The Importance of Teaching Your Children to Do Household Chores.

Parents always want the best for their children and giving them the best education is always on top of the list. But if you think education is all they need, maybe you should think twice.

A lot of opportunities for learning have been developed for children of different ages nowadays. Aside from sending their children to regular academic schools, parents now also have the liberty to enroll their children in special classes where they can learn about music, arts, sports etc. Some parents believe that it’s best to keep their children busy about school stuff and learning. However, let us not forget that the first and the best place to learn is at home. Sure, you learn a lot of things in school, but there are important lessons and skills you will need in life that one can only learn at home.

Teaching the children to do household chores is very beneficial in their growth. Most families nowadays hire housemaids to do the chores, so children don’t get to experience doing it anymore. But researches argue that it’s still necessary to let children do them. Here’s why:

Giving tasks to your children helps them develop their sense of responsibility. It helps them realize their accountability as part of the family. An article published in centerforparentingeducation.org also states that “Holding them accountable for their chores can increase a sense of themselves as responsible and actually make them more responsible. Children will feel more capable for having met their obligations and completed their tasks.”(Responsibility and Chores n.d.) This can also make them more independent.
Doing chores can also expose your children into the idea of “teamwork”. Helping at home can develop their sense of participation and potential to be a team player in the future whether in school or in work.
Being able to do household chores also increases your children’s self- esteem. Knowing that there are other things they can do aside from what they learn in school makes them feel good about themselves. “By completing household tasks, they may not always be the star student or athlete, but they will know that they can contribute to the family, begin to take care of themselves, and learn skills that they will need as an adult.” (Responsibility and Chores n.d.)
Moving around and doing tasks at home can also enhance your children’s motor skills, both gross and fine motor skills. It can also be their form of exercise.
Letting your children complete their tasks at a given time span can also improve their time management skills. “Chores can help older kids and teens build good habits early”(Responsibility and Chores n.d.) They learn to manage their time and priorities.
Household chores can also be another activity for your children. It takes away the mundane activities of studying. It’s good to have them a little break from all the school works.
Lastly, having your children help in doing the chores provides a special way of bonding and spending time with them. Some children find it easier to open up with their parents when their doing task together.

Helping at home can be a training ground for your children to whatever responsibilities they may have in the future. By doing so, they can learn skills that might be of their advantage when they grow up. “Performing chores offers kids a feeling of self-sufficiency, helps them develop a work ethic, is tied to academic success in school, makes them feel useful and teaches them the importance of helping others and contributing to the greater good.” (Bently 2015)

Although, most parents can also argue that it is not easy to insist chores to their children. It is a nature for the children to refuse to do chores when they are told to. Maybe because the idea of household chores has always been related as a burden. But there are ways that can turn household chores into a more likely activity for the children.

Start them young. This doesn’t mean that you let your children do huge tasks at an early age. You should still be considerate in delegating tasks to your children based on their age. You can start by practicing them to keep their toys every after they’re done playing. You can gradually increase the level of tasks as they grow old but never ever push them too hard.
Reward system. Appreciate every little accomplishment. Compliment them or give them something. Children love rewards and it drives them to do better.

Most importantly, instill in their minds that asking them to help-out is not a punishment nor an obligation. Explain to them that it is for their benefit and everything they learn from it is for their advantage.

REFERENCES:

Bently, Amy. 2015. “Giving kids household chores leads to positive life lessons.” The Orange County register. December 8. Accessed October 15, 2018. https://www.ocregister.com/2015/12/08/giving-kids-household-chores-leads-to-positive-life-lessons/.

n.d. “Responsibility and Chores.” The Center for Parenting Education. Accessed October 15, 2018. https://centerforparentingeducation.org/library-of-articles/responsibility-and-chores/part-i-benefits-of-chores/.

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