Chore Charts For Children

Have you ever heard of the phrase "All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy"? If yes, then you would agree that it is so important for everyone to indulge in some work everyday, even if that meant cleaning your own room or setting up the toy box. Believe it or not, laziness is the root cause of all problems. Its only when we get lazy that all problems start. So, to avoid such problems, the best would be to teach children responsibilities and duties, from an early age. Talking about inculcating in kids a sense of responsibility, one of the most prominent ways would be introducing them to household tasks, with the help of chore charts.

 

Chore charts for children are basically responsibility delegating charts, which allot different set of work related duties to the children. This is practiced so that children become more responsible and also contribute towards running the house effectively. It specially proves to be quite relieving and helpful for working parents. Moreover, it even ensures that the kids are involved in some productive activities, rather than just fighting with each other and creating a mess. Chore charts for kids are usually prepared keeping their age in mind. In fact, there are free chore charts available online and in markets, to make the task easy.

 

In case of smaller kids, it is difficult to make them understand a chart. In such as scenario, it would be better if you just ask them to help you out in whichever way they can be of use. Once the child is old enough to read and understand instructions, you can utilize chore charts to get your task done. For instance, children between the age of 4 and 10 can be asked to carry out activities like picking up toys, setting the table, making their beds, feeding pets, etc. Though younger kids will need assistance and guidance, they will gradually learn, as they mature up.

 

Children above the age of 10 years reach a certain level of understanding and maturity. Thus, they can be asked to accomplish more difficult tasks, such as taking care of dishes after meals, taking trash out, watering plants, feeding and exercising family pets, vacuuming a particular room, dusting a room, cleaning up the bathroom, watching over younger siblings, etc. In case of more than one kid, make sure you rotate the duties to make it appear fairer and less boring. Based on the chart, you can even punish them or reward them as per their efforts.

 

Though duties and tasks mentioned in the chore charts are a part of a kid's regular household responsibilities, it would be best to allocate certain rewards at the end of the month or week, to provide positive reinforcements to a child. However, if the tasks are not completed, mention certain deterrents, as these things need to be done at least weekly. While you can be a bit lenient with older children, bearing in mind their busy schedule - studies, extra-curricular activities and part time jobs, for those who consistently fail to do their tasks, have strict measures and consequences. These can range from losing television privileges to missing a night out with friends.

 

For children, who have performed consistently and are doing well, do not forget to extend your admiration. This would not only act as a moral booster, but also strengthen your bond with your children. The other ways to reward a child would be taking him/her to his/her favorite restaurant or letting him watch television for an extended period on weekends. Have some optional chore mentioned at the end of the chart. These would not be a part of their regular chores and can be done by children, only if they wish to do so. In case, a child does certain number of optional tasks in a month, apart from the regular ones, reward him/her with a nice t-shirt or permission to attend a pajama party.