If you're wondering why society seems to be on the decline, perhaps a lack of chores is (at least partially) to blame.
A survey found that 82% of parents performed chores as a child, yet only 28% of them were asking their own children to help around the house.
While this is a troubling statistic, you should aim to go against the majority if you're wondering what's best for your kids. Evidence has suggested that having your kids do chores has a notably positive effect on how they turn out as adults. Even though fewer parents are doing it these days, it's still incredibly important that you get your kids involved with chores around the house.
Getting your kids to do chores is a great way to build positive habits that last long into adulthood. Read on for our guide on getting your children to help around the house.
Why Are Chores Important?
Getting your kids to help around the house is about more than just lightening the load for yourself. By starting chores early in your child's life, you are disciplining them and preparing them to face the real world as an adult.
Teach Responsibility
As you know, the baseline responsibilities of a child are very few. It's up to you to decide how many (or how little) tasks they have on their to-do list. While it may be tempting to just "let kids be kids," it's important for you to teach them the virtue of responsibility sooner rather than later.
In fact, research has shown that getting kids to help around the house when they're as young as three years old is associated with higher career success, better social relationships, and decreased drug use later in life.
Create a Standard of Cleanliness
Having your kids help around the house teaches them not to take cleanliness for granted. In other words, they will see it as their own responsibility rather than expecting others to take care of it. This will help them learn to be polite and respectful by not making a mess wherever they are, whether it's a store, another person's home, or your home.
Help Your Kids Stay Healthier
This one goes hand-in-hand with cleanliness as a standard in your child's life. Chores like washing and sanitising the surfaces in your home will encourage your children to be more aware of germs, viruses, and bacteria present in the outdoor world. That way, they'll be more careful and can possibly avoid infections they come in contact with.
Additionally, be sure you're having your children wear face masks in public, as well as wash their hands as soon as they get home. For even more immune support, try our Manuka-C Immune Support or Immune-5 supplements.
During coronavirus there has been a huge need for hand sanitiser. We carry hand sanitiser here at Fevermates and it is Australian made, owned and run. We have the option of hand sanitiser gel or hand sanitiser spray to cover all your hygiene needs during the pandemic and after.
Set Them Up for Success
A study found that children who began doing chores by age 5 had significantly better outlooks in the areas of academia, social skills, and even overall life satisfaction. This is because having your kids help around the house teaches them to be self-sufficient in other aspects of their life, such as school, jobs, and personal relationships.
Getting Your Kids to Help Around the House
Now that we've gone over the benefits of getting your kids to help around the house, let's go over some effective approaches to incorporate chores into their daily routine.
Think of Chores as Contributions
Having your kids help around the house has been linked to greater overall happiness; this is because household chores help them feel like they're making a meaningful contribution to the household. This is the perfect mindset to adopt if you're looking for a positive spin on doing chores.
Think of your household as a small community: each individual does his or her fair share of the work. Teach your children to have a sense of pride in what they're contributing by reminding them often how important their work is. By reinforcing the idea that chores are duties rather than annoying obligations, you'll be more likely to create a harmonious work/life balance within your family and your household.
Establish Good Habits
By helping your children establish good habits early in life, you'll find that getting them to help around the house comes naturally. For example, encouraging your kids to wash their hands often and use hand sanitiser will create positive habits that set a standard of cleanliness in their life. As a result, they'll be more likely to keep up with cleaning chores because they are accustomed to (and appreciative of) cleanliness.
Allowances
Research has shown that it's best not to align the responsibilities of a child with the allowance they receive, should you choose to give them one. Doing this might encourage them to view chores as a way to be paid (or not) based on whether they accomplish the tasks.
While it's still a good idea to teach your children the value of money with regular cash allowances, it's best to do so in a way that separates the payment from the chores. Avoid withholding allowances due to incomplete chores, because this is likely to make your children think they have the option not to help around the house. Regardless of allowance, the chores must always be done.
Think of it this way: in real life, no one will be "paying" your kids to do chores when they become adults. Instead, they should have an innate sense of responsibility that compels them to stay tidy without expecting anything in return.
Stay Organised
Especially when working with younger children, it helps to maintain a structured breakdown of chores for the week. This will help establish a regular routine so everyone knows who will be accomplishing which chore for the week. To level out the playing field, include yourself on the chore chart, too.
Building Discipline with Chores
Having your kids help around the house doesn't just make your life easier: it also helps them become better humans later in life. Chores give your children the tools to be more responsible, compassionate, and hardworking as they navigate adulthood. Now that you know more about having your children help around the house, start working on your chore schedule today.
Check out our full product line to help your family stay happy and healthy.