If kids start helping parents around house early enough, it can easily help develop a sense of self-confidence and an ability to take responsibility, no matter at how small a scale. Most of the time one might think it is better to handle these household activities oneself instead of relegating it even in part to our kids. However, it is like underestimating the ability of children in taking up responsibility and handling everyday tasks on their own. Parents are also slow to realize at times how they need to go about it to achieve the desired results.
Still, there is no doubt that there are several long-term benefits of relegating household responsibilities to children but first and most important is sharing of burden. This would also help develop basic skills of handling the household and managing things on a micro scale which can be very helpful. Children must understand that certain privileges accorded to them as a member of a household also comes with a set of responsibilities. They must also understand that if these responsibilities are not taken seriously it can create problems at some stage by upsetting the balance of things.
One must also remember that early responsibility for kids can translate into mature behavior in adult years. This has been shown to reduce chances of children taking to drugs and other such addictions in their adult years if they have taken up such responsibilities at an early age. You can begin by allocating age-appropriate tasks to children of different ages. One can begin as early as 3 years of age with very simple tasks which do not place much of a burden on the child.
Children should also not be pressurized to come up with a certain level of accomplishment as far as handling domestic chores is concerned. It is always best to make it easy on the kids and slowly relegate more difficult tasks as they grow up and learn to take responsibility. If they fail to come up with desired results then also you need to bear with it and encourage them for their attempt and tell them that you trust them to do better. If the kids are too young around the age group of 3 to 5 years, you can tell them to keep toys in place after playtime and try to make their bed.
They can also undertake basic cleaning tasks which involves dusting and keeping their place clean. Older children between the ages of 6 and 8 years can be entrusted with slightly more complex tasks involving handling the groceries, helping set the table and similar tasks. Taking out trash can be started at this age which would help make them aware of how important it is to keep the place clean and also learn to take their responsibility without much fuss.
It is important not to adopt a disciplinarian approach towards the whole thing and let children enjoy themselves even while handling chores. It is more important to make them mentally prepared to take small responsibilities instead of ensuring that they carry out their tasks with perfection. It would be good to help the child with something you have just assigned him with and slowly let him complete the task on his own. This would also increase their confidence level and develop an enthusiastic attitude about the whole thing.
When children reach the age group of 9 to 12 years, parents can start looking upto them to help with tasks like washing the car, help with the meals if possible and water the plants amongst other things. Using vacuum cleaner without much problem would be one thing your kids can handle at this age. It is important to praise your child for his efforts even if the outcome does not match your expectations. Do not place the burden of high expectations on your child to make these tasks more of a burden.
Parents can really adopt a strategy to make the whole thing more interesting than it sounds. While helping out the children with these tasks they can sing together which would really change the feel and then a little play can also be incorporated in managing the tasks at some level. Apart from these, parents need to understand that they should display a good attitude towards handling these tasks and lead by example if possible which has greater chances for kids to take up the task willingly.
Article by Craig Desmier of OutdoorSofa.com, a website with the largest selections of
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