I’ve talked in the past about how important I think it is to teach kids responsibility through regular household duties. Two specific posts of mine are:
We are not our children’s slaves
Today I’m welcoming guest poster, Katie from Kitchen Stewardship who is contributing to this discussion with a great idea for encouraging responsibility and good organizational habits in our kids. Welcome Katie!
Sometimes I wonder if organizational skills are genetic. If they are, God help my poor kids! Wouldn’t you love it if your kids turn out more organized than you? I’m always looking for ways to pass on (ahem – help create) good organizational skills for my kids.
If you’re tired of cleaning up after your kids and finding field trip notes stuffed in the bottom of the backpack, read on!
Teach children to be responsible for themselves:
I had the great blessing of working with some really extraordinary parents in my two years of teaching. One of them shared this fabulous idea for “earning” TV time and cultivating the habit of responsibility. Her kids’ daily responsibilities included four come-home-from-school tasks:
- Change into play clothes.
- Empty backpack and put lunchbox on counter (for older kids: unpack lunchbox with or without mom).
- Complete homework.
- Read 15 minutes.
As an incentive Mom typed the required tasks onto a piece of paper along with this:
15 15 15 15
For each task completed, the child “earned” 15 minutes of TV or “screen” time, shown by a “15” being circled or marked off. You could also use poker chips for each 15-minute increment. (*Screen time includes computer and video games.)
Benefits:
- Responsible organizational habits and routine
- Immediate incentive
- TV is a privilege, not a right
- Paper makes system clear, hopefully fewer battles
- Reward is not a sweet
- Priorities first
Certainly for some families who might not allow television at all, TV wouldn’t be a proper incentive, but if you allow your kids to watch any television, you may as well make them earn it.
Bonus for Mommies of Preschoolers
If your child doesn’t yet go to school, there are still steps you can take to form an organized mind. Start teaching organization young by teaching kids how to sort into categories, an important skill they’ll learn in preschool.
Laura, please pay no attention to the utter chaos that is my countertop!!!
Here are some developmentally appropriate examples of chores for the 2-to-4-year-old age group that you might use if you want to adapt the TV incentive:
- Unloading the dishwasher. My son has been unloading the utensils from the dishwasher since he was 2 ½ years old. Watch for sharp knives!
- Putting away toys/games when finished with them. Try to label boxes/tubs/drawers with pictures and words so even the littlest children (and visitors to your home) know where everything goes.
- Putting PJs under their pillow.
- Feeding fish.
- Clearing dishes from the table. Learning to carry plates carefully teaches caution and respect for objects.
- Folding small items like washcloths and hand towels. Do teach the proper way to fold; this will take longer the first few times, but then you can delegate the task entirely.
Even the littlest ones can do SOMEthing if you’re willing to take the time to let them help.
Visit Katie at Kitchen Stewardship, where she focuses on Baby Steps to balancing nutrition, the environment, time, and money through the eyes of faith. You’ll find weekly “Monday Missions” to challenge you to make one positive change in your kitchen each week, with supporting recipes and tips to help make it happen.
Check out some of Katie’s other posts:
Rebecca says
Love this! My 5 & 3 year olds have chores to help around the house. I love that it teaches them responsibility, they’ll know how to care for themselves and they know I’m not their personal maid. I do need to work on consistency & routine some more but we’re making progress. 🙂
Jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam says
With five children, it has been a blessing to train them in responsibility early on. Now that the older ones are teens, they know how to work (most days) and help model that for the younger ones (on better days.) 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Katie. Always a great topic.
Juggling Motherhood says
Our children have really benefited from morning routines, after school routines and evening routines. On good days it runs like clock work.
Hi Laura & Katie,
If you want to know what children older than pre-schoolers can do for chores, you may want to check out “My 5 links for the week” because I just put up a great link that covers that very topic. http://jugglingmotherhood.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/my-5-links-for-the-week-5/
Joyce says
This is great! I know a lot of parents and grandparents who just clean up after the kids because it’s so much quicker. When I want my daughter to clean, I ask her to pick up specific things so she doesn’t wander around wonder what I meant when I said, “Clean up.” Usually she ends up cleaning most of it even when I help out. Just this morning I was changing the baby, and when I went to check on breakfast, my older one had set the table. And then later when I was feeding the baby, she calls into the room, “I’m putting the books back, Mommy.” I think it’s also by example too because kids really want to be like Mommy and Daddy in lots of different ways.
