It’s the one thing many children try to avoid while at home: doing chores. After a long day of school or playing outside with friends, children don’t look forward to coming home and having to help clean up. However, home chores are a necessity for all families.
Teaching children how to do chores without making it a negative thing is a great way to start getting their help without having to force them or argue.
Parenting isn’t always easy. Learning parenting strategies to successfully get your children to do their chores will help ease stress and create a more harmonious home environment.
In the guide below, you’ll find some parenting advice about teaching children to complete chores without having to pull your hair out. Continue reading to find out more!
Create a Challenge
Do your children love a good challenge? Are they competitive and enjoy playing sports or other types of games?
Creating a challenge out of completing chores could be the solution you’re looking for.
Creating a challenge out of it will also give your children a bigger sense of accomplishment once they’re done. You can consider giving them a big challenge or a small one.
For example, can you challenge them to reorganize the entire kitchen pantry?
How about a race as to who can clean out their closet the quickest? I used to have fun by using my “white glove” challenge.
Whoever got the job done the quickest and the best, based on my white glove staying clean, won the challenge. They thought it was funny and when kids are young enough an idea that silly is just enough to make a chore fun.
Especially if the winner gets to pick the dessert that night or the flavor ice cream the family gets to eat.
Make Chores Flashcards
Chore flashcards are a good way to give your children a choice but also keep them focused on the task at hand.
To create the cards, you’ll place the name of the chore on one side and what the reward will be for completing it on the other side. One great reward to consider is screen time.
For small chores, your child might receive 10 minutes of screen time. For larger chores, the back of the card might reward them with 30 minutes of screen time.
They have to pick the card with eyes closed so there is no quibbling over which chore has the best reward.
We want to avoid, “No fair, he got the better deal.” The goal is to get the chores done without yelling.
Pick Surprise Chores
To make things a bit more fun, you can write down chores on small pieces of paper and fold them. Then, place the papers inside a jar.
Children and yourself can take turns grabbing paper out of the jar and discovering what surprise chore they received.
This is a fair way of splitting chores up amongst siblings who may argue over who has to do what. You can have the entire family play the game. Once a chore is complete, each family member will pick a new one.
The person with the most completed chores at the end will win a surprise!
Let Them Find Independence
When a child feels treated as an adult, they blossom. Children love being treated as grownups.
To help your children feel more grown-up, you can consider giving them new chores they haven’t tried before, such as feeding the family pet or making their own bed each morning.
The feeling of independence is almost more rewarding to them than receiving a sticker or piece of candy.
If you decide to do this, then be sure to communicate with your child about what a big responsibility it is to complete this type of chore. Explain to them that you’re trusting them with this responsibility.
Little ones will love doing their best to make you happy and prove their abilities.
Turn It Into a Game
Find ways to make doing chores a fun game for your children to play. For example, you can create levels for them to beat. If they complete dusting, then they can move on to the next level (vacuuming).
You can also give them a timer to try to beat while cleaning. Set the timer and let kids know they have to finish the cleaning task before the timer is up.
This will encourage children to work quickly, so make sure to explain to them they can only win if the chore is done correctly as well.
Teach Them Teamwork
Doing chores is a great way to teach your children about teamwork. When the entire family helps out, the chores get done a lot quicker.
Working on all the chores together is also a great way for the family to bond with one another.
This teaches your children how to be team players and help others when in need. Do you see your child struggling to reach the top of the fan with the dust brush?
Give them a helping hand and show them ways to dust it without needing help next time.
You can even choose cleaning songs to listen to while the family cleans, making it a more fun experience.
Use a Reward Chart
A reward chart is another excellent way to encourage your children to complete their chores without trouble.
Use a reward chart to place stars or other stickers on certain chores once the child has completed them.
Once the child earns enough stickers to complete the day or a single row of chores, they can then choose from the treasure box!
Many reward charts can be found at stores and online, but you can also consider making your own if desired.
Doing Chores Doesn’t Have to Be a Chore
Doing chores at home doesn’t have to be a negative thing. You can teach your children how to clean using these positive parenting solutions.
Following the advice listed above will save you from having to yell, argue, or become frustrated with your children.
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