There is no denying that keeping your house clean and organised is essential. But that does not mean that you should do it alone.
Check out Best Ways To Do Chores Around The House
You can ask your kids for help, and here’s why:
Teaching Your Kids to Do House Chores
Household chores can be tedious and time-consuming. At Planet Maids Cleaning Services NYC, we always tell our clients to get all the help they can.
This includes your family members, such as your kids. Mind you, teaching your kids to do house chores comes with many benefits.
1. They Learn to be Responsible
Assigning your kids regular chores teaches them to be responsible.
It also makes them feel that you trust them enough to help in the house. Thus, they become self-reliant.
If you want to instil responsibility for your children, you can start by letting them make their beds.
2. They Learn the Importance of Cleanliness
A clean space allows you to concentrate and get things done. You can also teach your child about it if you let them help you with cleaning.
And it does not have to be a huge undertaking. It can be as simple as reminding them to pick up after themselves. You can also start by teaching your kids to place their used clothes in the hamper.
Doing so instils the importance of cleanliness in them. It is also a great way to ensure that they will not grow up messy.
3. The Learn to Manage Their Time
When you are the only one who does all the house chores, it can feel like you have so much to do but not enough time. This also explains why you should get all the help that you can.
When you assign a house chore to your children, it pushes them to include it in their schedule. Hence, they can practice their time management skills early on.
This is one skill that could come in handy once they become adults and start working.
4. They Learn Important Life Skills
Your kids will eventually become adults. If you do not want to worry about whether they can take care of themselves, it is best to teach them some chores.
Depending on their age, you can let them help you do the laundry or cook meals.
For your toddlers, you can let them separate whites to coloured clothes. If you are cooking, let them set the table.
5. They Learn the Value of Teamwork
As mentioned earlier, having someone to help you do the chores allows you to get things done. As for your kids, they will learn that this is possible because of teamwork.
It is even ideal for teaching them the value of teamwork by letting them help with chores. Other than the reasons stated in this post, the home is a safe place for them.
They know that you will not take their shortcomings against them. Instead, you will reinforce the value of teamwork to your kids.
6. They Learn How to Respect Others
It usually takes some adulting before we learn to appreciate the hard work of people. Luckily, you do not have to wait for your kid to know what it is like to respect others.
Because they know how difficult it can be to clean a bedroom, they would instead do it than bother you.
When they are at school, for example, they would learn to appreciate the janitors. Your kids will learn no to look down on anyone because they know that people contribute to the world in their ways.
7. They Develop a Strong Work Ethic
Do you know what makes people succeed in their business or career? It is their work ethic.
Luckily, you do not have to wait long to teach your children about that. You can instill a work ethic in them whenever you let them do house chores with you.
One way to do that is to tie house chores to a reward system. If they can keep their bedroom clean for one week, you can give them an extra hour of playtime at the weekend.
8. It Boosts Their Self-esteem
Here’s the thing: Keeping your children from doing a chore because you would instead study can send a wrong message.
You unconsciously tell them that their academics matter more than anything. So when they fail, it will make them feel that they are a disappointment.
Simply put, you are not setting them up for success.
Instead of letting them off the hook, it would be best to give them a chore. And then let them figure out how they can fit it in their schedule.
Better yet, you can build a cleaning schedule together. This is ideal when your kid has exams coming up.
9. It Gives You a Chance to Bond
Teaching your kids to do house chores does not only mold them to be responsible. This can also be your chance to bond with them.
It is common for us to lament about how we cannot spend time with our kids because we are busy cleaning. You do not know that you can hit two birds with one stone when you do it with your kids.
Who knows? You might learn a hack or two from your kid. And you would be surprised at how this hack can make your life easier.
10. It Sets Them Up for Success
According to a longitudinal study conducted by Dr. Martin Rossman, doing chores as early as three years can predict a child’s success.
Letting your kids contribute to housework means they are less likely to do drugs. They will also tend to have a better relationship. That’s because they are confident about their abilities.
But as mentioned earlier, it does not have to be a huge undertaking. Sure, your three-year-old cannot sweep the floor yet. But you can ask them to pick up their toys and keep them away when they are done playing.
