It’s hard to find anyone, let alone any child, who wants to do chores. However, chores can help kids feel a sense of accomplishment and responsibility as they help out the family unit.
Many times, the way we parents approach chores can make all the difference between fighting tooth and nail, and getting them done proactively.
A big part of making chores fun is to let your children choose the chores they want to do. You can give them the lead by creating different popsicle sticks, each with a chore that’s appropriate for them to do. Let them select five chores to do each week. They can be the same or different each week.
Another wonderful idea is to post on a wall a list of chores that need to be done each week. Next to each chore, state the amount it will pay. Money–earning it and saving it–is such a fun and special thing to kids. Your chores don’t need to pay an arm and a leg. One dollar here, one quarter there (for smaller chores like clearing their plate each dinner) can help your kids learn the power of earning, saving, counting and spending money, and then getting change back (hopefully!).
Once your children are on a roll with their chores, throw in a free day here and there. Another fun way to mix it up is to do chores together. Or, make it a game…set a timer each day for five minutes and have the kids make a mad dash at putting things away. Once the timer goes off, everything that isn’t yet put away gets put into a box and can be “earned” back.
Chores aren’t anyone’s favorite thing, but they are a necessity for us all. Help your keiki start off on the right foot when it comes to chores and household to-do’s by making it fun and putting them in control.
