When you shout at your child to make their bed, to clean their room, etc. their only response is “I will do it later”. And what do they do in the meantime? They lie around the couch and surf through the net, play games, watch videos, etc. The next day, it’s the repeat telecast of the same. Shouting at your children to do their chores is not favorable for either you as a parent or your child. That makes us wonder then is there any way for our children to do their daily chores by themselves?
There definitely is. Instead of us laboring around cleaning their room, their clothes, arranging, and organizing their mess, we can make them feel responsible for the same. Like adults, children turn their faces from the daily chores for children for one reason, it is boring. Many children aren’t old enough to understand that when they are done with the chores, they can get free time as an incentive to do whatever they wish to do.
This is why read on, and get to know the different tips and ways to get your children to do their chores.
Ways to get your child to do their chores:
1. No more distractions
The reason your child is resisting the chores is that they want 5 more minutes so they can finish their game, video, etc. You can end their distraction. The distraction can be handled by switching off the wifi, taking the electronic gadget away, etc. Ask them to do their chores, and after that, they can pursue whatever it is that they wish to. The idea that they can get back to their object of interest will appeal to them more than the abstract idea of responsibility.
2. Reward system
Offering rewards after task completion is one of the best activities to get children to work. You can use the time to replace your nagging. You can ask them to complete a task in 20 minutes, and they will get more 20 minutes to sleep in the next day. You can ask them to compete with themselves, for example, ask them to finish a task minutes earlier than the last time they took to finish it. This will let them finish the task without procrastinating. By this, they lose nothing if the task is incomplete but they will gain something if it’s done in record time.
3. Allowance
The one way to stop nagging your child to do their chores is to take away a part of their allowance. One of the activities for daily chores children is to provide leverage. Every time you have to nag them to do their chores, you can cut some part of their allowance, but remember it has to be something small. The other method would be to give them money after they have done chores. For example, if they wish to buy shoes, ask them the price. For each chore, you can set some prices. After they have done it, you can give them their allowance. They will do this until they have collected enough money. This will aid them to form a habit of doing their chores regularly.
4. Structure
We know that one of the reasons kids don’t do their chores is because they wish to play more or watch more TV. Encourage them to do their tasks before they can start having fun. In the school days, they can do the chores after school, but on holidays and vacations, they can do it in the morning so that it is out of their way and they can enjoy the rest of the day.
5. It is not a punishment
We are finding fun and simple activities for children to work, but it is not equivalent to punishment. Chores are a regular responsibility that they need to learn for when they will grow up and live by themselves. If you make the connection between bad behavior and chores, they will never do it unless they do something bad. Hence, it will be counted as a punishment than being responsible. This will create a negative mindset in the mind of the child.
6. Screen time allowance
Daily chores for children feel like a drag to them. Hence, prepare a chart. Prepare a star sheet for them with their name and chores listed. If they have done each task for 6 days a week consistently, then give them extra screen time. Parents usually restrict the screen time of their children, and hence the extra time will be an incentive for them to regularly finish their chores on time without you having to yell.
7. Make it a family thing
If you are a parent who is searching for activities to get children to work, then making it a family tradition and event is the best way. The entire family can work together while playing their favorite songs in the background. It is not always possible to do this. Hence, doing it twice a week or on weekends will shake up the boring routine of doing chores by oneself.
8. Shooting video
One of the fun and simple activities for children to work is to shoot a video. You can involve all your children in it or you can involve yourself. Shoot the video of your child doing the chores and make the video of “the best way to fold clothes”, “best glass cleaner”, etc. The video shoots will also have the narration that of an infomercial. This will add some spice to the chores and you can expect them to be camera-ready next time!
9. Ice cream sticks
Picking the activities for daily chores for children has never been easy, but this is the easiest task. All you need is a marker and ice cream sticks. You can write the tasks on the sticks and put them in a bowl. Each child of yours will pick the sticks one by one. Whatever task they get, they have to do it. This will shake their monotony and get to do new things every day. It is also an effective way to teach them all the chores around the house.
10. Playtime in the kitchen
The daily chores for children are made creative when you give reigns to the children. The child can be the chef and order around their siblings or parent to give them the ingredients. They will also decide the dish to be prepared. The parent and siblings can then follow their lead into making dinner. This is going to make your child feel like an adult and encourage them to work more and expect helpful hands as well.
Getting your child to do chores is hard, but with these tips and ways, you can change them to participate in the chores by themselves more and more. The trick is to make it fun and unconventional. And sometimes when they see their parents also going the inevitable, they get motivated by themselves to do it too. These fun and simple activities for children to work are employed to get your child into the regular habit of doing chores.