How to Designate Children's Chores

Your schedule is so busy that it's time to enlist a little help with the housework. Assigning chores to your children will not only lighten your load, but also teach them about hard work and responsibility. Here's a plan to help decide what child should tackle which task.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Consider each child's maturity level and abilities rather than age when deciding which chores to assign. Although a parenting expert might suggest having 5-year-olds water the plants, for example, only you know if yours could handle the task without making another mess for you to clean.

2. Make each child responsible for tidying his own room, emptying the trashcan and putting the dirty clothes in the hamper. Teach him how to put away clean clothing, so the person in charge of laundry can simply leave a pile on each bed.

3. Choose chores for younger children that don't involve cleaning solutions, electronic tools or breakable objects. Have them dust the furniture, make their beds or clean up the tub toys, for example.

4. Put older children in charge of more complicated chores like setting the table, cleaning up after meals, putting away groceries and folding the laundry. If they're mature enough, let them handle cleaning supplies to wash windows, clean the toilets or mop the floors.

5. Give teenagers the most responsibility since they should be able to complete the same chores that you do. They can do everything from washing the car to fixing dinner, mowing the lawn to ironing clothes. Also put them in charge of supervising younger kids as they finish their tasks.

Tips & Warnings

• Teach your kids how to complete each chore and create a sticker chart to remind them what tasks they're responsible for. Give specific instructions when giving assignments to younger children. Rather than tell them to "clean the family room," ask them instead to dust the coffee table or put away the video games.
• Let your child choose the types of chores they complete. While some may want to help you cook dinner, others would rather run the vacuum because it's more "fun." If you turn chores into a family activity, they kids are more likely to get them done regularly and quickly.

[Coach4U]

on 5/18/2009 These are good tips to get children to help at home. "5"