Making Kids Understand the Importance of Helping: Household Chores for Kids that Every Parent Must Make Their Kids Do for Kids to Learn the Importance of Certain Values at a Young Age!

Making Kids Understand the Importance of Helping: Household Chores for Kids that Every Parent Must Make Their Kids Do for Kids to Learn the Importance of Certain Values at a Young Age!

By helping you with housework, the kids can easily transition themselves into adults and can become self-reliant. And, as a bonus, you get a pair of helping hands too! But you might be the dilemma of how to get started, how to make your kids do all those chores. Most kids will always find housework a daunting task, and there will always be pushback. After going through this post, you will be equipped with a handful of tips to handle your kids and make them do household chores.

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Reasons Why Children Must Help in Household Work!

  • Teaches life skills
    Your kids will grow up and stay away from you after some years. It becomes your duty as a parent to teach them to take care of themselves. Their school will only be teaching them about aspects of life. It will mainly be for their education and manners. But the entire gamut of things about working together and helping others needs to be taught at home. And it is best to start when they are young. Doing work together with parents will groom them to be able to stay away from their parents in the future.

  • Hands-on experience
    Children need to be taken through the first steps of their development at home. The parent must help the kids with the activities and provide them with hands-on experience. While the easier activities may not need any parental guidance, but the tougher activities like gardening, mowing the lawn, or even changing a light bulb, etc. will need one of the parents to guide them in the first instance.

  • Feeling of togetherness
    Doing chores together make children understand the feeling of being together and working as a team. When working in a group, the kids are also able to learn about being responsible for the work assigned to them. The members of the family are being considered as a complete team who work towards a common goal. They must also learn that there could be negative fallouts of not meeting expectations. It is easier to learn the finer aspects of life at home and implement them in real life.
  • Teaches empathy
    As parents have the task of preparing the values of life to their kids, doing the household chores with the kids is a way of teaching them the nuances of life. When they are helping others, they must be sympathetic that they are helping their parent with the housework. On the one hand, it will teach them teamwork, while on the other hand, they will learn to be empathetic and help others when there is a requirement.

  • Improves skills
    Working at home allows kids to hone their skills across various aspects. It could be a variety of activities, like gardening, handling pets, learning to make a simple meal for themselves, etc. It allows them to know about how various activities are carried out. It also imbibes a strong work ethic among the kids, and if it is connected with a reward, it works even better.

  • Time management
    Handling chores allows kids to learn about managing time. Of course, parents should handhold them for the first few occasions. Once they learn the activities, they should be able to finish them on their own. That, too, within the time specified. Once they grow up, they need to juggle various activities daily. If they learn multi-tasking from a young age, it will be good for them.

  • Self-reliance
    Learning household work from a young age instils a sense of responsibility from a young age. They are easily able to finish various menial jobs within a short timeframe. They can easily handle a variety of tasks together at a time. They become self-reliant, and parents can rest assured that their children can take care of themselves when they stay away from their parents.

How to Get Your Kids Start Off Helping with Household Chores

  • Check appropriateness of the task
    Before engaging your kids in housework, you must make sure that the work that gets allocated to them is appropriate as per their age. All the activities may not be suitable for them. For example, you may request your five-year-old kid to put away their books and toys or to put their utensils in the sink. But you cannot expect them to help you with sweeping or cooking.

  • Give clear and simple instructions
    You need to give specific instructions to your kids. If they are very young, you must talk to them in a lower tone. Your instructions must be detailed enough to make them understand what is expected out of them. Once they do the activity with you a few times, they will understand what is expected out of them.
  • Work together Your kids will not be able to understand what is expected out of them, even if you provide proper instructions. You must work with them to make them understand what is expected out of them and the correct way to perform an activity. Your kid will also perform better if they work together with you the first few times. There will also be a feeling of understanding by working together.

  • Encourage the kids
    If you can encourage your colleagues to finish a project on time, then why not your kids if they do the chores correctly and on time. Your encouragement will allow them to strive better the next time. And if their activities are connected with a reward, then they will be more inclined to work with you the next time. All you need to do is to thank them for their efforts and, maybe, prepare some dessert that they like for dinner.

  • Set time limits
    After a few times they have worked with you, you can let them do the chores on their own. After some time, you may set a time limit for them to finish the activity. If they are unable to complete it on time, there could be a small punishment. It could be lesser time on the television the next evening. Or maybe more studies. However, do not nag your kid constantly as they will get distracted. They may also start complaining after some time.

  • Create a carrot
    It always helps to connect a reward if some work is done correctly. It works well with adults, then why not with the kids. You may show a carrot if the chores are done correctly and within the decided time. The reward could be added pocket money or more chocolates. Or any food that your kid likes. You will find that it works wonders, and your kid will willing and looking forward to more chores from you.

