Radio Commentary
Toddlers love to help around the house. Older children become far less excited about doing chores. They have busy schedules of homework, extracurricular activities, and friends.
But chores are a good way to give young people responsibility for a needed task, and remind them that they are contributing members of the family.
Here are some tips for getting your children to chip in with family chores:
First, make sure the chores are age-appropriate. It’s not a good idea to send a young child to take the trash outside by herself, for example. You can do it together, though, and help her learn until she is ready to do it alone.
Also, start young. When a child is in preschool, give him easy chores to get him in the habit of helping out.
A five-year-old can help clear the table, or put away his clean clothes.
Make sure your children feel they were successful in completing their chores, especially given that the goal is to help them gain self-confidence.
Acknowledge when the chore is complete, and be sure to thank your child for the effort expended, every time.
It also helps to make a family chore list to remind everyone of what is expected, and to let them have the satisfaction of checking off work that’s been done.
Mixing in a new chore can keep things interesting, along with rotating chores for different children. Remember, anyone can help out and feel good about it.
