Making a chore less of a bore

Chores are an important part of our children’s development. If we want our children to grow up as responsible adults, we must introduce them to simple age-appropriate tasks that they can do to take care of themselves (personal chores) and to help us around the house (household chores), and those they can engage in with us, (family chores) to foster bonding.

Though you may have the luxury of assigning a yaya to your children to do things for them, you will do your children great service if you teach them chores because they give children a sense of duty and responsibility.

Try giving them one or two chores per week that they can practice and master and turn into a routine by first showing them exactly how a job is done and then by practicing with them. Remind them about the chore by posting a list and monitor progress by checking how they are doing.

Provide them with tools to help them accomplish their tasks faster and more efficiently like a large toy bin to throw toys in easily or hooks around their rooms to easily hang clothes that they still plan to use.

Reward them always with encouraging words for a job well done and points with a prize once in a while.

Try these ideas for making household chores fun for both of you:

• Turn on the music. Encourage your children to dance to the music while completing a task and challenge them to finish a task when the music ends.

• Make it a contest. Have a treasure hunt in the grocery so that your kids can help you find what you’re looking for. I tried this once when I had all four of my kids with me and we had a great time doing the grocery plus they had a sense of importance for what we were doing.

• Give your kids a vision. I try to encourage my kids to dream about how they’d make their bedrooms look better by showing them different bedroom showcases featured in a magazine. Ask them to picture what will happen to their toys if they keep them lying around the house without being put away for a week and what accidents can happen as a result of them being left scattered on the floor.

• Join in the fun. Kids should be encouraged to do tasks that they can do with us, so as much as possible, allow them to help you in the kitchen – setting the table, sorting clothes that need to be washed, and caring for your pets. Because it is a family affair, you hit two birds with one stone.

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Have more fun tips to share about chores? Share your thoughts at mommytalk@businessworks.com.ph.