Kids need to be taught responsibility at an early age. But don’t heap too much responsibility on them when they are too young, because your best intentions may backfire. Your children may rebel against your good intentions, or completely ignore you. These tips below will help on how to teach kids responsibility!
First, you have to figure out what age is a good age to start teaching your kids how to be responsible. Every child is different, and you will have to determine when a good age is to start.
Kids should also be taught to show empathy, how to treat other people with kindness and respect such as having good manners, and to not fight with other children.
Children’s age appropriate chores
As a general rule, you can have your child start picking up after herself before she starts kindergarten. Of course, this is a great thing to learn, because the teacher will not pick after the kids. After all, who can keep up with 25 kids? The teacher will however reinforce what your child has learned at home. Even a 2 year old can be given household chores such as putting away toys.
Kids should be allowed to have fun, and not be expected to take care of their siblings, and make dinner when they are still very young. Children should be taught some form of personal responsibility at a young age, such as brushing their teeth, and taking care of their body.
Weekly chores chart
Make chores more fun! While teaching kids responsibility to do things around the house, make it a game so that they will want to participate. Try not to yell at the kids when asking them to do their chores. Buying a kids’ responsibility chart or making a DIY chores chart where the kids get stars or a small toy at the end of the week will also be a great reinforcing tool. Show your kids how to perform the chores several times and remind them to do the chores. Don’t tell your child for example to do his chores before school starts every day, because he may be too rushed to complete them.
Kids chore ideas
Remember, work with your children and try not to lose your temper. Then chores will become a drudgery they will dread performing. They will associate getting things done as being negative, and will never want to do anything responsible.
- Young children can be taught how to set a table for dinner, and how to unload a dishwasher or clothes in the dryer.
- Older school age children can be taught how to take out the garbage, and how to load the dishwasher after dinner is done.
- High school teens can be taught how to mow the lawn, do laundry, and take care of younger children.
- Young adults and teens that drive can run errands for you, and pick up their younger siblings when needed.
What it really comes down to is that every child should be expected to have a job to do around the house. When you start early with a child, then he can learn how to become a responsible teenager and then a responsible young adult. You are giving him life lessons that will carry on for the rest of his life. You can’t expect a college freshman to go off to college, and fend for himself, when he was never taught how to.
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