Giving Chores To Your Children

Posted by Dexie

We believe in earning your keep in our family :) . My son's chores for the summer are picking pine cones and sticks from the frontyard, then raking the pincones if need be. Other parents don't believe in giving rewards or allowances in exchange for chores for their children. We're on the "believe" crowd. If you have young kids and are thinking of giving chores to start them off early in learning to help out and how it benefits them in the end, here are some tips from Parenting-Ed.org :

*Start early. Parents should start giving their children household responsibilities when they are young. Most toddlers love to help their parents. Parents should take advantage of this desire and give their children small and simple tasks. As children get older, they should then be given more challenging tasks.

*Show how to do the chore. Children need to know exactly what's expected of them. Therefore, it is a good idea for parents to make sure their children know exactly what their duties are. Parents should thoroughly go over the duties required, and should actually show their children how to do the chore at hand. It might also be a good idea to write down and post all duties that make up a single chore for children's reference. At first, parents should monitor their children to make sure things are going well. Parents can reduce monitoring once children know how to do the chore.

*Set up a reward system or a chart system. If parents have trouble getting their children to do their chores or to do them correctly, a reward/chart system can be set up to encourage cooperation. The general guidelines include making a list of the criteria for successful completion of the chore. Then, a chart should be posted in a prominent location in the home. Parents, or children, if they're old enough, should make a mark on the chart for each completed chore. Parents can either award points that can be traded in for a desired reward, or they can simply give a desired reward in exchange for the completion of agreed-upon chores. Finally, parents and children should decide on the reward to be awarded. Instead of material rewards like candy or toys, it is better if rewards are non-material, such as a trip to the park with Mom and Dad, or being allowed to stay up a half hour past bedtime. Prizes can be awarded daily or weekly. For younger children, it is probably best to have daily rewards. For older children, rewards can be given weekly. Once children are consistently doing their chores, the reward/chart system can be discontinued.

Giving Chores To Your Children

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