them? Even adults don’t like doing chores! But teaching kids responsibility around the house helps them grow into independent responsible adults So, how can you- as a parent- teach your child responsibility around the house without making it boring and authoritarian? It’s super easy!
It’s an opportunity to bond!
Instead of sending them to clean the living room by themselves, do it together. Make it a bonding experience by talking while cleaning and sharing stories about your week, your friends or your favourite show.
This way doing the chore is not just about the physical act but it’s also an opportunity to get closer as a family.
It’s a job for all ages!
Start involving your children in house chores when they’re young, as long as you keep the chores age-appropriate. Kids of all ages can help and in truth, young children love helping out around the house. They see it as a kind of game.
You can start by asking them to clean up their own toys, make their bed and clean their rooms before you ask them to help around the house. This will teach them responsibility early on.
It’s better to help them out!
Make sure you help them do their chores. It’s not fair to ask a child to do something for the first time and then leave them to their own devices. When the children feel like they’re not doing a good job or that you have to redo every chore they’ve done, they lose any positive feelings they got from helping out.
Walk them through their chores and help them as many times as needed. This might be frustrating at first and you might tell yourself: ‘’I can just do it and get it over with!’’ but trust us it’s worth it in the long run.
It’s nice to have a routine!
Children thrive better in routines. It gives them a sense of control over their lives. Merge house chores into their daily or weekly routines. Just small chores throughout their day/week like cleaning the living room before going to bed or weekly routines like dusting the bookshelf.
When they know to expect the chore, they’ll make time for it. They also won’t feel like they have to stop whatever they’re doing to do a boring chore. But rather it’s a fixed job in a fixed time and they can get back to whatever they want to do afterwards.
It’s a good time to say thank you!
Always say thank you and offer praise. No matter how small the chore or task was, even if you just asked them to get you something from the refrigerator while you’ve been cooking for hours, always show appreciation.
Adults always suffer from a lack of appreciation but they tend to forget that children are human too. They too seek praise and approval. A simple thank you and a smile will make your child feel appreciated for their efforts and want to help you again.
Once you master these tricks, your child will ask to do their chores (we hope!). The most important part is that you need to be patient and remember how you felt when your parents asked you to help around the house. It’s not all fun and games but they will thank you in the future for helping them become responsible and empathetic adults.
