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Getting Children To Help
- A good way to enlist help from children is to start
small and gradually build up as they and their confidence and abilities
grow.
- What jobs are appropriate will vary between families
and cultures.
- Including your child in part of the decision making
usually means they are more likely to finish the job.
- Ideas which may help include the following
- Try to live by the rule 'Don't put it down, put it
away.'.
- Make a 'cleaning time' each day or each week or
according to your family's needs. Knowing it is coming can help you all
put up with the mess at other times.
- Have a place for dirty clothes in each bedroom or
bathroom, preferably wherever the children are when taking off their
clothes.
- Have everyone in the family make a list of what
jobs need to be done each day or each week. Change jobs from time to
time - rotate jobs that aren't popular. A roster might help.
- When possible give your children a choice of jobs
to do.
- Boys and girls can do the same number of jobs.
- When children do a task, it is done. Don't do the
job over again or it will make them feel bad.
- Allow children to do a job their way. It won't
hurt if they make patterns with the creme cleanser before cleaning the
bath..
- Give each child only as many jobs as they can
handle.
- Choose times when they are happy and not busy with
their own things to ask them to help. None of us like doing chores when
tired or doing something fun.
- Try not to 'remind' them too much.
- Write notes to remind children about jobs. Make
them silly sometimes like writing a note saying 'Help! I'm lost!' and
putting it on to a jacket which has been left on the floor.
- Children are more likely to remember jobs if there
is a good reason why they need to be done, eg clothes not put in the
laundry don't get washed.
- Call to give a warning if jobs are to be done by a
set time and you are coming home earlier than expected.
- Try hiding a surprise in the bottom of a pile of
laundry or at the bottom of a box of toys to be put away.
- Don't give your children too many chores.
- Set an example by occasionally offering to help
your children. For example 'Can I help you tidy your room, it looks like
a lot of work today' shows that helping and caring for
each other is part of a normal family.
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When children do chores they are learning about
consequences. For instance if their dirty clothes are not put in the dirty
laundry basket they won't have anything clean to wear to school.
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