What can you do to get your children involved in housework?

There are parents who complain because their children are not involved in housework and think that if they do not do it it is because they are lazy and even because they are irresponsible. But nothing is further from the truth, if the children are not involved in housework it is not their fault… It is because of the education they have received, so it is the parents who must change their perspective.

When children learn that others can do things for them, they simply lose interest in doing things for themselves and they look for excuses not to do it. One study found that 74% of parents report that their children often do not contribute homework unless specifically asked. And a total of 50% of parents say they spend so much time arguing with their children about homework that they get tired that they end up doing it themselves.

For many parents, it may seem easier to do chores on their own rather than spending time and energy getting their children to do it. If you are one of these fathers or mothers, then read on because children must collaborate in housework, and not only out of obligation, but also because it helps them to develop correctly.

Use homework to teach life skills

When children do homework, they are learning the responsibility of doing things for themselves, and they will also be able to feel the satisfaction of doing things for themselves. They will learn that life requires work and effort and that things are not achieved alone.

For children, homework should be more than helping their parents to do things around the house. They are lessons and basic life skills. When loading the dishwasher or doing the dishes, when starting the washing machine or picking up the clothes… Children will learn how the world works. Don't take away that learning opportunity just to save yourself a couple of minutes. 

Make housework predictable, routine

For children to accept housework willingly, they must have it integrated into their lives, that is, they will have to be present in forms of routines. For example, set a time each week for the whole family to do household chores, for example, Saturday mornings from 9 to 11.

Thus, you will avoid the battles of when tasks are done or whose turn it is to do them. Having the whole family do housework also helps improve motivation, your children will know that Saturday mornings are dedicated to housework. Although if you don't have time for this, you can also create a to-do chart and put it on the kitchen fridge so everyone will know what to do and when to do it.

Assign homework to your children according to their age

Do not expect your children to do housework that they are not capable of, because then they will become frustrated and will not want to do it again thinking that they are not capable. It is important that you take into account the age of your child to know what he can do and what to wait until some more time passes.

Here we are going to give you some suggestions so that you can start assigning homework to your children according to their age. But remember, that to start you will always have to help and guide him so that he is able to learn what to do and how. Later and progressively you see aside the help until he is able to do that task by himself / herself.

Housework Suggestions

• 4 and 5 years: Sort socks, put away toys, help set the table, sort magazines.
• 6 and 7 years: Taking the dog for a walk with Mom and Dad, emptying the dishwasher, making lunch, making the bed.
• 8 and 9 years: Set the table, load the dishwasher, clean the bathroom, help in the kitchen, sweep and bathe the pet.
• 10 and 11 years: Putting food in the pantry, loading and unloading the dishwasher, sweeping and mopping the floor, dusting, doing your bedroom, taking out the trash.
• 12 and 13 years: Do the whole laundry, make simple meals, clean the shower and toilet, do your bedroom, sweep and mop the floor, clean the dust.

Housework and your bedroom

Cleaning the bedroom should be a must since they are very young. You will find a lot of sense that he or she has to clean up your personal space. It is a way of teaching children self-sufficiency and taking care of themselves, this will give them responsibility and also self-knowledge, confidence and an improvement in self-esteem. The rewards of this are obvious: your child can spend time in a neat bedroom where everything is stored and is much easier to find. 

Rotating household chores

Except in the cleaning of the bedroom that each one must take care of his own, it is a good idea to establish a system of rotation in the tasks of the home to carry out more tasks on different occasions. You can do it on a homework calendar that you will change each week or prepare letters with the housework and have the children choose some each week.

Either way, It is a good idea to rotate household chores so that they do not have to do the same all the time and can have a broader learning experience. Children will learn to do more housework, and you can also avoid accusations of favoritism. They have to understand that there will be times when they will have to do tasks that they like more and at other times, other tasks that they may like less. But one way or another, they will always have to do them.

It is very important to remember that housework is an obligation that must be fulfilled at home to all live together and thus find harmony. In no way should children be encouraged to do so in exchange for money or material rewards, because then all the values ​​discussed will suddenly disappear.