I love this picture, it’s a picture of my
friend’s 4 year old daughter chopping carrot as neatly as a good chef. The fact that
she can chop carrot and other vegetables into such fine shapes comes as a timely reminder
to begin teaching
and allowing my children handle house chores without hovering over them like a
mother hen. After all, didn’t John Adams say that practice makes perfect. It is only when we attempt a task
that we get to know if we can excel at
it or succeed.
friend’s 4 year old daughter chopping carrot as neatly as a good chef. The fact that
she can chop carrot and other vegetables into such fine shapes comes as a timely reminder
to begin teaching
and allowing my children handle house chores without hovering over them like a
mother hen. After all, didn’t John Adams say that practice makes perfect. It is only when we attempt a task
that we get to know if we can excel at
it or succeed.
Like most mothers, I am guilty of
sheltering my kids from doing easy task with excuses that ranges from ‘I want
to save time, I want it properly done/cleaned, he/she is still a child’ etc.
Tasks like sweeping their room, washing their dishes, making their beds, arranging their room,
dressing up for school and even bathing; though with supervision for some ages.
We often do not want to admit that the new born baby we gave birth to a few
months ago is now grown and ready to offer the needed helping hand within and around
the house.
sheltering my kids from doing easy task with excuses that ranges from ‘I want
to save time, I want it properly done/cleaned, he/she is still a child’ etc.
Tasks like sweeping their room, washing their dishes, making their beds, arranging their room,
dressing up for school and even bathing; though with supervision for some ages.
We often do not want to admit that the new born baby we gave birth to a few
months ago is now grown and ready to offer the needed helping hand within and around
the house.
It
is time we begin teaching and encouraging our kids to help around the house.
Asides helping out with the never ending daily house chores, assigning tasks to
them will have them develop a sense of responsibility. Below is a list of chores for ages 2 –
9 courtesy webmd.com with a
little modification to suit us.
is time we begin teaching and encouraging our kids to help around the house.
Asides helping out with the never ending daily house chores, assigning tasks to
them will have them develop a sense of responsibility. Below is a list of chores for ages 2 –
9 courtesy webmd.com with a
little modification to suit us.
Chores for children ages 2 to 3years
Ø Put toys away
Ø Put clothes in hamper
Ø Wipe up spills
Ø Dust books and magazines pile
Chores
for children ages 4 to 5years
for children ages 4 to 5years
Any of the above chores plus:
Ø Make their bed
Ø Empty wastebaskets
Ø Arrange scattered books or toy
Ø Clear table (after eating)
Ø Clean dirty/dusty surface
Ø Use hand-held vacuum to pick up crumbs/sweep small area
Ø Water flowers
Ø Wash plastic dishes at sink
Ø Fix a bowl of cereal
Chores for children ages 6 to 7
Any of the above chores plus:
Ø Sort laundry
Ø Sweep floors
Ø Set and clear table
Ø Help make and pack lunch
Ø Weed and rake leaves
Ø Keep the bedroom tidy
Chores
for children ages 8 to 9
for children ages 8 to 9
Any of the above chores plus:
Ø Put away groceries
Ø Vacuum
Ø Help make dinner
Ø Make own snacks/sandwich
Ø Wash table after meals
Ø Put away own laundry
Ø Sew buttons
Ø Make own breakfast
Ø Peel vegetables
Ø Cook simple foods, such as indomie, rice etc
Ø Mop floor
As we encourage our kids to carry our these
chores, let’s have the tips below in mind;
chores, let’s have the tips below in mind;
- Keep
every task/chore simple - Show and
spell out your expectations (ie how
the completed version of the task looks) - Don’t
expect perfection on first attempt. - Encourage
and affirm efforts – results - Avoid
constant correction and criticism - Applaud every
success or the attempt at it - Don’t
give up when expectations are not met
4 Comments
Elizabeth
October 4, 2015 at 2:28 amI love these ideas! I think this is so, so important for little ones! So glad we have connected!
Elizabeth
allkindsofthingsblog.com
lizzy unak
September 26, 2015 at 9:41 pmNice one again! M learning
Unknown
September 26, 2015 at 12:11 pmThis is quiet inspiring. Thanks Roz
Anonymous
September 26, 2015 at 12:10 amThis is quite interesting ! My 2yrs plus dota now helps with; pls get me this/that, pls drop this in the refridgerator!,and some little errands and its so amazing watch her grow into that girl-child we had always desired.
So its pretty nice we engage them early enough in house chores without fears or much worries.
Cheers
'Kanby