How to Teach Children Work Ethic

You can teach your children a solid work ethic during their formative years and they will retain the lesson for the rest of their lives. Follow these steps to teach these valuable lessons at home.

Instructions

1. Create a chore chart. Children can contribute to the family or the household by doing small chores as early as age 3 or 4.

2. Make work fun and enjoyable by giving children choices about the way they contribute. If you have more than one child, draw chores out of a jar, or have contests to get everyone involved.

3. Realize the effort a child puts into completing a task or chore. A 3-year-old won't be as efficient as an older child, so don't expect too much.

4. Teach the value and purpose of work, not just as a member of the family but also as a member of society. Share some of your own work experiences to make the point that doing a job well can have many rewards and benefits.

5. Allow your children to learn from failure. Some of the best experiences or most memorable learning moments are those that don't result in success. This can help counteract the immediate gratification expectation that many people have and can't seem to let go of later in life.

6. Open the discussion with older children and acknowledge that work is not always fun. Talk about patience and give them an opportunity to vent and share their own experiences.

7. Model what you teach. Teach that there is more to work than just money, and that work is a part of a balanced life.

Tips & Warnings

• Find opportunities for your child to volunteer. This will teach them that their contributions are valuable whether they are rewarded by money.

• Reward work by means other than money. Let children pick a restaurant, rent a movie or enjoy a picnic at the park.

• Take your child to work for a special day, and let them see what you do.

• Resist the urge to take over a job you've given to a younger child.

• Give feedback when your child expresses frustration with a job or task without being too critical.