Kids and Money says
Great post and suggestions! Teaching kids responsibility is KEY, chores are a great tool – no free allowances!
The Lazy Organizer says
Working with little ones takes so much patience but it’s so worth it when they’re old enough to do it by themselves. Great article and I love the photos!
Tamara says
My children do chores too but I like the idea of earning minutes doing a favourite thing. Thanks
Tamara
jeanne says
My children are 11, 14, and 17. They started doing chores when they were very young — by 2 they had certain jobs they helped with each day. It is a wonderful gift you give to them when you let them learn at your side. When they are tiny it is extra work for you, but the benefits later are enormous!!
Lis @ A Trucker Wife says
I do think it’s very important for youngins to have chores. I do struggle with getting into the habit with my little one.
Thanks for the tips!
Becky says
This post is so great! My little one just turned two and I know now is the time to start these habits and chores.
Nancy says
I was reading your previous post about “no cable” and did not know if anyone would go back and look at my added comment. We belong to Netflix and bought a Roku box(on Netflix website) for a one-time fee of $100.00. The box allows us to choose all of the instantly watch shows (that you would normally watch on your computer) and watch them on our television. It is wonderful. We watch mostly BBC dramas, etc. but there are thousands of choices on the Instant Watch of Netflix. This way you continue to get your Netflix movies in the mail, but you can also watch numerous other movies on your television. It is especially nice if you want to watch a series or season of some program. You can watch the whole series in one evening or over several days or whenever you want to!
Your netflix membership price does not go up either. I should add that you must have a computer to get Roku to work.
Greta says
This is great! My son is just turning one this week, but I know the time will come soon when he’ll be ready to share in family responsibilities!
Allison says
I’m in the process of setting up a minor chore chart for my kids, two and four, so they start helping out around the house. My son loves to help, but my 4 yr old daughter doesn’t. it will be great to have a routine in place for when she starts school next year.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Liz Jenkins says
I’m not a big fan of chore charts w/rewards but giving kids the responsibility is key. While it might take longer at the beginning to teach kids how to be organized – the payoff is huge. My daughter is now 8, and as she has grown older and more mature, she has additional jobs around the house as well as morning and after school routines. She knows the drill, and it only takes a bit of prodding at this point!
Excellent post – and great info.
Rochelle says
Wow… I’m not a mom yet but I really loved & appreciated this post! Thank you!!
Judi says
This is pretty much what we do in our home too. I have a son with ADHD and another on the Autism spectrum and everyone has a list of chores that they must complete before they are allowed certain priveledges (Nintendo DS play, going to a friends house). The only problem we have with the list is that my autistic child cannot go out of order…he’s very rigid and it throws him into a tailspin if I ask him to do #3 on the list first, lol. We try and mix it up on purpose, to help with the rigidity. The list helps my ADHD son to stay on task and to focus.
Lenetta @ Nettacow says
Hmm, Katie, thanks for the nudge that I need to get my 2.5 YO helping unload the dishwasher more. She has started to hand me plates one by one, but I think it’s time to start sorting silverware! (We’d better wash hands first, though . . . she’s constantly petting the kitties!) Thanks for the great post!
The Mommy's Place - Sandy says
My 6 yr old does chores regularly, I have to remind him from time to time, but other than that he seems to enjoy helping for the time being.
Great post
Lynn says
I am getting kind of a late start with this. I have a 5 y/o, 3.5 y/o and a 2 y/o. It is just too much to keep up with their constant clutter. I may be getting a late start but we are working on trying to find a reward system that works for them.
Love this post!
Noelle says
I love this post. It is such a great reminder of the ways we can help our children grow into well rounded, able bodied people.
One of my favorite chores to do with my 3 year old is to load the dryer. Our dryer is in the garage and washer in the kitchen, so she helps carry the clothes out to the dryer. It takes a minute or two extra, but I know there is great value in that. My 15 month old now helps with that chore as well.
The 3 year old has her own “short” clothesline outside as well and helps hang the socks when the weather allows!
Carol says
this is what i really intend to teach my kid. he’s not 18 months old and he can pretty much put his toys away when he’s in the mood. he also wipes his high chair table – it’s not that clean but it’s a start. i am now turning all my attention at home now. i have cut back time on my work from home duties and hopefully, it will work out great.