  • Switch routines
    Doing the same activities every day is dull. It is better if you handout different activities every day. Mixing up the activities will allow your kid to know how various activities can be handled. They will gain knowledge about a variety of activities and how to do them within a specified time. It will also be interesting for them to learn something new. You can even create some difficult challenges for them and help them out in the activities too.

  • Allow autonomy You must allow them to work freely after you have worked together. They may not like your continuous nagging. It is better to give them positive suggestions on how to finish a difficult task. Always sound positive, which make your kids take the extra effort in the activity. They will be motivated to accomplish tasks themselves.

Household Chores for Kids that are Ideal for Encouraging them to Help Around the House

As parents, we always find out the right ways to bring up our children. We always try to provide them with the best quality of education. But what about teaching them the finer life skills that also need to be instilled in them. You may be wondering about the activities in which they can help you. We have listed some of them.

Tidy and Make their Bed

Children have their room strewn around with lots of items. It could be toys, books, colours, etc. While it could be okay when they are playing, but their bed should be in order before it is time to sleep. It is one chore that you can make your children do. It will not be the best option, but it is among the easiest for your kids, and they know that it is essential to keep their bed clean before sleeping.

Watering the Plants

You need to pay heed to your garden but might be too busy throughout the day and may not find the time to water the plants very often. It is where your kids can help. Teach them one or two times, and they will be tending to the garden very well.

Different plants require different types of care, and this chore will help them get a better understanding and interest in nature. Tending to a plant which then blossoms under your care is its reward too, and if they show an interest, you could teach them the other more delicate nuances of gardening which will inculcate a lifelong hobby.

Feeding Pets

Children are known to be fond of pets and vice-versa. Your pets are thrilled to play with your kids, but pets are not all fun and play, they need to be cared for and looked after with sensitivity. Why not increase their togetherness by making your kids feed them as well. You may show your kids how it is done a few times. You may stay with them when they feed the kids. At the least, they will be content that they have fed their friends and will be happy to have done so.

Cleaning the Room

This activity requires your child to be at least 8-10 years old. You may not always have the time to clean the room yourself. Your kids may help you in sweeping the room and cleaning the windows and cupboards. It will need any supervision if your children are around ten years old. You may need to show it a few times and provide them with the broom, spray bottle, and paper towels.

Helping with Groceries

It is one activity that we all preferred doing when we were kids. It led to additional pocket money every day. You may request your kid to take stock of the items needed from the grocer. Make them choose healthy items only and inform them why having unhealthy food is bad for health. If they do it correctly, there could be a little pocket money as a reward.

Cleaning the Table After Eating

Most of our kids do not care to clean the table after having food, and while it is common to have help who does this or cleans the dishes, it wouldn't hurt for them to learn to do it themselves. We must teach our children about some table manners. You may make them clean the table after having food and wash the utensils too. No work is too menial, and especially not when it is about cleaning up after yourself, and it will teach them to value and appreciate the work your household helper does. You may also pitch in sometimes, so it becomes a natural family activity instead of a tedious task no one wants to do.

Rewards to Kids for Helping You with Chores

  • Pocket money: A nominal allowance can be provided to children if they help with household chores. It can be put into their piggy bank and used only under supervision. Of course, there is a debate about whether kids need to be paid for doing chores at all. It is up to the parent to decide on this.

  • New dessert: Kids can be tempted to do various activities by using food as a reward. But it is necessary! Desserts can be a great option as a reward, and kids will be motivated to work on your errands. Also, why prepare it at home. You may take your kid to the ice cream parlour too.

  • Organise a picnic: Kids love to have a day out with their parents. You can organise a picnic for a day of fun and frolic. Your kid will be thrilled and know that the occasion was earnt by doing the chores efficiently and on time.

  • Create a reward chart: You may also create a chart with the activities done and allocated points for finishing them efficiently. The points can then add on to a bigger reward. It encourages the kids as more work will lead to more points being accrued. Have a skewed model with more points for more difficult chores.

  • Download them their favourite apps: While it is not suggested to allow kids to be on mobile phones often, however, you can let them indulge in them for some time. Let them download one or two of their favourite apps and play for some time. However, you must ensure that there is a strict time limit on the time your children use the mobile.

Digital Marketer, Blogger
Sanjay Das
Sanjay is a marketing professional with more than 15 years of experience. He has a penchant for writing blogs and articles and has written over 350 blogs across diverse topics and industries. Sanjay takes a keen interest in SEO-based content writing for websites and social media. He also runs his own blog for digital marketing articles.
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You Get to Spend More Time with Your Kids too!

Kids need to understand the importance of working together and helping others. It is all a part of growing up. Parents must teach their children the right path, and make them understand the importance of doing one's own tasks. Doing chores allow kids to have a sense of responsibility, and they also feel happy when they can complete the work within the requisite time. Children gain experience in how to foster relationships along with co-operation and working together. Moreover, the parents can also de-stress, given that they can share the workload. The family has more time together to have fun!

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