Getting your children to help around the house

Getting your children to help around the house has two major benefits. Our work load lessens and the kids learn to handle responsibilities. However, getting them to help around the house is another matter altogether.

No child likes to do chores. To them, it’s work and work is just not fun. And how could it be? They see you slaving around the house all day, every day. Not how they want to see themselves.

To get your children to help around the house, there are a few things we need to take note of.

Make them age appropriate

Your toddler isn’t too young. They can do simple chores. Start by asking them to put their toys back in place. Give them one place to put everything in. Simplify it by having a basket that they can put their toys into after playing with them.

Older kids can help set the table, clean their rooms, dust around the house, feed pets, take out the garbage etc. Figure out which chores are age appropriate for your child and make them a daily routine for them.

Share their workload

Don’t let them do the chore every day. Offer to do it every now and then to give them a break. You never know, one day your child will surprise you by offering do your chores! Don’t count on it though…

Assign regular chores

Regular chores instill a sense of continued responsibility in a child. Assigning regular chores will streamline their daily routine and they’ll learn to adjust their day accordingly. Eventually a time will also come when you won’t have to remind them of it.

Although, if the chore is not to your child’s liking, there is a good chance that you’ll have to remind him of it every time. My mum always had to remind me to dust. It goes without saying that I hated that chore and always tried to get out of it by pestering my sisters to exchange chores with them. Of course it didn’t help that they hated dusting too.

Take turns – you too mum!

Kids are more likely to do chores if they see their mum doing it too. Take turns so that your child gets a day off from it. Instead of randomly letting your kid off the hook and doing the chore, take turns. The pleasure of it not being your turn to wash the dishes is huge!

Encourage

Let’s face it, no one loves doing chores. Not even mums. Which is why we need to encourage our children. Let them know how much they’ve helped you out and what a good job they did.

Say thank you

Always remember that the children are helping you our around the house by doing chores. Thank them for it. Reward them too. And no, unlike us, a simple thank you is not always enough reward for children. Be moderate with rewards lest they start taking it for granted. Just often enough that they feel good about doing chores.

Make it fun

It’s all in the attitude. If there’s laundry to be folded, call it a folding party and sit down with your child to fold the clothes. Use it as a time to talk.

If there’s dusting to be done, turn on some music and watch your child jig around while dusting.

To take the fun up a notch for younger kids, hide some money (a couple of Dirhams will suffice) in their room. Then challenge them to find them while cleaning their room. Of course, finder’s will be keepers.

All parents have their own ways of getting children to help around the house. How did you get them started with chores?