It’s Always a Chore

The thought of having to do chores can be painful for adults, let alone a child who would much prefer to be outside exploring, playing, or depending on the child, gaming or chilling out in front of the TV.

But, it is important for children to learn how to do chores from an early age (the earlier the better!) as it can help teach responsibility, develop gross and fine motor skills and even help boost their self-esteem if they are given encouragement and feedback about how they are contributing to the family.

But… sometimes getting little one’s motivated to do chores can be easier said than done.

So this week, we asked our parenting contributors to share their experiences with us on how old their children were when they started doing chores, and what strategies they use to keep them doing their chores.

This is what they had to say…

Victoria from Lylia Rose
Professional lifestyle blogger shared how she avoids using the word “chores” and turns household tasks into a game:

My daughter is four so thankfully she really wants to help around the house at this age.  Even my two year old likes to fill the washing machine with clothes and pass them to me to hang up after!

I plan on always including my children in the daily household tasks, though I don’t think I’ll ever refer to them as ‘chores’ as the word to me sounds like something unpleasant and boring.

I’ll try to make household tasks fun by counting items we are putting away or seeing who can do it the fastest.

Hopefully it will feel like a game to the children and they’ll want to always help out.

Kate from Kids Kill Coolness
Mother of twins shared how she encourages chores as a task to help her kids feel “grown up”

I feel like if you give kids tasks that are “things grown-ups do” they feel a sense of confidence and accomplishment when they do them.

So my 3 yr old twins help with chores and every so often I give them .50c afterwards and they love it.

Levana from Silver Linings Psychotherapy
Counselor and Independent Social Worker shared with us how she first got her kids interested in going chores and how she get’s the trend to continue

My kids, age 4 and 7 have been doing chores since the time were physically able. I started out giving them small jobs, like throwing things in the trash or picking up their toys.

Now that they are older they know that Sunday is “cleaning day” and what is expected of them. They don’t argue because they know​ that there is no TV, toys or friends over until everything is done!

Lastly, a couple of thoughts on chores from the Oh Beehave! library:

Assign Chores
When it comes to chores, you may find some children are more likely to pick up the slack than others. In which case, it can be handy as a family to agree on:

• What the chores are
• Who is responsible for doing each chore

You may wish to display these on a chart or in some sort of visual way (such as a whiteboard on the fridge, for example) so that it is clear which chores each person in the family has agreed to complete.
 
Having a clear agreement on who does what can make a big difference to ensuring the chores actually get completed!

Take Turns
It can get boring doing the same chores over and over.

Mix it up a bit by letting your children choose who will do what chores (if you feel comfortable, let them take turns drawing up the schedule), or let your children alternate “choosing” who does what chores.

They are more likely to complete their chores if they feel like they have some control over the process of choosing.

We would love to hear your thoughts on whether your kids do chores, how old were they when they started, and how do you keep them interested in doing their chores regularly?

Let us know in the comments below (if you have a website, feel free to include your link in the body of your comment) 😊

If you have a topic you would like us to include, a tip you want to share, or you would like to feature as a contributor on “Who’s The Expert” get in touch (let us know if you would like to receive email alerts!) or join our facebook group!