Parents with toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children, or teenagers have a lot on their plates. They have to juggle family, work responsibilities, household chores, and social life. In between this chaos, it is natural for parents to worry about how to bond more with their children.
Family bonding activities are essential for overall contentment. A strong family bond results in better communication, teamwork, and appreciation for each other. Which indeed is an excellent investment of your time.
But is it possible for parents to treat household chores as family bonding? Most parents often call and hire house cleaning services or book a laundry delivery service. This results in kids being clueless about how to do simple chores.
If you are curious about which household chores you can teach your children, here are some ideas for different ages.
- Toddlers: Pick up toys and books; set placemats on the dinner table.
- Preschoolers: Set table for meals; help grocery shopping or putting groceries away; pile new clothes
- School-aged children: Clean bathroom; help with meal preparation and serve food; Help fold, wash, and hang clothes; vacuum floors; clean bathroom and kitchen.
- Teenagers: All possible chores; they can do on their own. You can also supervise other chores that you want them to learn.
How to Get Children Involved in Doing Household Chores
Honestly, it is hard to convince your children to do household chores, especially when they are from school-aged to teens. Even accompanying you to the nearest laundry service or going for groceries, they would rather stay at home. So, how can you make them involved?
After a long day of doing household chores, parents can give a reward. It could be their favorite ice cream or pizza treat. Moreover, there are a few things that can make household chores less frustrating and boring:
- Do chores together.
- Clear instructions and delegation of chores for the day or week.
- Appreciate their finished task.
- Show interest in what they have done.
- Praise positive behavior.
- Use a reward chart
Reward charts can be screentime for toddlers to preschoolers, while pocket money is the best motivation for school-aged and teenagers.
Several things can encourage your children to keep them interested in household chores. When they are older to understand, you can have a family discussion about the chores. It helps them reinforce the idea that the whole family contributes to household chores.
Letting your child involved in household chores gives them the chance to improve their relationship skills. It makes them feel competent, responsible and knows how to communicate clearly.
Final Thoughts
Household chores can be an enjoyable family bonding activity when everyone is on board. Sharing housework helps the family work better and reduces stress. Household chores and family bonding involve your child in caring for the family. Moreover, it frees up time for the family to play games and do fun things together. Parents are not only making time for their children and teaching them a sense of responsibility.
