Getting Kids To Help Out

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Even very small children can help around the house, ifyou’re patient and of course, don’t expect perfection.

It’s important to remember to stress the importance of all work, and to express appreciation for a job well done. You should also change a child’s responsibilities often enough to prevent boredom.
Importantly, yourattitude will determine their attitude towards the work, if you’re happy and energetic at work, the child will likely follow suit. Remember that at any age, rewards are always appreciated, and will go a long way to encouraging good work habits and maintaining interest.

An important tip to remember: redoing work a child has done is a great way to discourage, demoralize and remove any motivation to try agin in the future.

Some good ideas to try:

Encourage your children to start helping make their own beds starting around 3 years, consequently, by 4 years old they should not be welcome at the breakfast table unless the bed is made.

Give a reason for cleaning up, and most importantly, set a deadline, this will give the child a choice, by making it something that must be done not immediately, but rather, in a timely manner–an important life lesson.

Give a child a card with a smiley face to leave any place they’ve performed a chore unasked. Then make sure to aknowledge the contribution and lavish praise accordingly.