đ How To Introduce Weekly Chores
Learn the basics on how to add age appropriate responsibilities for the kids to help out and build foundational skills.
đ Intro:
Kids who do chores now are more successful later in life, because they learn responsibility, work ethic and a sense of contribution, from an early age. Chores teach life skills plus personal development in one swoop. Todayâs guide goes into why kids get so much out of being asked to help, evaluate what works (and what doesnât) to motivate kids, and provide a few recommendations for establishing kidsâ chores in your everyday.
đ¤ Chores 101:
Benefits of now: Chores teach kids valuable life skills like that they need to make an effort (work ethic), that the world isnât just about them (empathy), and that sometimes they need to fail before they succeed (resillence, growth mindset), as well as confidence when they master something.Â
Benefits of later: Experts correlate childhood chores with success and contentment later in life because itâs these fundamental skills that help us deal with everything the world throws at us.
Keep money out of it: Parenting experts generally discourage linking allowance and chores. They take the altruistic stance that kids should do chores because they are part of the family and therefore they should be asked to contribute and do their part. Kids also tend to lose motivation as soon as the money is in hand. That said, itâs your familyâs decision, no judgment here.
Offer options: Kids often resist doing chores because they donât feel like they have a choice. No one likes a dictator or not having any control over their life. Resolve this by giving your kids a few options for chores, and allowing them to establish the timeline for getting their chores completed.Â
Consider their age: Most kids shrink from tasks that feel overwhelmingly hard. Make sure youâre giving an age-appropriate chore, and supporting their effort when they tackle a tough project (especially when they donât do it quite as you would!).Â
Make a List: Take 15 minutes and create a spreadsheet of the household chores. Then enlist your kids to help you assign them to the tasks they can handle given their age. (Hereâs a guide to help you if youâre unsure).
⨠Your Options
Here are three easy options for getting started with chores at your house.
Create a Chore Chart: The simplest is the classic lo-fi handwritten chore chart. It can be as easy as a weekly whiteboard calendar listing kidsâ names and their daily assignments. You can also buy one that suits your style or use a simple printable chart. At dayâs end, itâs easy to glance at the chart and confirm with your kiddos that the chores were completed.
Give Out a Daily Assignment: You can also keep things casual and assign daily tasks verbally as the day progresses and things need doing. This no-system system allows for flexibility (which, as experienced parents know, works in your favor when you want your kiddo to do something thatâs ânot on the chart!â). Remember to keep your requests age appropriate and offer options when you can, to help your kids feel they have both the skills and some choices when it comes to their household contributions.Â
Use an App: If youâre a device-loving family, try a chore app like Homey, which makes it easy for parents to assign chores and for kids to keep track of what they have to do when. You add chores, your kid completes them and gets the satisfaction of checking them off (and thereâs the option to earn money and prizes, if thatâs how you do it in your house). Greenlight is more focused on teaching kids financial literacy (which weâll cover in a future guide) but also has chores functionality.
𧰠The Tools
Age appropriate chart to know what kinds of chores to assign:
Or go old-school:
đ¤ Worth reading/listening to:
⨠MV Tools
Add the weekly chores of choice either by assigning general chores for the day (shown below) or having a daily chores check each evening.