Kids & chores…

Kids managing household chores is every mother’s dream-come-true yet getting them to help around the house is a huge task! According to survey, 74% of parents complained that their kids rarely helped with chores unless asked while 50% of them reported they spend as much time arguing with their children about doing the chores. That’s the main reason most parents prefer to manage by themselves rather than asking their children for help as doing so seems easier. Yet, there are ways of getting the work done!

Here is how…

1. Assign chores by age: Making your children do something which is way too difficult for his age is going to make things difficult for everybody. Thus, we need to assign then age-appropriate tasks.
2. Make them personal: Cleaning their own room or corner is a great idea to start with. They can sort their own cupboard, toys and games or even clean their own plates and iron their own clothes!
3. Display the chores: Use fridge magnets and display a list of chores assigned to everybody to be done either every day or around the week and make it a habit to tick mark the ones that are done. The whole family can see what’s been done and prompt those who are slow.
4. Variety is good: Assign tasks on a rotation basis. While it motivates kids to do better than their siblings, the job gets better by the day!
5. Don’t do it yourself: Offer your guidance but never do the task yourself. For example, teach your kid how to make the bed but don’t do it yourself or else they will need you every time.
6. Have proper timings: Make a timetable for the chores and see to it that all family members adhere to it. If not, laziness doesn’t take much time to creep in!
7. Discourage whining: Some kids resort to excuses such as “I have a headache” while some say, “I got homework” and others simply whine. Make them stop it by enforcing a 2-for-1 policy: One more chore in addition to the existing task, if found whining or complaining.
8. Complaining isn’t whining always: Understand your child if he/she isn’t able to do a particular task. It could be age or other issues – help him with it for a few days until he can do it on his own.
9. Don’t make it sound like punishment: When you make kids do chores, never be stern all the time. Let them know that you are teaching them ‘Life-skills’ and they will be more than interested in doing them. Make it not only important but a fun activity as well.
10. Encourage them: Kids love to hear words of appreciation from their parents. Whenever they do a fine job, we need to complement their skills. It will not only motivate them but increase their self-esteem as well.