Giving your kids chores is a great way to teach them responsibility and make them feel like part of the household. Chores should be an integral part of your children’s day. Kids should never feel that chores are a punishment. The younger they start, the easier it will be for them to accept chores as a natural responsibility that comes when you are part of a family.
When your kids are very young, you will probably be tempted to do everything by yourself, since they won’t do the job as well or as fast as you can. Try to resist the urge: if your kids start doing chores when they’re toddlers, it will help them learn to enjoy housework, since at that age it is so much fun to help mom or dad wash and clean stuff. They will also develop good habits that would be a huge help later on, when they are more capable.
When you ask your toddler to help you with something, be sure to keep it simple. Age-appropriate chores for 2 or 3 year old kids include picking up toys and putting them in a large basket, and watering plants. 4 and 5 year old children can help with dusting, with sorting laundry and putting it away and with sweeping floors. School-age children are perfectly capable of setting and clearing the table and washing the dishes (whether by hand or using a dishwasher), making their own bed (it won’t look perfect of course but that’s not the point), folding laundry and mopping the floors.
Never apologize for asking your children to help around the house and never pay them for ding everyday chores. Doing chores around the house should be expected from all members of the household. It’s good for them to learn responsibility and it will make your life easier, especially as they get older and can do more.
Photo credit: Three if by Bike
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Good advice. Seemingly simple ask can develop so many skills in the kids - actually doing the job (like keeping the room clean or dish washing), being a team player, being responsible, and many more.
Good stuff!
I was always wondering about that and trying unsuccessfully to check that out. When I was a kid, my parents never asked me to do anything and I never did my bad or helped with cleaning up the table. However, outside of home I always felt more obligated to help out. Now as a dad, chores is almost a way of life
So I always wonder what’s more important: having the kids do chores or just do it as a parent and hope that they will just get it at some point. I guess the answer is to do both.
@ Alik: Chores definitely help children become more responsible.
@ Yuval: They will get it at some point - they’ll have no choice. But I do believe you are doing them a favor by teaching them responsibility at a young age.
Hi Vered - This is geat advice. I wish I’d done this with my kids when they were younger, instead of doing many of the chores when they were in bed.
Now, even if I ask them to do a simple task like empty the dishwasher they say I’m treating them like slaves. I’ll keep persevering I guess. I just didn’t realise how important this was when they were younger.
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