Chores! It was always the dreaded word on Saturday’s when I was growing up. Raising kids now I am trying to approach it in a different way. I am sure we are all battling children and housework in some way. Housework may seem like a frightening thing, it does not have to be. It may seem like a no-brainer to assume kids should do chores, but teaches responsibility.
School is sometimes presented as the “work” we expect of our kids, and when homework is done they’re free to play. That arrangement can be the problem because housework, real work, still remains. Children should take it up because they enjoy the goods of the household, because they probably have more time than their parents to do it, and because they gain competence and responsibility in the process.
We have to keep in mind age of the child, but I think all children are capable of helping in some way. Here is a list of household tasks that 10-year-old should know how to do from parent teaching: load and unload the dishwasher or wash dishes by hand; dust; sweep or vacuum floors; clean a bathroom; put away groceries; set the table; clean up after a meal; take out trash; put away laundry; make beds; water plants.
Devoting an hour or so a day to these chores would not pose a danger to children’s schoolwork or health or sociability. Some parents might think their children are incapable of such skills but I remember doing these chores when I was a child and I am totally fine with it and that my parents wanted me to.
Learning to do chores helps children mature, helps orient them to the common good. A practical objection is that teaching kids how to do household jobs takes much more time than it does for the parents simply to do the jobs themselves. This is true. That time devoted to instruction is important, it gives you time to teach your child a life skill.
So to start, let them see you cleaning, clearing, cooking, sorting, sweeping, and all the rest. And invite them to join you. The key is observation and we know this because they love to copy and imitate what they see.Capitalize on your child’s want-to-do attitude and soon she’ll beg, “Let me help some more!”
If we have to go to work it may be hard to wait to let young children make the bed but for young kids on the weekend… What’s more fun than making the bed? Making the bed and then having a pillow fight with Mom! A young child of 3 or 4 can pull up her comforter and fluff her pillow, and that’s great. The younger toddlers can learn to place stuffed friends at the head of their bed and tuck folded pj’s under their pillow. Make chores a part of the family routine — every morning, your child gets up, brushes her teeth, gets dressed, and makes her bed. You can even create a chart for your kid to follow.
We all need to start with baby steps and work our way up. We do not want to have to battle our children for help when they get older so starting with simple fun chores when they are younger will help build their level of responsibility and make parenting a little easier…we hope.
By Melissa