How to Get Your Kids to Pitch In

Assign chores for children based on their ages.

Getting your kids to pitch in around the house can sometimes feel like a losing battle. Don't expect them to turn off the television on their own because they want to unload the dishwasher. Kids need guidelines and incentives to help out around the house. Let them know what you expect from them as contributing members of the household. Once they get the hang of it, your children will learn about responsibility and self-worth, and you'll enjoy a lighter workload.

Things You'll Need

• Whiteboard or paper
• Pen

Instructions

1. Assign age-appropriate chores. Your toddlers can pick up toys and help you make beds, while older children can wash dishes, care for family pets and take the trash out. Assigning chores that are too difficult leads to frustration for you and the kids.

2. Discuss as a family what you expect of each child, and explain why everyone in the family should pitch in. Running a household is a family affair, and each person in the family shares in the responsibility to keep it running smoothly.

3. Write your expectations down. Place each child's list of chores in a prominent, easily accessible place in the home to prevent confusion and excuses. Everyone in the family will see what he needs to do and when. The refrigerator or your child's bedroom door is an ideal place to put the list so it serves as a reminder that the trash goes out on Fridays or Tuesdays are toilet-scrubbing days.

4. Offer incentives to do well. Whether that is a weekly allowance or a special privilege on weekends, children need a goal to work toward. Sheila Gains with the Colorado State University Extension says "this allows your child to see the relationship between hard work and the positive consequence of getting an item they want." If you have to remind your children to do a chore and they complain excessively, take away TV time or withhold a portion of the weekly allowance.

Tips & Warnings

• Be prepared to supervise your kids in the beginning as they work. Encourage them and offer helpful advice, but let them do the work. They'll take ownership of the job and will learn to do it independently.

References

• Empowering Parents; 6 Ways to Get Kids to Do Chores Now; James Lehman, MSW
• Colorado State University Extension;Children and Chores; Sheila Gains; 2008
• "UC Magazine"; Chores: How Do You Get Kids to Do Them?; Dawn Fuller; December 2010
• Focus on the Family; Age-Appropriate Chores; Sheila Seifert; 2009