How to Encourage Your Kids to Do Household Chores

The concept that your kids should learn to do chores for some lofty reason, like learning about responsibility, sounds good on paper. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work as a strategy. The good news? There's no shortage of effective strategies you can employ to ensure your kids help with the household chores.

Jump to:

• How Kids Can Benefit from Doing Household Chores
• How to Get Your Kids to Help with the Household Chores
• Conclusion

For instance, parents can now use a kids' chore app to assign jobs to their kids and pay them. The innovative app teaches kids about responsibility and introduces them to the importance of proper money management. Those who want to take their kids' spending freedom a notch higher can get them a kids debit card.

How Kids Can Benefit from Doing Household Chores

A study published by the University of Minnesota indicated that giving kids household chores at an early age can help build a lasting sense of responsibility, mastery, and self-reliance. The study also revealed that kids who started doing chores early (around 3 or 4 years old) were more likely to succeed academically.

A 75-year-old Harvard Grant study looked into the biological processes and psychosocial variables that predicted well-being and health later in life. Researchers also concluded that kids who did chores early fared better in life. Whether sweeping the floor or making their bed, helping with the household chores makes them feel capable.

While kids as young as 3 or 4 don't often have the cognitive ability and attention span to help with the chores, they can still help. Sonja Meehan, a professional organizer, points out that toddlers typically want to get involved in activities, tidying up included.

How to Get Your Kids to Help with the Household Chores

If getting your kids to help with the household chores is a struggle for you, below are some of the effective strategies you can look into:

Get rid of distractions

If your child does not want to help with the chores, it would be a good idea to find out what it is that is distracting them. Nowadays, it means gadgets and electronics need to be confiscated. You can always give it back to them once they are done helping with the household chores.

It is also ideal to briefly discuss things with your kids and ask them what's distracting them and hindering them from doing the assigned tasks. From there, you can help them find ways to get the chores done.

Work as a team

Another straightforward yet very efficient way to get household chores done is to work as a team. If anything, it would boost your kids' morale if you get in the trenches with them. You can also use the time as an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how to get tasks done accordingly.

Give your kids ample time

If a chore takes more than 15 minutes, you can make it 30 minutes, so it's less stressful for them. It is important to remember that kids will typically need more time to get chores done. Your end goal should be teaching them how to do the chores correctly. It will also help if you teach them one step at a time so they don't get overwhelmed.

Use allowance as leverage

As mentioned earlier, many parents now use kids' chore apps to assign tasks to their kids and pay them at the same time. Some chore apps not only allow kids to earn money for helping they also introduce them to key financial concepts like spending, saving, investing, and even donating money.

Create a structure

A structure is vital when it comes to completing household chores. That said, there should be a set time when chores are to be done. It would be a good idea, for starters, to ensure the bed has been made and the room is tidy before allowing your kids to use any gadgets or play any video games.

Teaching them to finish their chores first before they can have free time is essential so they'll learn which tasks to prioritize. Keep in mind that it is recommended that they work through the mundane to get to something exciting and not the other way around.

Never use chores as a punishment

While it is tempting to use chores as a punishment or consequence, refrain from doing so. If your kids misbehave, don't ask them to do a household chore as punishment. Your kids need to learn that a chore is an expected responsibility that they need to take care of and not a punishment for their mistakes and shortcomings.

There is one instance where you can use doing chores as a consequence. For example, if your kid does something wrong to another sibling, you can ask them to take care of their sibling's chores to make amends. Doing so is a good way of saying, "I was wrong, and I'll take care of your chores to show my sincerity."

Set an example

Getting household chores done is vital if you want to run your household efficiently. The idea is to ensure kids look at household chores as something fun rather than a burden. One way you can do this is by letting them see you smile, joke around, and have fun as you go about the chores at home.

Ensure they stay motivated

In most cases, kids have something else planned once all their chores have been taken care of. In line with this, talk to your kids and find out what they have planned, and use it to motivate them to get their chores done. For instance, you can tell them that once they finish their tasks, you can spend time playing basketball or whatever they want.

Stay organized

Lack of preparation can often create confusion. When it comes to household chores, it is crucial to state the goals and tasks as clearly as possible. Ensure you also provide all the supplies and equipment needed to get the job done. Plan everything and ensure things are organized so everything will go without a hitch.

Conclusion

Often, getting kids to help with the household chores is no walk in the park. Fortunately, with the strategies shared above, motivating your kids to get things done has never been easier.

About the Guest Blogger:

Samantha Green is the Content Marketing Strategist for BusyKid, the first and only chore and allowance platform where kids can earn, save, share, spend, and invest their allowance. A mom of two, she enjoys spending time with her kids and reading books to them.

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