Cecilia Galatolo
A tidy home is essential for the whole family to have a sense of peace, without, of course, taking time and attention away from the children. It is essential to find a healthy balance between caring for one’s environment and caring for one’s family. Today, we would like to propose a solution: Combining play and housework, getting the kids involved.
This may seem easier said than done. It may be much simpler to clean while the children watch their favorite cartoon, but we offer you five tips for turning chores into a game that can be done as a team.
1. Assign clear tasks
Children are often reluctant to help because they aren’t sure what is expected of them. If a parent says generically, “Clean your room,” the child may struggle to understand what exactly he or she should do or where to begin. It’s better to give them clear tasks: “Put the books back in the shelf,” “pick up the toys lying around on the floor and put them back in the toy basket,” “dust your nightstand.”
Lately, my almost six-year-old daughter has been enjoying cleaning the bathroom with me. Her main task is to move soaps, sponges, and toothbrushes to another counter, so that I can wash the sink and shelves. She does a good job, and it fills her with pride. Her brother, on the other hand, prefers picking things up or vacuuming. It is good to see them care about doing these chores, since having understood how they’re done, they understand the guidelines well.
2. Accept that they may need time to learn and understand how things are done
As with anything, it takes time to learn how to clean up a room or house, especially at a young age. Start with the simplest tasks, have them repeat it several times. When they have mastered something, then add something else, without expecting them to do everything. Many parents give up involving their children in household chores because they think it’s a waste of time. Try to look at it from another angle: We are doing something together, and therefore we will have more time together. Also, although at first it may take us longer to do certain chores, our children will have learned a lesson: The house they live in is also their responsibility.
3. Don’t play favorites. We’re a team
It is good for all members of the family to feel involved in running the household, according to their abilities and age.
Let’s try to make a family plan, where everyone is involved, that considers each person’s needs and abilities.
4. It’s never too early to start.
I have a funny memory of my son, when he was a year and a half and had just learned how to walk well. He was emptying the dryer with me, and I would take out the laundry, and he would pick up each piece of clothing and take it to his dad to fold it.
His little sister, just a few months old, was asleep in her bassinette, and we three were a perfect assembly line. I couldn’t tell you which of us had the most fun. At his age, he could only do so much, and he did not give up doing it and doing it well!
5. Value one’s work, and even offer rewards
When I was a kid, I did household chores much more willingly if they earned me a reward. So now, I use the same tactic with my children.
Here’s an example: There was a time when my brothers and I wanted to buy a trampoline for our backyard. Every chore was a chance to add something in our piggy bank. It was rewarding to buy the trampoline, a year and a half later, with the feeling that we had earned it somehow.
In addition to material rewards, gratification is also important. Even a simple, “Good job,” or “Thank you for doing this for the whole family” would suffice. Children should not be praised endlessly, but it is important for them to see that they have done something good when they do something that helps out others. We must not refrain from complimenting them. A wise man once said that it is more motivating to be encouraged and complimented at the right moment than to be reprimanded a thousand times, unconstructively.
