Learning to complete daily chores is an essential milestone for every child to achieve. Children learn and grow at their own rates based on developmental ability and age, but it’s still up to parents and caregivers to show their children away. Even the youngest children can take on the task of completing daily chores, but it isn’t always easy to motivate or teach them. Follow along and we’ll show you how to get your little one’s to enjoy and complete their assigned tasks.
Learning Valuable Life Skills
When children learn to take care of their own chores, it’s more than just an opportunity to get them to pitch in; they’re learning valuable life skills. Simple tasks such as brushing their own teeth and putting away their toys helps to build a foundation for the rest of their lives. Children who perform their own tasks and chores can enjoy the benefits of better self-esteem, cognitive development and organizational skills. However, some children may be more eager than others to pitch in and lend a hand.
Avoiding Negative Impacts
While it may seem easier to just clean up after your child, in the long run, there are many negative impacts to not having children do their own chores. When children learn to take care of their own hygiene, keep their toys and school items organized, and clean up after themselves at a young age, they build good habits that they can carry into adulthood. If your child is pushing back against taking on their chores, it may be helpful to explain how cleaning up is helpful. Toys on the floor can be tripping hazards, unbrushed teeth can cause cavities and other consequences might help your child connect the need for doing chores to real life problems.
Getting Your Kids Motivated
So how do you encourage your child to help out around the house? There isn’t one method that will work for every child, so it might take some work to find out what will motivate your child. Try using a variety of motivational methods like using timers in five minute increments and to make cleaning up a game, or offer rewards of stickers, books or other positive reinforcements to help encourage your child to continue working toward daily chores and goals. Giving your child a personalized set of cleaning items like their own apron, broom or dish gloves may also make chores feel like a fun game while reinforcing rituals. However, the most effective method of all is simply showing your child how to do their chores and having them mirror your actions. Little hands need big hands to help out too!
Incentive Based Learning Tools
If you’re looking for a great way to encourage your child to get motivated and get in on the clean-up game, a personalized book Daily Hero makes for an excellent learning tool and reward. Written by our incredibly talented illustrator Sheyla Nogueira. Your child will delight in seeing their own name on the page along with a character doing the chores that they are also expected to do. When you work together with your child to teach new responsibilities, you’re helping them along the path to reaching their full potential!