Asking, ‘should kids have chores?’ is a normal query that most parents have, particularly as children face seemingly increasing demands on their time.
Behavior
Should Kids Have Chores?
Asking, ‘should kids have chores?’ is a normal query that most parents have, particularly as children face seemingly increasing demands on their time.
Some parents consider giving their children chores a natural part of their duties. In contrast, some believe chores infringe on children’s play, relaxation, and entertainment time. Of course, sometimes parents avoid insisting their kids do chores to avoid squabbles and arguments. When your children attend school and extracurricular activities, giving them chores may seem like you’re eating into their already limited free time.
However, many experts maintain that chores can benefit a child’s development. Although the issue of kids doing chores should be addressed carefully, you can rest assured that asking your kid to undertake chores can benefit them and the family.
Education resources
What are chores?
Chores are typically defined as tasks that are required to keep the family home running smoothly. They may include:
- Taking out the trash
- Vacuuming
- Feeding pets
- Mowing the lawn
- Dusting
- Doing the dishes
- Preparing a meal
- Laying the table
- Changing the bedclothes
- Doing laundry
- Ironing
Of course, parents are ultimately responsible for the safety and maintenance of the home. As your children grow, however, they can be assigned age-appropriate chores. This helps to develop their sense of responsibility, builds their practical skills, and helps them to understand the needs of others.
Why don’t children like doing chores?
Kids and chores aren’t necessarily natural companions! If you find that yelling ‘do your chores’ is becoming a frequent refrain in your household, you’re probably struggling to get your kids to complete their chores on time. This isn’t uncommon.
The vast majority of families argue about chores. Whether it’s who has the most chores, who has to do what tasks, when they need to be done or whether they’ve been completed to a satisfactory standard, there will inevitably be disagreements at some point.
While endless squabbles and procrastination can be difficult to cope with, don’t let this dissuade you from insisting your children undertake chores. Although it can be frustrating when your kids repeatedly argue or avoid chores, it is well worth enforcing the rules regarding household work.
Understanding why children rally against doing chores can make it easier to cope with the disagreements you’ll face. Kids may be reluctant to take on chores for a variety of reasons, including
- Lack of immediate gratification
- Unawareness of what work is required
- More focused on themselves
Children, by their nature, think about their needs and wants. For young people, there is little reward in taking out the trash, so they see no reason to do it. Similarly, they are self-focused and unaware of other people’s needs, so they don’t consider the impact of their doing or not doing chores on other family members. Of course, kids rarely know how much work goes into running a household. This means they genuinely don’t understand how much their parents and caregivers do to provide a clean and well-maintained home.
However, children can begin to understand these important lessons by doing chores. As chores become a natural part of your household routine, your child’s understanding of other peoples’ needs and the work required to run a household become more realistic. In addition, the regime of doing chores before doing something more fun teaches children to be less impulsive and to delay gratification when other responsibilities need to be addressed.
Facts about chores
A significant amount of research regarding the impact of chores has been undertaken. It is generally accepted that age-appropriate chores can benefit children in several ways. These include:
- Learning important life skills
- Understanding other people’s needs
- Teaching children about responsibility
- Encouraging kids to be less impulsive
- Making everyone feel that they are valued members of the family
With so many benefits associated with kids doing chores, it’s easy to see why many families make chores an essential part of their routine. However, if you’re considering introducing chores to your family, you’ll want to know how to do it.
Introducing chores in your household
Before you ask your children to do chores, think about what needs to be done around the house and which tasks are appropriate for each child based on their age and skill set. Many experts believe that children can be assigned simple chores from the age of three, so be sure to include as many family members as possible.
For example, an older child may have vacuuming as one of their chores, while a much younger child may be tasked with pulling the comforter up on their bed each morning. While the importance of a particular task shouldn’t be emphasized, each child should be praised for the responsibility associated with completing their chores.
Some parents take an authoritative approach to chores and assign specific tasks to each child. However, others find that a collaborative approach works best. Holding a family meeting where you can discuss who will undertake which chores can be a good way to get kids on board with the idea of doing chores around the home.
Should kids get rewarded for doing chores?
There are many different approaches to doing chores, so you can find one that works well for your family. Three of the most common arrangements are:
Chores in exchange for allowance
With this arrangement, your child’s allowance is dependent on whether they have completed their chores and whether they have been done to a satisfactory standard. If your child fails to complete some or all of their chores, their allowance will be docked or removed accordingly.
If you favor this approach, it can be a good idea to set out the consequences of failing to complete each chore so that everyone knows how the system works. This prevents parents from issuing different punishments and ensures everyone is treated fairly.
Chores are kept separate from the allowance
Some parents choose not to give their children an allowance, which means it cannot be used in conjunction with chores. Alternatively, some parents believe everyone should do chores to contribute to the family home rather than for a financial incentive. Another reason why some parents take this approach is to ensure their children will have the opportunity to learn about finances and budgeting, regardless of whether or not they have completed their chores.
Chores in exchange for privileges
Many families use chores to give their children privileges, such as extra screen time. When your child completes their chores on time, they may be allowed to use their games console, for example. This can work well as it ensures children swiftly experience the consequences of doing or not doing their chores, reinforcing the link.
Giving your children chores
Although chores can be a contentious issue in a family home, they are an important part of growing up. By giving your child the responsibility to perform certain tasks, you are building their self-esteem, increasing their responsibility, and preparing them for their future.