Making House Chores Fun for Your Kids
Now that you know the importance of teaching house chores to your kids, here’s how you can make it fun for them.
1. Get Kid-sized Cleaning Tools
For smaller kids, it is easy to motivate them to do house chores with you. That’s because they tend to imitate their parents.
You can bank on this by giving them kid-sized cleaning tools like a broom and dustpan. That way, it will be easier for them to imitate how you sweep the floor.
It will even be easier to ask your kids to throw away their trash since they have their broom and dustpan.
2. Turn Chores in a Game
Household chores can be mundane. Thus, the best way to motivate your children to do their part is to turn it into a game.
To begin with, you will need a competition chart for different chores. Some examples are making their bed, washing the windows, and setting the table. Give a point for every kid who gets a task done and record it on the chart.
Whoever has the most points by the end of the week wins, the reward can be extra game time by the weekend.
3. Organise a Scavenger Hunt
If your kids are good at using clues and solving puzzles, you should turn house chores into scavenger hunts.
For instance, for every task they finish, you can give them a clue to another chore. An example would be putting a toy in its right place, where they see another clue card. Once they can do a series of tasks, the hunt can end in the kitchen.
From there, they will have a few scoops of ice cream as a reward.
4. Turn it Into a Race
Who among your kids can bring their laundry to the washing area first? Who among them can separate whites from coloured the fastest?
The idea here is to turn a house chore into a race. That way, you can motivate your kids to help you. It also allows you to save some time doing it.
In this case, you no longer have to collect the laundry because your kids can do it for you. You no longer have to segregate them because your kids did it for you.
All you need to do is dump them in the washer.
5. Do it With Them
Here’s the thing: A house chore can be overwhelming for your kids. So if you want to encourage them to help you, it is best to do it with them.
You want your kid to clean his bedroom? You can ask him to throw away his trash, and you will bring it outside. You can clean the windows and walls while he sweeps the floor. You can change his bedding while he changes his pillowcase.
This trick does not only motivate your kid to do house chores. You are also able to save time since you are doing it together.
6. Make it Age Appropriate
Your kids find house chores overwhelming, maybe because it is not age-appropriate.
Your toddler cannot do the laundry. And your teens should not do some room renovations either. That said, it is better to assign tasks that are ideal for their age.
Your toddler can keep his toys away, while your teens can help you with cooking.
In our opinion, teenagers are a great time to learn how to cook. That way, your kids will not rely on ramen once they are in college and living in a dorm.
7. Create a Schedule
As mentioned earlier, assigning house chores to your kids can teach them time management. Yet, not everyone’s cut out for it.
It would be best to create a schedule with your kids. You can even revolve around their school and extracurricular activities.
Say, for days when your kids do not have after-school activities; you can ask them to help you in the kitchen. You can also do meal prepping, and then let them mix and match their school lunch every morning.
Keep in mind, though, that you should consider the amount of time they will need to study and do their homework.
8. Switch it Up
Making your kids do the same thing over and over can get boring. Not to mention that you are unable to teach them as much life skills.
Hence, it would best if you switch it up from time to time.
This is ideal if you have many kids. That way, they can take turns on who will do the dishes, help with the laundry, or take out the garbage.
Doing so will not only make things exciting for them, but it can also help them learn new things.
9. Use a Spinning Chore Chart
One way to make switching things up easier is by using a spinning chore chart.
For one, it will make the process exciting for them. That’s because it is a game of chance. Second, choosing a chore can be random.
If you are not that crafty, you can opt to roll dice instead. Each number corresponds to an age-appropriate task. It serves the same purpose, after all.
10. Use Intrinsic Motivation
The thing with giving your kids reward is that you rely on extrinsic motivation. Hence, they will stop doing a house chore when you stop rewarding them.
That said, it is best also to use intrinsic motivation.
It can be as simple as telling your kid the importance of doing a particular chore. Praise them and let them know the importance of them helping you,
That way, they will keep on doing their tasks because they know how much you value their contribution.
Household chores are a great way to practice positive reinforcement. It also provides you the opportunity to bond with your kids and teach them essential life skills. But most importantly, you are setting up your kids for success.
