Teaching Kids Resonsibility - Chores for Children

Children should be able to keep their rooms clean and take out the garbage. If you have preteens, say from the ages of twelve to fifteen, chore time can escalate into arguments and end with grounding. Why is it so hard to get your child to complete a few chores and more importantly, why do you have to keep reminding them constantly that it needs to be done? Chores for children and how to enforce them is what this article is all about.

It's not that kids don't think of chores as a priority. There are a lot of adults that don't think that chores are a priority either. Just ask my husband, who hasn't made a bed or done a load of laundry in nine years! By his inaction, he is teaching our kids that chores aren't important-that if it doesn't get done someone will eventually do it for him-me. But the kids also see me keep a strict chore checklist and adhere to it, so it's not like they don't have a positive role model for completing housework.

Okay, so that's some insight to my household. The answer to how to get children to do chores is to not allow them to think of chores as an unpleasant experience which must be completed. They need to think of them as responsibilities that they are in control of which makes them a valuable part of the family. My husband's part in the family is to go to work each day-whether he wants to or not. Mine is to do the housework, most of the cooking, and work-whether I want to or not. The kids job is to go to school, keep their rooms picked up, take out the garbage, and take care of our dogs-whether they want to or not. Don't refer to them as "chores." They are necessary responsibilities which keeps the household running.

Some schools of thought would advise parents to incorporate a children's chore list and keep it on the refrigerator, checking off daily chores as they are completed and receiving some sort of reward at the end. That's fine, and children should receive some sort of incentive to complete chores-other than knowing they are a valuable part of the family, because as much as it is the root of all evil, money talks. The adults are rewarded for their work with a paycheck, and if you give your kids payment at the end of the week for completing their chores, they will learn responsibility with not only housework but also with cash. My only advice with using a chart is to put everyone one it, not just the kids.

If you want to get really serious and fancy, there are free chore charts available online, or the children can draw up their own. The most important thing you can do for your family in the area of chores for children, however, is explain to them that the responsibilities you give them ( i.e; chores) are because they are important to the family as a unit and that you trust them by giving them responsibilities.

By Gina 2007-02-19 18:04:42

I'm interested in getting organized with chores and involving my kids in the houses upkeep and responsibilities.

By Charlynn 2007-07-03 14:10:11

I am interested in getting templates to create chore charts for my 9 and 7 yr old kids.

By susana flores 2007-11-25 05:44:16

I want to see some kind of charts to improve my classes.

By unknown 2008-01-28 18:24:48

The comment "My only advice with using a chart is to put everyone one it, not just the kids" makes sense. We currently have a list of chores for the kids. Items are checked off each day when they are done without a parent asking. Also notes are taken for what was not done or what items a parent had to remind them of. The kids get paid at the end of the week, only for the number of items they complete without being asked. If they show initiative, self motivation, and responsibility on their own for their items, they get paid. This may seem harsh to some, but this way the work gets done either way. They learn to become self starters. Money is earned and not just given to them. We pay the kids by depositing funds into their own checkbook register. When they want to spend their money, they write out a check and record the expense in the register. This way they learn to save, write checks, and manage a checkbook. Our names and items are on the chart and what we do each day is marked off. This may open their eyes to what goes on each day.

Enter Your Comment or Question:

Name: (required)

E-mail: (required)

Security Code: (required)

Your e-mail address will not be displayed and will remain confidential.

Security Code to enter

Please type your comment or question below:

HeartCore Corporation
26828 Maple Valley Hwy, PMB 278
Maple Valley, Washington 98038, USA
Phone & Fax: 206-374-2483