We all know that chores need to be done but not one of us enjoys doing it, right? So why should we ask our children to do the same thing instead of just calling in a house cleaning service? Surely you don’t look at it as some sort of payback for when your parents forced you to do your chores and pull your weight around the house.
No. Because as you got older, you started to realize the value of doing chores at a young age. It taught you valuable lessons and instilled in you some disciplines that you needed to make it in life.
For these reasons, you, as a responsible parent, find it a necessity to arm your children with the knowledge and self-reliance that will prove to be valuable to them when they grow up.
1. It teaches them responsibility and ownership.
Learning just doesn’t take place in schools and other educational institutions. It should start at home. More than just going through their ABCs, shapes, and colors, kids need to learn about responsibility and ownership.
Assigning them age-appropriate chores to do at home teaches them about taking responsibility for things, even something as simple as putting away their toys after playtime or cleaning their room. It allows them to fully take ownership not just of their assigned tasks but also your home. They begin to see that they are not just tenants but also homeowners that are responsible for taking care of the house.
2. They pick up skills that will serve them for life.
Eventually, when they come of age, they will move out of the house and start living on their own. Imagine a person who has pretty much no stable source of income (most of us left home when we took off for college) and no one to help them keep their rooms or apartments clean and orderly?
Doing chores at an early age allows them to learn basic life skills that they will need once they set off on their own. Cooking, cleaning, mending clothes, washing dishes, doing laundry, and other similar household chores are all learned by immersion.
3. Chores reinforce honor and respect.
Admit it, when you were younger, you didn’t really give much thought to how much work your parents did just to make sure you grew up well. Providing for you financially to give you a good life entailed enduring the stresses and headaches of countless hours at work. And then when they come home, they still need to work on chores just to give you a home that’s conducive to your enjoyment and relaxation.
Now that you’re all grown up and living on your own, you have a deeper respect for your folks. You realize that managing a career and a household is not easy. Assigning kids chores to do at home may not make them see the entire picture yet but it helps them get a glimpse of what it’s like.
4. They learn the value of teamwork.
The good thing about doing chores at home is that you’re part of a team that works hard to maintain a good and healthy home. Tasks are delegated accordingly to each member of the family. Those tasks make up their responsibilities at home, just any member of any team. Being part of a group means you have certain responsibilities to fulfill to make sure your team succeeds.
5. It builds time management and planning skills.
We all know how tough it is to balance work and personal life, right? Getting chores done will help teach children how to prioritize and organize their schedules. It teaches them the importance of managing their time and proper planning.
My nephew once decided to slack off and play video games instead of getting his homework and chores done first. He thought he could talk his way out of his chores because it was already late. But he still needed to get their homework and chores done, so he ended up working until late that evening. This could be easily avoided if he knew how to prioritize tasks. And believe me, he learned his lesson.
6. It establishes a strong work ethic.
Learning how to prioritize tasks and responsibilities is just half the battle. The other half is establishing a routine where it becomes a habit that’s hard to break. Once you build the right habits, you start to develop a really strong work ethic. Kids need to learn this at an early age. Not because you want them to work like horses but because you want them to learn the importance of hard work.
The lesson here is if they don’t learn how to work hard, they can’t play hard.
If we teach our children that chores are, in fact, one of life’s privileges and not a burden, if we help correct their mindset at a young age, they will surely see the value of doing them and appreciate you for equipping them with the right foundation they will need in life.
