How to Introduce Your Kids to Easy Chores
No one lives in a bottle – children grow up eventually, and it’s our responsibility as mothers and fathers to teach them how to fend for themselves and survive in the world. The first step in that process is learning how to take care of themselves and their surroundings – or chores.
Most children are naturally curious, and many times they ask you what you’re doing – they see mom doing something all the time, and what to know why. Instead of giving a vague answer, why not include them in on the activity?
Ways to introduce your kids to chores
- Involve them when you’re doing your tasks: Have them carry a small basket of clean laundry when you bring the rest or have them take their cup to the sink when you take yours.
- Start small: Kids like learning, it’s part of evolution. Teach them small tasks first, and build on those.
- Focus on the positive: If your child is trying but not doing something quite right, praise them for the good (or just working!) and try to gently correct anything that’s not quite right. The more enthusiastic you are, the more likely they will get excited too!
- Give precise directions: By this point, I think we can all agree that the attention span of a child is quite short. Give your child specific instructions for their simple, small chore, and then come back to you for the next one. This process not only teaches them to listen fully to directions but also to complete one task thoroughly before moving on to the next.
- Give them choices: Once your child has learned how to complete different types of chores (picking up toys, putting away lower cabinet dishes, taking out the trash or folding laundry), give them a chance to pick which chore they’d like to do.
Suggestions for age-appropriate chores
Everyone’s child is different and develops at different times. No one solution may work for you or your kids – and that’s okay. Here are some additional suggestions for chores based on ages, but try out different types of tasks with your child and see where they naturally gravitate! Your child might surprise you and be an excellent folder of laundry, or great at helping with sweeping or vacuuming, or able to get the dust out of hard-to-reach places (this is where their tiny hands come into play!)
Try it out!
See what works best for your family, and then integrate the chores one on one or all at once. Whether there’s an allowance tied to the tasks or just a requirement of the house is up to you, but remember – be encouraging, and praise them when they’ve done the job well. Helping with chores can even boost their self-esteem!
Check out this age-appropriate chore-chart and remember: what works for one child won’t necessarily work for every child.
