The novel coronavirus has put the world at a standstill. Now, entire families are stuck at home for a long time due to shelter-in-place measures. One way to make this unusual time a learning opportunity for children and adolescents is to let them participate in household chores.
Household Chores for Children
There are many household tasks your children can help with, such as:
1. Organizing
From the bedroom to the kitchen, your house offers many avenues for your children to learn valuable organization skills through housework. Making the bed in the morning, folding the clothes in the laundry, and generally putting back household items where they belong are some simple chores little children can do.
But that’s only the interior. You may also extend organization-type household tasks outdoors. Children can learn a lot from arranging the plants in your garden or from segregating the trash. If you have a storage shed in your yard that you use as a workshop, you can teach your little ones proper ways to store stuff.
You can tell them how each tool in the shed helps people fix broken things and even create new ones. Equipment and tools are often fascinating to little kids, so the act of tinkering with them may also help them develop a new hobby or childhood dream.
2. Cleaning
Taking the time to teach little children how to clean up after themselves teaches them to be independent while learning some leadership skills. These life skills include delegating tasks, following important instructions, and participating in teamwork.
Age-appropriate cleaning chores for little children include sweeping the floor, wiping down the sink and counter, and washing the dishes. In addition, tasks that involve cleaning present the opportunity to help your kids build their knowledge about germs and the spread of disease. This is highly important during this time, when everyone must be well-educated about COVID-19 to properly manage the disease and minimize its spread.
3. Cooking and Preparing Food
Young children may find cooking dishes to be a complicated chore. Make sure to let them do realistic tasks so that they can understand the process of preparing food without making a mess.
Because cooking involves chemical reactions and a great deal of problem-solving, it is a good way to supplement the topics your children may have learned in school, such as chemistry and math. Mixing ingredients, feeding the pets, and setting up the table are among the cooking-related activities your children can have fun learning about. Once these simple tasks are mastered, children can move on to more complex tasks such as following recipes and cooking meals for the family.
4. Budgeting
Financial literacy is best learned at a young age. When children practice good financial habits, they can carry these lessons throughout life.
As a parent, you can prepare them for the future by allowing them to set personal saving goals, earning money from completing chores, and even depositing money into a bank account. You may also encourage them to buy their own toy using the money they have saved. By grasping the concept of self-sufficiency and the value of budgeting, your kids will be ready to handle their finances once they’re old enough to get a job.
How to Inspire Kids to Do the Chores
Children may make a fuss about having to do important chores if they don’t sound fun to begin with. To help you motivate your little ones to participate, here are a few tips:
1. Set clear expectations
What makes a job well done? Help your kids experience satisfaction when they excel in a particular task by making sure that they know how to do it and what it should look like once the task is completed.
2. Make a schedule
Setting your kids up for success means allowing them to do tasks at a steady pace so that they can improve. Creating a checklist and a schedule can help your children manage their tasks and see their daily progress.
3. Have the entire family contribute
It’s a smart idea to emphasize how cooperation can lead to good results. It also teaches young children that when everyone does their part in running a household, it can make things much easier and much more fulfilling.
4. Give constructive feedback
Making sure your kids know that they’re doing something right can help motivate them to do more. As such, always give them positive feedback. If they make a mistake, show them how it’s done instead.
5. Set a reward system
More than anything else, children respond better when there are incentives for completing a task. A tangible reward system can help children feel a great sense of accomplishment, boosting motivation and productivity.
Charity Begins at Home
Being involved in household chores helps children learn how to take responsibility for themselves and for the people they care about. It also helps them appreciate the value of hard work, cooperation, and communication.
When children see that they are contributing to the good and happiness of the household, it makes them feel competent and confident. The feeling of satisfaction when they accomplish a task is forever priceless.
