How To Get Kids To Help Around The House

Getting Kids To Help Around The House no matter their age is important to teach them responsibility and how to take care of themselves.

How To Get Kids To Help Around The House

In an ideal world, everyone in the family notices the jobs that need to be done and does them.

If only it were that easy! Right moms?

In reality, it’s usually a parent or the mom who seems to notice these things.

This is why we must learn to delegate and teach other members of the family like our spouses and children to help.

Whatever the situation, there is no reason one person should do all the work.

Especially when you have children in the household who are more than capable of chores.

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Tips To Get Kids To Help Around The House

As a mom of two tween girls, it couldn’t get any harder than this when it came to encouraging them to help me around our home.

Believe me when I say that I expect a lot when it comes to both of my daughters and husband to help keep our home clean and tidy.

I’ve been the mom who just did everything myself and didn’t ask for help. All while running my own business.

Why? In short because I was tired of asking and I like things a certain way.

After a while that started wearing me down and I started to feel resentment towards my family because they weren’t helping.

In all honesty, I wasn’t allowing them to help me.

That’s when I decided that it was time that I delegated some of the house chores to my daughters.

Here are a few things that I did to help them get on board!

Delegating Household Chores

Even though you may be able to do the work better and faster yourself, delegating is an important part of managing your home.

It’s impossible for a mom or parent to be the only responsible person in the home to do chores.

Especially if this parent also works throughout the week or the family has a busy schedule.

The only fair thing to do is to make sure that chores are delegating to every member of the household.

Yes, this also includes kids! Don’t worry, even your toddler can help and will be more than happy to help with chores.

I even offer a free Chore Chart with a list of kids’ chores with appropriate ages and what they are capable of doing throughout the house.

Keep Your Sense Of Humor

This might sound kind of strange, but it’s important to be patient and keep your sense of humor when teaching kids to help around the home.

You’re giving children the opportunity to be self-sufficient and preparing them for life by teaching them what’s involved in running a home.

That doesn’t mean that they are going to listen right away, and it doesn’t say that your teenager all of a sudden decides to go on strike!

But, it won’t be long before you’ll be reaping the benefits of your persistence when they stop depending on you to do every little thing for them.

If that means having to laugh about the situation at the moment then do so, it’s better than losing your temper!

Believe me, yelling does no good.

Young Children Can Help Too

The truth is, your younger children will be more excited about helping mom with chores than your older children will.

There are so many things that children as young as three years old can help with around the home.

Such as straighten shoes, match socks, clean up their toys, and even feeding the dog.

A great way to help younger children learn their chores is by having them watch you do it first. This gives them expectations and shows them exactly what is being asked of them.

A young child will feel very important sitting at the table sorting berries and talking to you while you make dinner.

It allows them to be apart of the family just like everyone else.

Give children the opportunity to want to help, even when it’s not done exactly the way YOU would do it.

Getting Tweens and Teens To Help Around The House

This is where it gets a bit more tricky if your tween or teen is not used to helping around the house.

First, start off by sitting down with your child and explaining to them why they need to help around the house more and what are the expectations of them.

Avoid bribes or using the threat of missed allowance or going out with friends to entice children to help out.

Help them to appreciate that everyone in the family contributes to the home in their own way.

Plus, it’s a great way to show independence and for them to learn how to take care of themselves.

Some of the things that older children can help around the house include taking out the garbage, dust furniture, clean their rooms, fold clothes, set the table, make their lunches, vacuum the house and rake the grass.

Teaching Kids To Cook

I believe that kids learn so much from spending time in the kitchen with mom or dad, plus it’s an important life skill to learn.

Not only does it allow them to see how much work goes into preparing a meal, but also think about all of the skills they can learn by cooking.

• math skills
• problem-solving
• vocabulary
• science
• geography
• fine-motor skills
• eating habits

If you have a pre-teen or teenager you should encourage them to make a meal once in a while.

Let them decide on the menu and go for it. Stay nearby in case you’re needed but otherwise just let them enjoy it.

It’s a learning process and will prepare them for life on their own. Make it an adventure.

Our daughters love to cook and ask to do so every chance they get!

But again, keep your sense of humor and allow for occasional mistakes and harmless mishaps (which will happen). Remember, they are still learning.

The To-Do List Or Chore Chart

Knowing how to get kids to help around the house can be tricky at times and that’s when I love to bring out the chore chart or a to-do list.

If it’s a chore getting your spouse or older children to participate in household tasks, try posting a “to-do” list or printing out a chore chart.

It eliminates the pressure of you having to ask and it gives your kids the expectations that are asked of them.

A reward system is up to you. If you feel that your kids will appreciate the reward for working hard, then go right ahead.

Just make sure to use the reward system as a reward for working, not as a bribe.

How To Get Kids To Help

Remember to delegate age-appropriate housework to all of your kids once they are old enough.

You will be surprised that your kids are more than happy to help you with house chores. Especially younger children.

Set expectations or use chore charts to encourage tween and teens to give you the help you need.

Getting kids and family members to help around the house takes patience and persistence but will be worth it in the long run when you don’t have to do all the work yourself.

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