Not too long ago, we started the whole pocket money thing in our house.
As in – my daughter, who is nine, will get €5 every Saturday – on the condition that she has to help out with chores at home. These include setting and clearing the table, hoover her bedroom, help fold her own laundry – as well as, of course, tidying up her own toys and books and stuff when she has used it or moved it from one room to another.
So far, this is going really well – better than I thought, in fact – much, I suspect, down to her finding it really exciting to get her own money every week (although she is not to impressed that I make her save some of it). Currently, her little brother has a few chores he has to do as well, despite him not yet having reached an age where I find it necessary to pay him pocket money yet for his efforts.
And while it can take a little while (and some convincing) to get your kids onboard with helping out around the house – let’s just all agree that this is what they need to be doing, and that we are all trying to raise capable adults here, so chores are a must.
In fact – according to experts, apart from giving you a helping hand with the house, there are also several long-term benefits for kids who help out with chores.
According to the Washington Times, only 28 percent of US parents ask their children to do chores these days. However, studies have linked chores to several positive character traits later in life.
The source notes kids who start doing chores around age 3 or 4 are more likely to be well-adjusted adults, have better relationships, empathize with others and succeed in their careers. All that to say, yes, you should ask your kids to help out with spring cleaning.
However, as we all may or may not know, getting kids to do chores can sometimes be anything but easy. As in; you yelling, “Why haven’t you cleaned your room yet?” while your child is glued to the sofa watching YouTube, shouting back, “I’ll do it later!”
If you think about it, though – the reason kids don’t like doing chores is pretty much the same reason adults don’t like doing chores: household tasks are generally boring. And let’s face it—the satisfaction of getting the dishes done or the floor cleaned is not a very big reward in this day and age of electronics, screens, and instant gratification. Another big reason kids in general don’t like being made do chores is that they feel like they’re being taken away from something they’d like to do (Netflix, playing out with their friends) in order to do something that’s not exciting or stimulating.
Feel like you’re constantly on top of your kids, trying to get them to do their household chores? Here are some effective strategies to try:
1. Stop the Show
If your child is not doing his chores, you simply stop everything, tell him to have a seat and talk to him about it.
Ask him what he thinks is going on and what’s getting in his way of doing his assigned tasks. Find out what his plans are after he’s finished and try to motivate him toward getting the work done so he move on to what he really wants to do.
Appealing to a child’s self-interests—rather than explaining the abstract concept of responsibility or duty—is generally much more effective for kids.
2. Time Your Child’s Performance
Timing is a good way to get your child to comply with doing chores. You can say, “All right, the dishes have to be done in 20 minutes.” If they’re not done in 20 minutes, then your child’s bedtime is earlier, and now there’s a cost associated with his foot-dragging.
The beauty of this system is that you’re not constantly nagging anymore, you’re just keeping time.
3. Consider Giving Kids an Allowance
Your child’s allowance should be hooked into their chores—and to the times when your child fails to complete his tasks or has to be reminded to do them.
4. Use Structure
Structure is very important when it comes to completing household tasks.
For example, before the video games or any electronics go on, make it a rule that your child’s bed has to be made, his clothes should be in the hamper and his room is tidy. This way, he’s starting to learn that before he can have free time, his responsibilities have to be met. Again, you never want to be pulling your child back from something exciting in order to do something mundane and boring. Rather, you want to get them to work through the mundane and boring things to get to something exciting.
5. Use a Reward System
If you want kids to take responsibility for their chores, integrate their tasks with some reward system that has to do with allowance, as we mentioned, or in some other observable way. A chart on the fridge works well in terms of keeping, track, and having it there for them to see is a great visual reminder too.
