Sunday, April 24, 2016

Involving Kids in Cleaning Chores



Kids need to do some chores. All of us had to when we were kids ourselves. Some people disagree, but doing some chores that are appropriate to a child’s age and abilities can even help with building self confidence. Sharing the work, make it fun, laugh through it, kids will feel really good about the accomplishment when it’s done. These are learning skills that raise their self esteem and will serve your children well in the years ahead. In other words, it is a necessary part of instilling independence and responsibility within them.

Doing chores means kids become empowered and capable of doing other things.
An important point: Don’t re-do their work! If they think the dishwasher is full, then let them set it going. Eventually, they will figure out how to get all the dishes in, because that’s easier than doing two loads on one Saturday afternoon. Eventually, they will get tired of handwashing the dishes that come out with debris on them. They need the consequences of their actions to figure out how things work.
Are you not sure about having your kids help you clean, or may be you don’t know what they should be able to do? Then just check out the following 5 reasons:
  1. They contribute to the household.
They make the messes, eat the food, wear the clothes, dirty the dishes, etc just like you do.  They need to contribute with cleaning up after themselves and doing chores.
  1. They learn important skills they will use throughout their lives. 
This is a huge one.  Home is the perfect place to learn how to do things.  If they don’t learn it first at home, they will have to learn it somewhere down the line.  I was just talking to one of my kids the day about how it’s no fun being an adult trying to figure things out.  Teach them now so that they will be ready later.
  1. They learn to be responsible.
Responsibility is key.  If they know that they are in charge of something and that people are relying on them, they are much more likely to follow through.
  1. They learn the value of work. 
Another huge one.  I think it’s a big problem with today’s generation.  Hard work has been lost along the way.  I don’t think anyone naturally loves to work.  People learn to love it or learn the importance of it by doing it over and over.
  1. They appreciate more.
When kids know how much work goes into something, they start to have appreciation for it.  They realize that when they dirty a dish, someone has to clean it.  Or if they clean a floor and someone comes walking in with muddy feet, it’s frustrating.
It’s hard to know what is age appropriate for each child.  Every kid is different, so this is just a guideline.  Some kids will be ready for more quickly, while others will struggle within their age group.  That’s ok. Take what works in your family and run with it.  Each category builds on the previous.  So by the time they are teenagers, they should know all the basic cleaning skills and chores.



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