Do you know that it is important to give children chores ?
Yes... not only is it super practical for you;-)
But it is also very important for your children!
Take out the trash, empty the dishwasher, vacuum...
Involving children in household chores is important for their development.
Provided, of course, that they are given tasks appropriate to their age!
So to help you, here is the table of household chores that you can entrust to your children according to their age:
Click here to print the chores chart.
You can hang it on your fridge or even on every child's bedroom door.
It lists the types of household chores suitable for different ages of children.
- Store the toys
- Wipe up a spilled drink
- Dusting
- Clear the table
- Store groceries
- Sort recycling
- Put the dirty laundry in the laundry basket
- Make the bed
- Sort laundry and put clothes away
- Feed the animals
- Make a small snack
- Set the table
- Pull weeds
- Water the plants
- Wake up on your own in the morning with your own alarm clock
- Prepare their snack
- Manage pocket money
- Fold the laundry
- Prepare a simple meal (and yes, with a knife!)
- Filling and emptying the dishwasher
- Vacuuming
- Run the washing machine and dryer
- Mow the lawn
- Make small repairs
- Participate in the management of the family budget (help plan expenses for school business or family vacations)
- Do a little job to earn money (for older teens!)
- Prepare a complete meal
- Wash the car
Do you feel guilty and wonder if you can really make your children clean?
Do not panic ! You will change your mind...
The other day, I was waiting for my daughter after her dance class, while she was changing.
And my daughter started complaining because she had to go home to finish chores.
She turned to one of her friends, looked as desperate as possible.
And she said, "Okay now I have to go home now and fold my laundry..."
One of the moms I was chatting with stopped mid-sentence and looked at me.
"Your daughter takes care of her laundry?" she asked in amazement.
"Yes", I replied without thinking too much about it.
My daughter is 11 and has been doing her own laundry since she was 8. This is the rule in our family.
At 8 years old, you get a laundry basket. And we learn how the washing machine and the dryer work.
From then on, your laundry is your responsibility.
This mother was amazed. She then asked me a million questions about how I taught her to do her own laundry.
... And if I weren't afraid that she would ruin her clothes.
Then she wanted to know what other chores my kids were doing.
It's simple. They clean their bathroom, vacuum the house and take out the trash.
She was speechless!
At the same time, I was really surprised that she found it all so "unusual".
For a minute, I wondered if I wasn't being unfair to my children...
Or if I wasn't expecting too much of them. But I quickly pulled myself together.
And I remembered doing all of that and more in my family growing up.
And I didn't die! It even made me smarter.
And I acquired useful qualities for life, a sense of responsibility and a strong work ethic.
And that's what I want for my children.
For some people, these suggestions may be shocking.
As they were for my girlfriend.
That's the problem...
We have come to a point where we often underestimate what children are capable of and at what age.
But children can be a big help.
Take advantage of their untapped support at home to help with household chores.
They will thank you later.
And you're freeing up some well-deserved time for yourself right now!
The message to send them is the following:
"You are important. I appreciate your help. You are doing a good job".
One of the main changes in our homes in recent decades...
It is the sharp drop in our expectations of children.
Especially when it comes to participating in household chores according to their age.
Some parents feel that time spent on these menial tasks is not as valuable as time spent on homework.
Or the kids are so busy they just don't have time for household chores.
But there is one thing we forget as parents.
It's that chores can be just as important to our children's future as their grades and skills.
It's true. Chores can be "small victories" for children.
They usually don't take very long.
But they allow you to gradually build the love of a job well done and self-confidence.
They even give children a sense of pride. And yes, it's not nothing to have been able to help his family!
They are also essential to develop basic qualities essential to survive outside the home!
Because too many of our young people don't have those qualities
Of course, that doesn't stop them from progressing in other ways.
We've all read a billion things about Millennials.
Boomerang generation, generation that is going nowhere, generation Y that bothers...
These are some of the labels that stick to their skin.
There are many theories and about a million articles that attempt to explain the challenges faced by these young adults.
But let's also talk about how our kids are portrayed:lazy, privileged, and tech-savvy.
There's probably some truth in that. But all is not fair.
Many people agree that parents are responsible for this condition.
It's called helicopter parents.
As a result, these children grow up unable to cope with the most basic responsibilities of an adult.
By dint of being both their best friends and their most ardent protectors...
We parents are guilty of protecting them from many difficulties in life.
And it is these realities that help a child grow into a productive, self-sufficient adult.
And you, do your children help with household chores? Let us know in the comments how it goes. We can't wait to read you!
