Many families struggle with getting children to do chores, and for our family, it seems to be particularly difficult during the summertime. After all, during the summer we are home and on the go more. There are more meal cooks, more dishes to do, more trash to take out and basically more of everything that needs to be done to keep our house neat and tidy. But there are also more "fun" things to do which means that it can be more difficult to get the children to do their chores. But "necessity is the mother of all invention." and it has become necessary to get the children more involved in doing chores.
There is an app for that. Yes, there is an app for children's chores. A popular iPad app tracked 15,000 chores and parents can assign points to those chores as well as assign the chores to children. The children do the chores, collect their points and then the app even provides a scoring chart and several reward ideas.
Out with the old and in with the new - chore chart. My chore chart needed an update. The children are older now. They can handle a little more responsibility and it is time that their chore chart reflects that. Do you need to dust off your chore chart?
Age appropriate. Would you ask your 2 year old to mop the kitchen floor? Hopefully not! It is important to select age appropriate chores and there are several experts out there that offer recommendations. One easy to use rule of thumb is if they can reach it they can most likely clean it. Just remember to be safe, especially with cleaning products.
Clean up clean up, everybody everywhere. Teaching small children we would sing this song to get everyone to move along to get the cleaning done. The same can be said for chores at home. There is a time for everything and one way to get the children to do their chores is to set aside a time when everyone is working on chores. After all if dad is sitting there watching a football game, many children are going to wonder why they are working and others are not. Avoid the eye rolling and arguments by setting aside a time for chores and a time for play.
Allow for an allowance. There are many different discussions about allowances. Right now my younger children get an amount of money based on each chore they do, from making the beds to sweeping the floors. The harder the task the more they make. This teaches them that working hard can have a reward. It is pretty nice for mom too as they get excited about their "paychecks" and deciding what they will spend or save it for.
Provide chore choices. If you are honest you know that there are some chores you just hate to do. I know I do. Your children do too, so why not offer them chore choices. You may be surprised at what they can accomplish without whining when they are put in control.
It's not always easy to make sure the buck (et) stops here when it comes to chores and children so it's important to start with your toddlers tantrums if you can. Avoid setting chore choices that are a result of chaos because then they can seem overwhelming for everyone. Last but not least, everyone likes a little pat on the back or high five when the job gets done. Providing praise is the best way to take the work out of parenting.
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