Everyone likes a well-kept home, but no one appreciates the effort it takes to keep it that way.
Children at home tend to mess up the house, and the onus of tidying up falls on the parents. Tidying up after your child is challenging and stressful, and it adds more work to your already busy day and sends the kids a message that it is ok to mess up. They tend to take it for granted that someone will clean their mess.
Also, kids can learn a valuable lesson by helping around the house. It instils a sense of responsibility in them and allows them to gain essential life skills that will help them in the future.
Get them involved
Children of any age, excluding infants, can help around the house with tasks that are appropriate to their age. Young children can do simple tasks like putting away their books, toys and other items in the proper place. They can feed the pets, and older kids can take the pets for a walk. They can help by watering the potted plants and weeding the garden patch.
Building a routine and giving them credit for a chore done well will make them proud of their contribution.
Show them how it’s done.
It is easier to show/demonstrate how to do a task safely and appropriately and then assign the task to them over time. Demonstrate to your kids how to sweep, mop, load the washing machine, rinse and dry cutlery. Also, make sure that they understand what you expect and resist the temptation to take it over from them if they take longer or if it is not up to your expectation.
Please don’t be too hard on them for not doing a task perfectly. If your kids ask for help to do a hard job, offer your assistance. If you notice them struggling, lend a hand to show that you’re supportive.
Be generous with praise.
Kids being kids, will try to get out of doing their chores. Even adults run away from household tasks because it tends to be overwhelming. Some days, you may need to gently remind them that the assigned task hasn’t been completed. Once they complete the task, remember to tell your kids how good of a job they did, which will give them a sense of accomplishment.
Set an example
Doing chores is not the most exciting part of a child’s day, nor is it yours! While you expect your kid to do a task well, they will look up to you set an example, hence keep that in mind always. Also, remember that by learning to perform household tasks, they learn to be independent later in life.
As a parent, it is up to you to decide whether your kids need to help around the house, and please ensure you have wholehearted support and agreement from your partner.