Happy Little Helpers

Happy Little Helpers

When should children begin helping with chores and house work? I have been asked this question by many parents. Kids as young as two or three can help do chores or help with things around the house. Yes, I know kids don’t “like” to clean, but it is part of learning to be a responsible person. They can learn to clean up after themselves.

So, the next question is, what chores are appropriate for my child? For small children, they can help with putting toys away, cleaning their room, dusting, making their bed, children of any age can do simple chores. As children get older they can help with things like washing dishes, loading the dishwasher, helping with meal prep, setting the table, checking the mail, and laundry just to give some ideas.

What if my kid complains about doing chores? Well, there could be a reward system involved. Like they get paid per chore, or a set amount for the week and then extra if chores that are extra are done. So, what to do if your child complains or refuses to do their chores? Take away their money, they could pay you to do their chore since it isn’t being done, or they could loose a privilege like electronics if the refuse to do chores and they don’t get it back until the chores are done. There could also be a rule that no fun stuff like electronics until chores are done.

What about little ones? Make cleaning up a game. See how fast it can get done, or we can go play outside if we clean up or sing a song to get the clean up done. Make sure to give some sort of warning a few minutes before cleaning up so that hopefully it will go smoother.

How many chores should children do in a day or week? Well, have set chores they are to do every day and then also for the week. You could even have a certain day of the week the chore gets done. For example, laundry might be a weekend chore.

Why is it important for children do learn to help around the house? Well, for one as adults they need to learn to do their own laundry, or cook for themselves, and so on. Also, children need to learn to be responsible for their things. Hopefully, when children learn to help around the house that some of the chores that moms and dads did will be able to have some help, so they are not being all done by one person.

Paying children for doing chores can be a good thing if done right. It teaches children to work for what they want. When they get paid for the chores then they can spend their own money on things like want like treats or toys. It also teaches them to be responsible with money. If your child wants a more expensive item, then it teaches them to save for it. If they spend all their money on junk, then want something more expensive they would need to learn to save for that item.

Children learning to do chores and cleaning up after themselves is part of growing up to be a responsible person. It also teaches them to take care of their own stuff. This is also important to learn as children grow up. So, when mom or dad says pick up your toys then they will understand the value of their belongings, hopefully.