6 Chores You Can Enjoy With Your Kids
This may come as a surprise, but many parents assume that they should not impose household chores on their children . We've all heard the phrase 'let kids be kids', which leads to the idea that kids should not be responsible for routine chores. On the contrary, kids can actually have a lot of fun by giving their parents a helping hand as long as the chores are age-appropriate. Also, they learn to take on responsibility from the routine chores that will help them manage responsibilities when they're independent. Your child will be learning self-reliance, life skills, teamwork, and time management from their assigned chores as they grow up. A common question is, “what chores can I assign and enjoy with my kid?” Here are 6 great ideas to get you and your little one started!
Doing the Laundry
Laundry is a chore that can be made age-appropriate for any group. If your child is 2-4 years old, you can teach him/her to throw their dirty clothes in a laundry basket. As the child grows up to 5-8 years old, he/she can then start folding clean laundry. Once they've mastered these skills, your child can gradually wash their laundry with supervision and eventually by themselves. Teach them how to turn on the washing machine, place the dirty laundry in it, add laundry detergent, take them out, and air-dry and fold them.
Kitchen Time
There are tons of chores your child can help out with in the kitchen. You can ask your little one to help with loading or unloading the dishwasher. They can wipe down the grease and stains on the kitchen stovetops and counters with a kitchen cleaner. However, younger kids should stay away from sharp objects and the stove when it’s on. Kids in the age-group of 15-18 years old can then take on these responsibilities as well. Ask your kid to toss the salad, put away groceries, or make a meal once a week, as well.
Cleaning Their Bedroom
Before you begin assigning your child a specific cleaning task such as vacuuming the entire house, start with asking them to clean their bedroom only. As your child grows older, you can ask him/her to put their toys in the basket, make the bed, throw the dirty clothes in the laundry basket, organize any misplaced objects, dust the shelves, and sweep or vacuum the floor. Increase the tasks one at a time, instead of dumping them all together on your child. You can even make this activity fun for your child by playing their favorite music alongside.
Helping with the Pets
If you have furry friends in the family, you'll know the work that goes into keeping them healthy and happy. With the daily feeding, washing, walking, and taking out the litter, it can get hectic. Make your life a little easier by having your child aid in these chores. Under your supervision, they can refill the pets' food and water bowls or take them on a walk around the street if they're old enough. This chore can be particularly rewarding for the child if they're already attached to the pet or can help nurture that bond between them.
Organizing Things Around the House
Not only should your child be responsible for their personal tasks, but also other chores around the house. Organizing the entire house yourself is a tedious task. But, in this case, you can ask your kid to help you with this chore. Try giving your child small organizing tasks such as arranging books, pairing socks, putting shoes in the closet neatly, etc. Another great idea is to play scavenger hunt where you give your kid a list of things to find around the house and put them on their specified spots.
Maintaining the Garden
Another chore you can enjoy with your kids is gardening. There are plenty of kid-friendly gardening activities to go around! For starters, you can ask your child to help you water the plants. You can even give him/her a seed to plant in a pot and water every day. In the fall, you can go around the garden with your child and rake the leaves in a fun activity such as "let's see who gathers the most leaves".
Final Take
Make a chart for assigned daily household chores for your kid. Don't forget to reward them every once in a while for their help. Remember, the trick is to keep the chores fun so your child can enjoy doing them as well.