Every parent want their kids to be independent as they grow up. The easiest way to teach kids independence is to give them some simple household chores and let them handle the chores. Nowadays it has become a common practice for parents to assign chores to their kids that can involve tasks like cleaning their own rooms or helping out the family members in other household activities like cooking or gardening. The main idea, of course, is to make them self-independent.
However, as parents, you should be careful about assigning the kinds of chores for your kids. Every child under the age of 10 years needs supervision and guidance. You must also allocate tasks keeping in view their age and the intensity of strength and risks involved in the task. Children below 4 years are too young and should not be given any responsibilities.
Following are some chores that can be assigned to children according to their age:
1. Children between 5 and 7 years
You can give tasks like:
a) Sweeping floors
b) Making bed
c) Hang up their towels after use
d) Feeding pets
e) Arranging their room by keeping it tidy and organized
f) Removing light dishes after supper
g) Setting the table before meals
These chores do need a bit of supervision and you should provide them and help them.
2. Children between 8 and10 years
Such children can do tasks like:
a) Putting vessels into dish washer and clothes into washing machine
b) Arranging groceries into shelves
c) Arranging vegetables and fruits into the refrigerator or the required baskets
d) Making their own breakfast, but without using the fire. For example, spreading butter or jam over the toast, preparing sandwiches by putting the desired stuff into the bread etc.
e) Working in yard or garden
f) Taking the pets out for a walk
These things also need supervision.
By doing these chores kids will learn a lot. You can also take your children out for shopping. This will teach them about healthy foods and vegetables and also give them a fair bit of idea about the prices of several things. It will also help the child understand household budgets better.
Tips for parents while assigning chores
Consider the following tips while you assign chores to your child:
1. Encourage your child
Always encourage your child to help you in every possible way. This way, he/she would feel important and would be keen to do more tasks as they grow up. You too can take this as an opportunity to bond with your kid and teach him/her things about house chores and discipline and need for an organized way of living.
2. Do not force the kids
At times, kids behave erratically and may just want to lie down not doing anything. In such a case, leave the kid alone and do not force him/her to do work. If the kids say that they are bored, it is mainly due to the fact that kids have a very short attention span. Find out the reason. He/she may dislike doing the chores alone. So you can involve yourself or ask other family members to be with the kid. If the kid still does not want to do the chores, then let him/her do what he/she likes.
3. Give freedom of choice
Take care to ask your kids what kind of chores they like to do. But ensure not to give them dangerous jobs like chopping vegetables, instead look for a safe alternative, like peeling the peas or tearing lettuce leaves for the salad.
4. Make the chores enjoyable
Kids always crave for fun and playful activities.Try to make the chores enjoyable to the kids. You may turn on some music which the child likes so that he or she gets more enthusiasm in doing the chore.
5. Never scold the kid
Last but not the least, never discourage or scold your kids if they have done any mistake while doing the chores. You can show them the correct way. Never forget to appreciate your kid, even if he/she has not done the work correctly. This way, the child would learn to rectify his/her errors and look forward for improvement.
Remember the main motive of assigning your child any chore is to make him/her independent. So, take care not to over-exhaust your kid and make him lose interest. Doing household chores can be a beginning for your child to take up big responsibilities later in his/her life.
