There is no need to hire outside help to do the housework if the entire family pitches in to do the chores.
If the downturn in the economy has caused you to cut back in hiring help to do the household cleaning, this may be a grand opportunity to build family togetherness.
Doing all the household work should not be left to one person alone especially if that person has a job outside of the home. Early training in sharing of family responsibilities and the workload will pay off with increased self esteem of a job well done for the entire family. Most children love to do things with their families, no matter what their age is. While housework wouldn't come to mind as a favourite activity, it pulls everyone together in a common goal of running the house. A convincing argument that parents can give in favour of working together to complete the chores is that it leaves more time for everyone to enjoy the fun stuff.
These routine chores should not be tied in to getting paid an allowance. They should be considered part of the normal routine a family does together.
Children can start helping out when they are very young. Here are age appropriate tasks that they can do:
Preschoolers can be expected to:
- Put away their toys
- Set the table for meals
- Clean the table after a meal
- Help make their beds
- Help dust the furniture
Elementary-aged children can:
- Help feed pets
- Walk small dogs
- Help with washing up and loading of the dishwasher
- Help fold laundry
- Tidy their rooms
Older children can:
- Vacuum
- Mop the floors
- Change the sheets on their beds
- Run errands
- Do their own laundry
- Help look after younger siblings
- Shovel the sidewalks of snow/mow the lawn
While it may require the occasional lecture on the importance of helping out in a family, if everyone pulls their load, reluctant members will soon understand the idea that chores just have to be done.
