It is not easy to get our children to do chores, especially with a good attitude. However, chores are important, not only for character growth but for teaching them about how to become responsible adults!
Here are 10 ways to fire up your kids to do chores!
1. Make Them – I know this should just be a given but really, so many parents don’t. They either get worn down with the complaining or they (the parents) want everything to be perfect and feel they are the only ones for the job! You will never have responsible kids if you continue down that path! Let perfection GO!
2. An Award System/or Allowance – Parents disagree about this quite a bit. Some believe you should pay allowance, some don’t. I’m at a happy medium. Some chores in our home don’t get paid for, they are part of just being a member of our household but there are some that do. It is a wonderful way to teach money management and responsibility. My son is 16 and cuts our huge yard and does all the weed eating. It is a tough job and he should be paid. I would have to pay someone else to do that hard job, I should make a way for him to earn money as well! To me it is just the right thing to do, so I do it!
3. Routine – If you have a special time each day chores are done, I feel like it runs more smoothly! It becomes part of the expected and becomes a normal part of their lives! The times where I haven’t been consistent is the time I get the most complaints. Your kids start to feel like it isn’t necessary or they didn’t do it “yesterday” and more issues arrive that make it more difficult. If it is part of their daily routine they expect it and it goes much more smoother.
4. Chore Charts/or Lists for your older children -Chore charts can be a great way to reward small children and help they focus on exactly what they are suppose to do. They take pride in checking things off! Older children love lists to help keep them organized! This post has some wonderful ideas for different systems. I put together lists for every age group of chores they can do:
Toddler/Preschooler, 6-8 Years Old, 9-12 Years old 13-16 yrs old, 17-18 yrs old
5 Start as Young as Possible – It is amazing how much a walking one year old can help you. This is the age where they LOVE to help! Teach them young about picking up the mess, feeding the animals( they usually love this) and watering the plants. It is never too young to learn responsibility of the household!
6. Mix up the Chores – No one wants to do the same list all the time, it gets boring and the kids don’t learn new skills. Mix it monthly or every quarter or something that works for you! As your children grown you can expect new things from them and getting new lists helps get them excited a little bit (at least for a little while:)
7. Give Breaks – Especially on large jobs ! We are need breaks, especially when we are conquering something big! Allow breaks when needed and keep in mind the age group of your children. Your younger children may need this more!
8. Cleaning Supplies & Tools – Have a fun cleaning caddy or even colorful spray bottles can be fun for young children! There are tons of posts about natural cleaners that are safe (here is one of my favorites) Have everything they need handy and easily accessible during chore time, of course keep in mind age groups and what is safe and not for each group! My kids always loved dusters when they were younger, any tool that motivates them to help is great! Have mops, brooms, and vacuums that are easy to navigate and lift!
9. Hold off privileges until they are done – If your children love screen time, special toys, or even a day out with a friend, they need to know that these are privileges and not entitlements. The old saying is “no work no play” applies here! If we continually allow our children to play before work, work usually doesn’t happen. There are ALWAYS exceptions to this rule, but for the most part this is the way it should be handled. If you do this consistently it becomes a way of life and you will see extra motivation to get the job done so they are free to do the things they love!
10. Play Music – Music somehow makes work better! I know there are exceptions to this but for the most part it makes moving around and working easier! We love to play music when we work, I will even notice when my daughter is cleaning her room she now plays music-it just helps make it easier somehow!
Other Posts about Chores on Together with Family
This is an awesome article. This is how I think also- I wish parents did this or any form of it. I am in my 50’s and have GF’s which did not enforce this-at our age i thought they would know better. my BF is mid 60’s and fell pray to #1-did it for them as did not want to listen to the complaints. Since her kids are now 40’s it is a moot point-but her grandkids are suffering from her doing things for their parents.-so you see-it can affect many generations if parents do not teach their children. I tire of hearing people say children need to do nothing but play when they are children. so misguided. You are very wise-i hope many people read this article and take what you wrote to heart.