Teach kids house chores the fun way

Good habits need to start early. Your kids need to start doing their own chores around the house by the time they are in second grade. It may be your dream as a parent to see your kid set dishes on the table; make the bed; wash his plates; walk the dog; and tend to the gardens on weekends.

Start Young

Don’t wait till the child is ‘old enough,’ then chances are you will end up waiting forever. As soon as your child is old enough to carry his own cup or plate, he is old enough to learn to wash it. It may be so that he will do a clumsy job at the sink for a few days but slowly, he will get it right. Help him if need be. But don’t take over unless he is struggling too much.

Encourage him to think like a team

Initially, it is normal for kids to crib about doing chores around. But tell your child that he is a team player, being a part of the family. It will gradually dawn on him that chores are a part of being functional at home; they are not worthless jobs or jobs given as punishment!

Let him make a choice

One chore may be more agreeable than the other. Your child may prefer gardening to vacuuming the floor. And cleaning the furniture may sound better than cleaning the washroom. So, let him pick from a bag having paper chits full of unwanted chores. This way, he will realize that he can’t avoid ‘unwanted’ completely because these chores are part of the daily routine.

Consider giving them pocket money for work

Some child experts suggest paying kids for housework chores, while other advice against it. They see their moms and dads having paying jobs outside home but they don’t get paid to cook, clean, drive kids to and from their activities. So, the latter set of experts feels that it will send out a wrong message if paid. The former section of experts feels that paying an allowance will give them a boost to be more enthusiastic. And it will make them feel valued, giving them better self-esteem.

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