How to Motivate Children To Do Chores In The House?

One of the main struggles of many parents is to get children to do chores in the house. Kids will come up with almost any excuse to get out of chores.

As parents, oftentimes it’s easier to do these tasks rather than hearing excuses like ‘I think I have a temperature’, ‘I’m really tired’ or ‘I’ve got a headache’ every time they ask their children for a little help around the house. This can be really frustrating, not because you can’t do it for yourself, but because you recognize that assumption of responsibilities and the compromise with the space they inhabit is a big part of their education. So if you wish to know how to motivate your children to do chores around the house, continue reading:

Assign chores by age

Although you might think all tasks require the same effort this might not feel the same for an 8-year-old, so make sure you start by assigning age-appropriate chores, depending on your kid’s age and motor skills always keeping their safety in mind. For example, toddlers from 4 to 7 years old should do simple tasks like putting away toys, making the bed, folding clothes or doing laundry.

Make it fun

Kids like having fun and it takes only a little creativity from you to turn any chore into playtime. If you want to teach your children how to prepare their lunch by themselves, turn cooking time into a party and teach them how to make simple things like peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, salads or mashed potatoes. Take the situation as an excuse to teach them about the importance of always maintaining a clean kitchen. Create a rule that the family members cannot leave the kitchen area until everything is clean for the next meal.

Make it challenging

Children get bored of doing the same thing every time. Instead of rewarding them for doing the same task over and over again, give them chores that are challenging. This way they will learn and develop their skills and feel good about themselves after completing the task.

Make it routine

The best way to make your children grow and learn is by implementing routines and schedules. To get children to do chores in the house, it’s better to start earlier to make the routine a part of their life and so that they can understand the benefits and value of doing periodic house cleaning.

Praise them

All kids, and even adults react better to daily chores when someone recognizes their efforts. By praising the good things your children do, you are reinforcing their self-esteem and encouraging them to continue doing their chores.

Nowadays, many parents offer monetary rewards to their children to take care of doing laundry, doing periodical cleaning or cleaning the carpet, but as we said before, the reward system has been proven not to work well after a while. One issue is that children will tend to expect more money after a certain period of time, and there is the risk that they will fail at understanding the importance of keeping a house clean simply because they are part of the family and every member needs to contribute with a little effort.