Why Chores are important for children
In our day and age kids do not have nearly as many responsibilities as kids used to. And I believe that is not right at all. Our kids should be held to higher standards and we should not just be following them around cleaning up after them and being at their beckon call. They need to learn how to take care of themselves at a young age and understand that the world does not revolve around them. Now am I saying that I make my 5 year old make her own meals and fend for herself? Of course not! There are things that are appropriate for a 5-year-old…..
Appropriate chores are a 5-6-year-old
As I mentioned we want to start training our children to take care of themselves and this is a great age to start. They also need to start realizing that they also have to care for those around them and help with the chores around the house ( or the homestead in our case). I love to start implementing not only personal responsibility but also their family responsibility.
Trust me I know that it is easier to just do the work yourself. But like I said it is so important that they learn responsibility and know that they are needed in the family. I believe that a child who is between 5-6 should be able to…
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Get Dressed on their own
Let them pick their clothes and get dressed on their own! This gives them such a confidence boost. Of course, you can help if you are going out of the house and want them to look presentable. 🙂 My daughter has quite the fashion sense and picks some very interesting outfits. So if we are going out I help her tone them down a bit.
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Make their bed
Again, Let them do this and just guide! My 5 year old makes her own bed….half the bedding might be falling off the bed, but she did it! Feel free to guide them and show them how to do it better but try not to scold them too much, if it is not done perfectly. At this age, you are just helping them to do the job. The quality of the job will get better as they grow up.
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Pick up their things
As a mom of 3 toys are overtaking my life. I am pretty close to just getting rid of all of them! But I don’t think that will ultimately fix my problem. If we had no toys their clothes and shoes will still be all over, right? And unfortunately, they have to wear clothes! Things will always be a part of our lives so it is super important to teach them to put their things away. And trust me it does NOT happen overnight. You have to keep reminding…and KEEP reminding. But it is important that they do it because soon it will become a habit. Eventually, they will put their shoes and coat away as they walk in the door.
Now onto family chores…
Like I mentioned this is key! They need to know that they are a big part of the family and that they have a responsibility to the family. This helps them to think bigger and realize that life is about more than just them. And again at this age, it is sometimes more of a hassle to have them help…BUT do it! They need to start learning at this age and they are so eager and willing. It is also a great bonding time as they are right alongside you as you are doing the everyday chores…
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Getting the table ready for dinner
They can help set the table. This is a very easy and simple task for your children to do and it will make them feel like they are a big help. They can also help make dinner….my girls LOVE to help bake and cook. This will take a little more time and patience though 😉
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Unload the dishwasher
We keep our kids dishes in a low drawer. So they are able to help put their own dishes away! And My daughter can reach the silverware drawer so she can also put the silverware away!
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Help with groceries
My kids love to run the groceries back and forth and hey why not let them use all their energy up, am I right?
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Doing the laundry
I can’t believe how helpful my daughter is in this area. She will fold and put away all her laundry! She loves being a little mom and I am sure lots of little boys are not dying to put their laundry away…So If it is a struggle just have them match socks or fold the towels.
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Taking care of a pet
This is a great one! Because they have someone else relying on them to eat! It is a great way to teach them how to take care of someone else. I have my daughter take care of our dog and also the chickens. She helps me carry their food out to the coop to feed and water them.
When you have a homestead, you have extra work. Which is great! I love that my kids can help do things that other kids might not get to do. They are learning how to can, make homemade food, raise animals Etc. But I know you might not have a homestead and that is perfectly fine. These ideas will work for any kid. Just alter the ideas to fit your needs!
Extra tips
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Don’t underestimate your child
You will be surprised at how much your child is capable of doing. Even though they will complain the whole way through they are very capable of doing many things at their young age.
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Make a chore chart
And You don’t need a fancy chart. Give them a piece of paper and have them make it themselves. Make a little project out of it and teach them how to write as you go along. ( Can you tell I was home-schooled and my mom turned everything into a lesson?) A chore chart is nice so that they know what is expected of them!
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Make it fun
I really struggle with this one because I tend to treat My children as adults. BUT it is okay to make work fun. Not that you have to do this every time…But if you can they really love it and it makes the whole process so much more bearable. And sometimes you just have to survive.
Ways to make cleaning fun…
- A proven winner is having a competition with cleaning up their toys. See who can get 10 toys put away first. Or who can make the most “baskets” into the toy bin?
- Play “pretend” My daughter will tell me that I am the sister and she is the mom. So she has to do what I would do as a mom!
- For super active kids who need to move all the time do exercises while cleaning. For example, do toe touches and pick of a toy on your way down to touch your toes.
- Have a dance party! Your kids will love it. Turn on some crazy fun music and start cleaning. Trust me it will put you in a better mood too. 🙂
There are so many ways to make cleaning fun and it will also create such fun memories with your kiddos. I have a tendency to rush through life and not take the time to get my kids involved the way I should…
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Praise & Discipline
We all like to hear how good we are doing, Right? So kids are the same way. They want to know how they are doing and need lots of encouragement. I struggle with this but I really need to try to get better. They need to know how much they are needed and how good they are doing.
But on the other end of the spectrum, they also need to know if they are not obeying and what the consequences will be if they do not do what they’re told. A major pet peeve of mine is our current day teenagers who think that there are no consequences to their actions. I DO not want to raise my children to think that they can do whatever they want and just fly under the radar. Does that mean I am perfect, heck no! I get tired and will see them not obeying and just let it slide. But I try overall to let them know that they will be held responsible if they choose not to obey.
I hope this was helpful to you as you continue to work with your child to grow up into a responsible adult! But remember this is just a guide. If your child can’t seem to do the things on this list…That is okay! Just have them do something. Just so that they know they have to help and contribute to the families needs. They just need to understand that life does not revolve around them and I prefer to let that sink in at an early age…
….Now, this is tricky because I love my kids so much and would love to just spoil them and “love” them the way the world does. But that is not real love. Teaching them to take care of themselves is the ultimate goal as parents right? So don’t wait! Get started now!
~Courtney