If you are like me, having your kid do chores ,the way you want it, is a pain, Period. Not to mention the frustration, anger and yelling to follow that. Its easy to do the chores ourselves than getting them to do it. However as a responsible parent, we need to teach our little ones, the responsibilities in the house. In this post, I put together six easy tips that might help you when getting your kids do the chores around the house.
1. Motivate – What does it mean?
My first tip is to have a consequence or a result that is significant to your little one. This could be a negative consequence or a positive consequence. An example of negative consequence is that if the kid is not packing up his toy set today, he is not get to play with the toys tomorrow. Likewise, a positive consequence is that if the kid does the chore, he gets a sticker or points which will contribute to the grand scheme of things like Christmas gifts. Again, as a parent you have to strike the right balance between negative and positive consequence. Too much of one type might reverse the effect and becomes in-effective in the long-run.
2. Recognise – the right way!
When chores become a daily thing and if your kids do the chores without any prompt, do recognise and reward them. This could be simple pat on the back or buy a surprise game in their favourite device. The point here is that you as a parent has recognised your kids activity. And they love you for that!
3. Respect Your Kid’s Pace
Many times I have seen parents forcing their kid to do stuff that they are not ready to do. In particular, when the kids are very young say between 2 and 4. When you first get your kids start to do chores, they need direction, assistance and as I mentioned in Tip 2, recognition. Make it fun and playful, get involved and make them understand the importance of the chore itself. And do it at their own pace.
4. Trading Chores – Until They Listen!
This is the best tip of all. It works mostly for older kids but you can start early if you believe that your kid is ready. Lets say you asked your kid to take out the trash can, which is probably a one minute job. And you end up doing it. Don’t worry, don’t let your blood boiling. Just trade it for a longer chore of yours. Kids, in particular understand the notion of trade very well. And when the feel they going to get a longer boring chore instead of their current one, you know what will happen. Try it and you will be amazed with the results!
5. Clear and Concise – ‘I Got It, Mom!’
Are you sick of your little one telling you that they haven’t heard what you said? Welcome to the club. Make sure to get an eye-contact with the kid by saying out his/her name loud. When you know they looked at you, tell them what to do and when it should be done. Ask them to repeat it by asking questions like “What you will do?” ,”And When?”. Now they can’t tell that they didn’t hear you properly. You can combine this Tip 4 and improve as you go along.
6. Bond, Love Bond!
Finally, be involved and help along. If you kid is doing the dishes, chip in and have a conversation with them. Try to be playful with them, give a nudge, splash a bit of water and so on. Don’t treat chores as a burden. Instead treat it as an opportunity to bond with your loved ones. Once you take anger and frustration out of the picture and replace it with positivity, life will be different. And you will be one happy parent!
The above tips are no way comprehensive and some might work for you, some might not… The point is to keep trying until you get things right.
Happy Parenting!
P.S: We are building a Free App that will help parents manage chores at their fingertip. Be part of the community and help build this app. To get beta access, make sure you sign up to our newsletter.
