As kids, you’ve probably dreaded house chores. But as parents, we know that giving age-appropriate chores to kids will help us keep the home tidy. Plus, we’re also teaching them how to handle responsibilities, learn new skills, and provide them with life-long lessons.
Life Lessons You Can Teach Your Children
Aside from having an extra set of hands to help you manage your household, the real benefit of giving them responsibility is that they get to learn valuable lessons in life. Here are some of those.
Teamwork
Everyone in the family must do their share to keep the house clean. Doing chores with your kids will teach them the value of teamwork. They will learn how to effectively work with others, and it will give them a sense of belongingness.
If your common goal is to maintain a clean house, everyone must do their assigned chore to reach that goal. This is a valuable lesson they can use at school and at work in the future.
Self-Esteem
Accomplishing specific tasks gives you a great feeling. The same goes for kids who get their chores done. It makes them feel that you trust them enough because you believe they can do the tasks you assigned them.
The trust and encouragement you give them along the way will build their self-esteem. It promotes self-trust and confidence that they can tackle other, bigger chores or tasks in the future.
Respect and Appreciation
Kids assigned with chores may be more aware and sensitive to the work it takes to keep the household organized. When they experience the hard work of doing chores firsthand, they may be more appreciative and respectful of the people doing the cleaning for them.
Responsibility and Independence
Chores like packing up their toys or folding their own clothes will teach them how to be responsible with their personal stuff. They develop accountability for their own things and will learn how to take care of the things they want to last longer. Responsibility also nurtures independence. Since they know how to do chores themselves, they will not rely on others.
Life Skills
Kids cannot learn everything in school. Teaching them how to do their own laundry or cook simple meals will greatly help them when they already have to move out of the house and live on their own.
Work Ethic
Most parents reward their kids after doing an excellent job on their chores. If they can hold on to that thought, they may develop an entrepreneurial mindset. It will teach them a good work ethic that rewards come after getting things done. It will boost their determination to strive harder and get better in everything they do.
Planning and Organizational Skills
Kids tend to have a lot of plans for the day. They want to play, paint, watch TV, etc. If you add a chore to that, they may think that they won’t be able to do the things they planned for the day.
Teach and encourage them that they can enjoy all the remaining time of the day doing what they want after finishing the tasks. Moving forward, help them plan their day and organize it. When they get the hang of it, they will easily manage house chores and school work while having fun all together.
Additional Tip: Make chores for kids as fun as possible. When they enjoy it, they will look forward to the next chores. Also, the moments you share and the fun times you all have will help your family keep a strong bond.
Age-Appropriate Chores
Now that you know the benefits your kids will get from doing chores, check out the list below for age-appropriate activities for children.
Kids 2-3 Years Old
You can trust them to put away their toys after playing with it, or perhaps allow them to wipe their own spills. Ask them to organize slippers and shoes in the rack or clean up their books and art materials after doing arts and crafts.
Kids 4-5 Years Old
They are big enough to learn how to fix their own bowl of cereals, water your flower bed, and pull some weeds in the garden. Ask them to help you prepare and clean up the table before and after you eat. Making up their beds and putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket can all be done at this age.
Kids 6-7 Years Old
Kids this age can already be taught how to sweep the floors, clean their rooms, and sort laundry.
Kids 8-9 Years Old
They may already be good at doing the above chores at this age. Now, it’s time to introduce new responsibilities to them, like loading and unloading the dishwasher, putting away groceries, and a helping hand in the kitchen. You can also start teaching them how to prepare simple snacks like sandwiches.
Kids 10 Years and Older
You can already try trusting them with babysitting their younger siblings, washing the car, and changing the bedding. You can also teach them how to do the laundry and fold them after. Asking them to help you cook meals for the family will make them feel more confident in trying and learning how to cook independently.
There are a lot more other chores that you can teach your kids. The key to reaping the benefits will all depend on you. Of course, prepare for tantrums and other mishaps along the way. These are all part of the learning process. Hold hands with them and encourage them all throughout the journey. Tell stories of your own experiences when you were younger and how thankful you are that you know how to do these things early on.
Prestigious Cleaning Team To Help You
There are cleaning chores that may be too dangerous for kids to try, such as deep cleaning, sanitizing, or disinfecting. For these cleaning services, you can always call our team to help you out. To schedule an appointment, call us at (770) 422-5326 or chat with one of our representatives.
