Here’s Why Doing Chores Will Help Your Child Develop Into A Responsible Adult

Kids can help. It’s not child labour.

When we tell parents, who come to see Papagoya, that our 1-year-olds not only eat by themselves but actually take their plates and put them away after a meal – they are shocked, often asking ‘can 1-year-olds actually do this?’  The answer is yes. They can do this and much more.

I recently came across an article that talked about the chores you can involve your child in at home and it started at age 3. Cleaning up toys, brushing teeth, changing out of clothes are all things even our youngest kids at age 1 are doing. We don’t challenge our children enough or give them the opportunity to show us the things they can do. At no point are we saying a child’s playtime needs to be cut down to do these daily tasks – however, it’s more about seamlessly integrating a child into the life of a family.

There is a lot of learning for a child that participates in the running of the household.

Teamwork & Independence

A child helping around the house is not child labour! It is an important part of a child’s development, a part of gaining independence and learning how to function in groups – a part of them becoming contributing members of a family and society.

Developing Life Skills

Children, by nature, love to help. They feel a huge sense of importance when an adult calls upon them to assist. At the same time, it’s important to set the context for a child before they start helping. Children at all points want to understand why they are doing something. Always make an effort to explain the reason of a task at hand. The satisfaction of what they will achieve is often a huge motivator for children. For example – can you help me beat the eggs? We are making an omelette for breakfast.

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Responsibility

It’s important to start inculcating in children a sense of ownership and a sense of responsibility without having large conversations about gender equality. A child who helps at home – with laundry, the garden, the kitchen or cleaning up their room already understands that tasks are not based on gender.

Family Time

A family that does chores together sticks together. These chores and tasks give you an opportunity to spend quality time with your child. Quality time does not have to always be an elaborate activity or outing; you can find joy in the mundane.

Respect

More and more children are having things handed to them on a silver platter. If they don’t know where it came from or what it took for them to have it – how then, do we ensure they don’t grow up entitled? It’s important for a child to see that laundry does not magically show up ironed and folded in their cupboards – they need to be able to see, help and understand the process, be able to respect the people that get it done and the roles they all play.

Here is a list of some suggestions of tasks and chores that children can participate in from age 1 onwards

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–       Clean up toys (sing a fun clean up song and help them put their toys back in a basket)

–       Put their plate away after they finish a meal

–       Put their clothes in a laundry basket

–       Help water the plants in the garden

–       Cleaning up if they spill

–       Ask them to bring you something (your glasses, the newspaper)

When a child turns 2 years the complexity of the task can slowly start increasing

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–       Help with simple meal prep in the kitchen (whipping, washing a dish, rinsing a potato)

–       Taking off their clothes and putting in the laundry basket

–       Cleaning up their room (toys)

–       Put plates on the table for a meal

–       Can help sweeping with a small broom and dustpan

–       Help load and unload the washing machine (even help hang up clothes)

–       Help with giving the dog a bath

–       Dusting

–       Helping put things into your shopping cart at a supermarket

–       Carrying bags

It’s important to point out that in the early years it’s not so much about giving the child a task for them to do on their own, but you as the adult participating, encouraging and applauding them for doing it with you. They love being little helpers and imitating us live life – after all, this is how they learn about the world around them.