This is a 3 part series so come back tomorrow and the day after for the others. With Spring Cleaning coming up you will more than likely be asking the kids to help out around the house. Are your kids old enough to help out around the house? If you’re ready to introduce chores to your kids, it’s important that you do it the right way. Simply telling your child to go clean something won’t work, especially if you have younger children. These tips will help you introduce chores to your kids, no matter how old they are.
Start Small
Although your kids probably won’t love doing chores, you don’t want to overwhelm them and cause them to be afraid of doing chores. In order to introduce chores to your kids, start small. Start with one or two easy chores that you know are appropriate for their age. After your children have mastered these chores, you can always add to the list.
Do It Together
If chores are new to your children, then make sure you do the chores together a few times. When you start a new job, chances are you need some training in order to know how to do the job the right way. The same thing applies to chores for your children. Even if they’ve seen you do the chores, they have no firsthand experience doing them, meaning that they’ll probably do the chores wrong. This can make more work for you. By walking through the chores together, you’re training your children how to do those chores the right way, all while building your child’s confidence in their cleaning abilities.
Make a Chore Chart
A chore chart is a great visual for getting your kids started with chores. You can use a white board or a paper printable to make your chore chart, whatever works for you. You can then write down what you expect your children to do each week or each day. You’ll also be able to track when your children do their chores so that you can reward them for a job well done.
Use Picture Instructions
If you’re starting chores with your younger children, then picture instructions will help them get the job done right! Instead of writing a chore name on the chart, make picture instructions for each chore, including all of the different steps required for the job. For example, if you want your child to help feed the animals, you can show a picture of the bag of food, followed by a picture of the measuring cup used to scoop the food out. The next two pictures can then show putting the food in the dish and then putting the bag of food away.
Introducing chores to your kids is pretty easy when you start small and show your kids how it’s done.
What are some tips you use for introducing chores?
