You can often hear from parents that children do not help them around the house. Toys scattered all over the room, mountains of unwashed dishes and, as a result, daily scandals, punishment and tears. How to ensure that the baby independently, without prodding, helps around the house? When should children be taught to work? In this article, you will find nine simple yet effective tips on how to grow a little helper.
We start from early childhood
It is best to start accustoming children to household chores from early childhood. Usually, a small child does not even need to be forced - he himself seeks to help mom wash the dishes, and dad - to unscrew a bolt or hammer in a nail. Unfortunately, parents begin to brush aside the zealous assistant, they say, we can handle it ourselves. Is it any wonder if a grown-up child refuses to ask for help? After all, he is used to the fact that everything around the house is done without his participation.
Already at the age of two, the baby can help his mother by performing small assignments. What kind of things can be trusted to children at different ages?
- 2-4 years
A two-year-old is capable of performing any simple task: bringing a book, gloves or a wallet to his mother. At this age, he can already be allowed to put on and take off his jacket and pants on his own. Parents should explain to the child which shelves his things are on, so that he puts them in their place.
- 4-5 years old
The child can already do more difficult work: put toys in their places, sort socks by color, put dirty clothes in a basket. He will also help parents dust off, set the table and arrange purchases. Most importantly, show your baby that you appreciate their help.
- 5 years and older
Now you can teach your child to regularly clean up his own room. Give him the following responsibilities: caring for flowers in the nursery, cleaning the bed daily, collecting a backpack for kindergarten. From the age of seven, allow him to walk the dog on the street (if it is not a large breed) and cook dinner, even if it will be ordinary sandwiches.
If you have not managed to instill a love of work in a two-year-old child, try to teach a younger student to be clean. Don't be afraid to be late.
Tips for nurturing helpers
Our recommendations will help adults to behave correctly in the process of accustoming a child to household chores.
- Do together. Perhaps the most common phrase of a busy mom usually goes something like this: "Go play, please, I'm very busy right now." This is a serious mistake in the important process of educating real helpers. Don't dismiss your baby, do your homework together. Let him stay with you in the kitchen, let him participate in kneading dough, cooking salad or setting the table. Or, put a toy ironing board next to a real one and iron it together.Do not share your household chores with your children. For example, while cleaning up the children's room together, tell a little tale about toys that were unsuccessfully looking for their favorite box, but found it thanks to a little helper.
- Praise your baby for helping. Encourage with magic words that are equally well perceived by both children and adults: "Only you can do this job really well!" A child, realizing his own uniqueness and importance in the process of collecting candy wrappers or cleaning dust on the shelves, will be happy to help you in what he is known to do best. (We also read: How to properly encourage a child?)
- Consider the child's wishes. Be aware of children's tendencies for specific activities. Some people enjoy general housework, while others prefer to put away toys or rearrange books, which requires concentration and meticulousness. Let each kid do what he loves most. For best results, make a list of homework assignments that are appropriate for your child's age and ability, and let him choose which ones he would like to do. You may be surprised by his choice!
- Clean up fun. Even boring daily work can be easily turned into a fun activity. "Taming" a vacuum cleaner in the children's room, washing dishes with "magic bubbles" and searching for "treasures" in food bags that my mother brought from the store. Even simple homework can be an interesting adventure in the life of a young child.
- Don't expect high productivity. Don't expect a small child to be able to do their homework just fine. So don't swear if he broke a plate while washing, put a fork in the spoon section, or turned your floor into a ship's deck. Prepare for the fact that you will have to redo a lot after the first attempts of the little helper. If something didn't work out right away, tactfully explain how you can fix the error. (We also read: To punish a child for accidental misconduct?)
- Be patient. If the child takes a long time to complete the assignment, do not rush, do not interfere, and even more so do not scold him for slowness, otherwise he may get scared and refuse to help the next time. And if the mother always finishes the work for the children, then they will not understand how important it is to bring the work started to the end.
- Don't punish with work. You will be making a big mistake if you treat your homework as a punishment for your wrongdoing. A child should not think that they are putting away toys or washing dishes because they did something wrong today. It is always necessary to make the bed, wash the dishes, put toys in their places, regardless of his behavior.
- Don't pay for homework. Never reward children with money for helping around the house. If you want to reward your child for a job well done, take your family to the zoo, ice rink, or circus on weekends. Remember that household chores should not be taken as a bargaining chip. They are as natural a part of a child's life as play, socializing, and learning. (We also read: Children and pocket money. How to teach a child to treat money correctly)
- Do not divide work as girly or boyish. It often happens that girls like to play with equipment, and boys prefer to tinker in the kitchen. Therefore, there is no need to divide household chores into two large groups: for girls and for boys. Both the daughter and the son must clean the rooms, wash the dishes, sew on buttons, care for the plants and even be able to hammer in nails.
- 6 ways to properly motivate your child
- 40 basic things that a child should be able to do around the house at the age of 2-13
- How to teach a child to order and cleanliness
- How to raise responsibility in a child
- Household chores that can be entrusted to a two-year-old child
- What to do if a child is lazy - how to deal with child laziness
- How to Reeducate a Spoiled Child
If you throw your clothes around the apartment, don't put away the dishes after dinner, don't make the bed in the morning, don't expect your child to grow up to be hardworking and tidy. Requiring kids to clean up after themselves? Show them a positive example!
