Tips for Involving Your Kids in Household Chores
Doing chores is nobody’s favorite pass time activity, which is why it’s not fair that the bulk of household chores tend to fall on the shoulders of the parents. In any family, whether you have one child or ten, it’s simply just good practice to get your kids involved in routine chores from a young age in order to instill in them a respect for responsibility and set them up for a successful life when they ultimately leave the nest. Here are some tips and tricks to motivate them to help.
Make it fun and do it as a family
Chores don’t necessarily have be gloomy and dismal. If you do your chores on the weekend, a great way to make it fun is with music. Play their favorite tunes and have everyone do their allotted chores at once, this way chore-time becomes more about familial bonding and less about the chores. Afterwards, provide incentives for a job well done, such as letting them watch an episode of their favorite show, or a yummy lunch/dinner/dessert of their choosing.
Make it a competition
If you have more than one child, you’ll know they probably jump at the chance to outshine each other, so use that fact to your advantage. Have the kids compete against each other for simple incentives, such as who gets to choose the movie at family movie night.
Let them help you cook
Of all the chores, cooking and baking is probably the most enjoyable of the bunch because it’s the most rewarding. Have you kids take turns helping you to cook and let them make suggestions and alterations to the dishes you have planned. Eventually, encourage them to think of their own meal ideas and help them execute them for the family.
Don’t micromanage
If your child constantly feels as if they are doing chores wrong, they are less likely to want to do them at all. Instead, motivate your kids by trusting them. Start small, like giving your child the responsibility to water the plants or feed the dog, and try to remind them as little as possible. The ultimate aim here is for your child to instinctively know to help without mom or dad telling them what to do. And don’t forget to praise them for a job well done so that they have a positive association with helping out.
