4 learning benefits of making your kids help with chores

Should you encourage your child to help you with household chores? Will such an initiative from your side be overwhelming, or will it help your child become self-reliant and independent? Let's break this down. Here are some of the reasons you might've decided to do everything for your kids:

• Not letting your child do any little tasks around the house would keep them safe and prevent mishaps. 
• Compelling your kids to complete household duties could snatch away their childhood, quickly transforming them into adults.
• If you chose to do the work yourself, you could finish it in significantly less time. Handing these tasks over to your child has the potential to not only turn everything messy but also burden you with the clean-up.

Though the above pointers are valid, we must not ignore the other side of this debate. Children might benefit from doing chores in various ways, which are often overlooked. 

How can chores be a learning opportunity for your child: 4 benefits

1. Appreciate parents' efforts 

Kids could take your efforts in juggling office work and domestic duties for granted. When you ask your child to contribute, that might help them realize how much hard work you, as parents, put in. 

2. Builds a sense of community

Handing simple tasks for your child at home makes them realize they must contribute, like the rest of the family. This can give them a sense of belonging and teaches them teamwork. At a macro level, it could further help them be better citizens, equally contributing to the community and society they are a part of in the future.

3. Teaches organization

When kids are regularly instructed to clean up after themselves, arrange their clothes, or tidy up their room, it teaches them how to be organized and disciplined.

4. Building a habit of accomplishing goals

Having kids complete their tasks without direct rewards is usually preferable to foster a sense of belonging. But a bit of positive reinforcement can go a long way. They can be rewarded with more leisure time to play or access to more screen time; this incentivizes the process, and your child might not feel burdened by their chores. 

Along with understanding the importance of outlining household duties for kids, it is crucial that you assign age-appropriate chores for your child. Tasks assigned must first consider their age and physical and mental abilities. If a five-year-old is asked to pick up toys, a ten-year-old could be asked to clean their room. Making these tasks a little game or a song could also make the job easy and fun! 

Once they are done, finding faults with what they have done could be somewhat discouraging. Instead, your words of encouragement show how they have contributed. Positive feedback encourages them and instills self-esteem. 

At byjuslearning.com, we provide curriculum-aligned, grade-level learning experiences for kids between ages 4 to 8, helping them build on skills they learn in school. 

Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is NOT medical advice and is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, provide medical or behavioral advice, treat, prevent, or cure any disease, condition, or behavior. You should consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding your child’s development to make a medical diagnosis, determine a treatment for a medical condition, or obtain other related advice.