Being a parent is one of the toughest jobs in the world. It’s not because of the chores but because of the responsibility to mold your child into their best selves. It includes guiding them through the most basic stuff to their biggest and most important decisions in life. You start with potty training but there is no end to the things you can teach them.
One of the best ways to make them learn their duties and teach them the importance of being responsible is to make them help you around the house with your chores. It can be as small as taking their dish to the wash basin but it makes them feel a sense of responsibility. When you praise them for their tiny contribution, they feel motivated to help you more, hence learning their duties step by step.
Following is a list of chores based on age group that your little munchkin can help you out with.
- For ages 2 to 4: Children of this age group can surely help you a little bit, but the chores are required to be the simplest ones. They have a very small attention span and their curious mind is always running around from one thing to another. Therefore single step tasks are perfect for them. For eg.
- Putting away their toys after playtime
- Piling up books, magazines or newspapers
- Putting clothes in the laundry
- Dusting
- Filling up pet’s dish
- For ages 5 to 7: As your kid grows up they can concentrate more. Now at the age of 4 to 5 they will be easily able to do the above mentioned tasks without any supervision. In addition to that they can
- Make their beds
- Water plants
- Pick weeds from the garden
- Empty waste buckets
- Bring in newspaper
- Wash plastic utensils
- For ages 8 to 10: At this age your child can do a lot more complicated tasks with a little guidance. Other than the tasks mentioned above they can
- Fix a bowl of cereal
- Unload utensils from the dishwasher
- Clear the table
- Sort laundry
- Keep their bedroom tidy
- For ages 11 and above: By now your kid knows how to handle big responsibilities like clearing and setting a table. Their attention span is much more developed and they can take on more complicated tasks along with all those mentioned above. For eg:
- Sweep the floor
- Help make and pack lunch
- Put away groceries and laundry
- Take pet for a walk
- Help make dinner
- Peel vegetables
- Vacuum
- Load the dishwasher
Now that you know what your child can help you with, you can easily assign them their tasks, but that’s not just where your job ends. You need to do a little more than just assigning them their duties. You need to be supportive, more patient and appreciative. Guide them step-by-step through the task. Do it yourself to show them how it’s done and then let them do it. Focus more on being specific with what needs to be done and appreciate them at each step. Rewards can be used as motivation but remember to not make it a compulsion. With right guidance and a little support your little one will soon master those big chores.
