Many of us struggle with getting our children to participate in household chores or responsibilities. To get your children to regularly participate in the running of your house, keep the following ideas in mind.
- Clearly define what jobs are expected. Consider posting a list on the refrigerator that outlines who is responsible for what job. Furthermore, rotate the jobs monthly so everyone gets to experience the pleasure of taking the trash out and no one feels like jobs are unfair.
- Consider your child's age and abilities. Older kids can take on more responsibility than younger siblings. Everyone can still participate and the responsibilities can change as the children age.
- Don't expect perfection. Each job should be done to the best of the child's abilities. That doesn't mean it will be done the way mom would do it. Remember, the goal is to get them to participate. Help them feel good about their efforts.
- Break the jobs up into time of day, as well as jobs that occur occasionally. We use a sheet that has jobs that they kids do to help with dinner preparation, after dinner jobs, nightly jobs before bed, and then "special" jobs that may occur only weekly (roll the trash to the road, take the recycling out, etc.).
- Work side-by-side. Do your work while they do theirs. It goes by faster and helps them see good work habits in practice.
Be consistent in your expectations and your children should learn to help out without (too much) complaining.
What ways have you found to get your kids to help? Which jobs around the house do your kids do consistently?
Photo by cafemama
Debbie can be found blogging about the crazy happenings in life at Suburb Sanity.
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My children have their personal chores aka clean room, themselves, etc. They also one has to clean the sink in the bathroom in the morning and the other the toilet. They clean the tub together every week. I'm trying to get them to wipe it down after every bath/shower, but that hasn't happened yet. They are also responsible for putting up clean dishes and loading the dishwasher after dinner. I have a 13 and 9 y.o. They also fold and put away their own clothes.
One of the first chores my kids do is help me fold laundry. They can start by finding socks to match, or folding wash cloths. They progress up from there. They can also put away their folded clothes pretty early if you train them for a while first.
In general, I think kids can do a lot more than we give them credit for, even at young ages. Of course, it takes a lot of patience and time to train them in the first place, and that up front investment cost can be a deterrent to actually getting your kids to participate.
So, for those of us who screwed around & didn't do this when he was little, how can I get my TEENAGER to start taking responsibility around the house???
That is a tough one…I don't feel like I did a good job in this area with my 2 girls ages 15 and 17. They do their own laundry, have chores they do, set, clear table, vacuum, floors, etc (I am somewhat disabled) The hardest part is not the chores per se but picking up after themselves!! I do what I can now. For the most part, I have stopped picking up after them, but there are times I get frustrated, and pick up after them, muttering under my breath. They will learn when they get out on their own as well that no one is going to clean their messes.
…Lisa
My 2 year old help set the table the other night for dinner. She just went to the drawer and got out the silverware and did it. I loved it, and decided to encourage her more with helping out. Thank you for this info! Stopping in from SITS
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