Chores! Don't we all dread them! Even children will feel that it is a hassle to do chores if they have not formed the habit to do so.
Though doing chores might have parents feeling aghast and thinking that chores are beneath their children, we would like to provide an alternative viewpoint that there is a very strong meaning and use for chores, which have nothing to do with whether you have a helper or not! Chores actually benefit children a lot and teach them more than you can imagine. It is not just learning how to fold laundry and the like, but about self discipline, responsibility and much more!
Here we have an infographic on the benefit of chores for children.
In this day and age of technology, we were horrified to learn (from a preschool teacher) that many children have developed dexterity only in their index fingers (from excessive use of swiping the iPad, we think!)
MOTOR MOVEMENTS: Doing simple chores such as folding laundry, sweeping the floor, and cooking meals help children to develop and practice their motor movements. This is a great alternative to sensory play (and it's free!)
TEAMWORK: Apart from that, if you have more than one child, or even with a helper or yourself, doing chores together aids in teaching children the importance of teamwork, and working together in order to complete the chores faster. It works their brains and their hands! Neat! You might be surprised by their antics to complete the chores faster.
TIME MANAGEMENT: When you have to factor chores into your daily life, you will undoubtedly need to allocate time to completing them! Though this may seem trivial and commonsensical to us, it is in fact an extremely important skill that children need to develop!
DELAYED GRATIFICATION: Understanding the importance of delayed gratification is extremely important in life. "One of the most important challenges we face in life is the need to delay gratification. The ability to either forgo immediate temptation or to persist in an undesirable activity, in order to reach a later goal, is a key component to success in many life tasks, such as preparing for exams, losing weight" (Twito, Israel, Simonson, Knafo-Noam, 2019) Doing chores help children learn this by knowing that they can only get benefits (eg. playing) after they've put in the work (eg. doing chores!)
RESPONSIBILITY: Chores teach children about responsibility by making sure they pick up after themselves, or clean up after themselves. It is not the duty of others to clean up after them when they have made a mess. By instilling this form of responsibility in your child, you will aid in his/her progress to take responsibility for more important and serious things in the future :)
SELF DISCIPLINE: In line with responsibility, chores teach children about self discipline, especially when they are older. It teaches them that they will need to do the chores properly and instills a desire to follow through and complete the task properly instead of throwing it aside before it's been finished!
GRATEFULNESS: Finally, gratefulness! When you've done chores and know the hard work, they will be grateful to have mothers and fathers who aid them in so much and do all the other chores in the house for them!
If you have been convinced on the benefit of chores for your child (yay you!) We have compiled a list of (what we feel are) age appropriate chores that your child should be able to do at each age.
Feel free to mix things up or skip those that do not apply to you.
Love it? Wanna practice it?
You can do so! We came up with a printable chore sheet so that you don't have to!
Just click on the image below and print it out! Simple as that.
Have you had a similar experience with chores in your youth or have something you'd like to share? We'd love to hear it! Comment below, send in your requests for the next article or just pop by to say hi, we're always available at hello@weekendkids.sg !
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