Household chores. Or jobs, work, to-do lists, or whichever name you choose to give them.

All parents face, at some point, the moment when they need to start teaching their child to do simple household chores.

But how exactly do you go about that?

I mean, kids don't want to do household chores, right? Aren't we setting ourselves up for a whole lot of headaches - and the whining! We can do without that, right?

This post will give you 3 foolproof ways to teach your small child to do household chores, in a way that will give them the best incentive and best understandings-while building relationship with you as well.

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Household Chores for Kids: 3 Foolproof Strategies to get them going today!

If you find it hard to get your children to do chores, it can be tempting to just drop it. I mean, isn’t it easier to just do it ourselves - and, we know it will be cleaner in the end, right?

But we have to remember that learning household chores for kids is not actually about whether it’s completed well (to start with) or if we, or the kids, actually like the process. The simple fact is this:

Kids need to learn how to do household chores because they will be adults one day. And contrary to popular belief - kids can do chores and still have a happy, totally well-adjusted childhood. And, in fact, you are actually doing them a disservice by not teaching them how to do chores - because they will join the throng of kids who just cannot do things for themselves, and also run yourself into the ground physically and mentally, by the time they leave home, if they even do!

Lastly, learning to do chores actually increases family wellbeing overall. It means ‘we are a family, and we all get in and help.’

If this isn’t the selfless, collective-mindset attitude you want your child to learn - they will have a hard time being a team member at school, as a teacher, in the armed forces, in an office, working at a supermarket, or even in future relationships - all of which impacts their emotional health, as well as others’ around them.

We work as a team - and teaching household chores to your kids is a healthy beginning to this.

So, let’s get into it!

1: Start Teaching Household Chores Early

If you really want to get your small child joining in with some household chores, starting early (and gently) is the way to go.

And before anyone starts talking slave labour, let's get real here- I'm talking about teaching your child to help pick up after themselves, first of all.

Small tasks are the way to go as you start this-and adding an element of fun always works well too.

I love singing songs, having 'races' and building that sense of energy into the playroom packup This means the child in question starts to see packing up and sharing the load as more enjoyable.

What a great way to start your child's journey into household chores-which in reality is something they will have to do as they grow anyway.

2: Keep Household Chores simple and Build expectations slowly.

Starting simple with household chores means your child understands your expectations and can experience success properly before they need to learn another skill on top of the first.

So how can you do that?

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Chunking the tasks into small, bite-sized pieces means you can teach your child pieces at a time.

Teach your child how to feed the dog by letting them tip the scoop into the bowl.

After a few days of this, teach them how to scoop the right amount of dry dog food and just stand back and watch them, just helping when needed.

Gradually move back yourself until your child is capably and happily feeding the dog.

Read this article for more >>> Why Teaching Independence starts at the Toddler Stage

Won't this take a lot of time?

In a nutshell, yes, this will take more time to do.

However, the time you will spend is FAR outweighed by the future time you save arguing with your child, or tidying up after their failed attempts to feed dogs, tidy up or make a salad!

Also, watch my Youtube video on Power Struggles here and find out more about how teaching your child these things can help negate power struggles as your child grows>>

3: Do household chores together!

Children, similarly to adults, don't often react well to be told 'what to do', and stood over sergeant-major style.

(Odd, that.)

Building connection and empathy in the parent/child relationship is a very basic foundation of positive or gentle parenting, and this means that parents and children relate more as side to side, instead of top-down.

Therefore, showing your child that 'we can do this together', 'I'll do my job and you do yours', and using other phrases like that, means you are building that sense of empathy and connection.

It is OK for kids to feel the 'blurgh' feeling of 'I have to do chores', but empathising with them in that moment means they are not fighting US so much as the inevitable fact that they need to do a chore.

This makes it easier on you, and simply something the child needs to learn how to mentally manage, with your help.

These 3 foolproof ways to teach your small kids to do household chores mean that you can help them to start:

Feeling that satisfying sense of contribution
Learning how to do small tasks
Build self-respect
Experience success and learn how to manage more things piece by piece

Learning how to do household chores is a very important component of creating a healthy family life for children, and while chores should not take over all play or childhood moments, the effort put in early on means kids understand (a little more) what is involved in being part of a family.

If you want to find out more about household chores and how to start helping your child learn independence and confidence, click here to grab 30% off your first 2 session coaching package!