Kids who have their chores assigned for them will be able to achieve more with less time and effort, but children who do tasks are also statistically more likely to become more effective in other areas. So what’s the best way to get your kids’ chores done? Let them choose their responsibilities and let them help you with yours.

Teaching your kids how to do chores is as essential as riding a bike or swimming. You can’t just tell your kids what to do, and you have to show them too. Kids who have their chores assigned to them will be able to achieve more with less time and effort. Still, children who do tasks are statistically more likely to become more confident, self-reliant, and responsible in other areas.

Here are the ten effective ways of getting your kids to do their chores:

1. Set some ground rules.

Set clear rules and boundaries and communicate them throughout the household. This is for two reasons; first, it helps your kids get what chores are and why they are done. The second reason is that it helps to reduce arguments and confusion when you’re trying to get them to do their tasks.

2. Give them a choice of options within a set of ranges.

Give them a choice to pick their responsibilities. However, they can only choose from a set of options you’ve given them. For example, your kids may not know how to vacuum (hey, it isn’t exactly intuitive), but they would probably be able to understand how to put the laundry away. So you could say that you have three chores listed for them (though there are more), and these are the ones they can choose from. 

3. Model it for them.

You want to show your kid what needs to be done, explain the benefit to them, then let them try it for themselves. This is as important for adults as kids; Don’t just tell your kids what to do; make them do it. Show them how! Letting your children see you do chores is a great way to show how much easier things are when they are done right and by the right person.

4. Give them rewards.

Kids like to be rewarded for their hard work, and with chores, this is true because they want to get paid for the work they put into them. You should allow your child to choose a reward, such as a movie night or ice cream. You could even give them their choice of chores if they do well.

5. Have it written down in their daily schedule book.

If you have a daily schedule book, you could write all of their chores down and then set up a system where they check their schedule first thing every morning. This way, they won’t have any surprises when they come home.

6. Make it fun.

Try to make the chores fun by letting your child be creative with how to get what needs to be done done. For example, they bought a ladder for one family and let their kids use it to put up their laundry. They also took photos of their kids doing their chores to put in the album and even got them a trophy for the best task.

7. Be flexible with your kids’ schedules.

Make sure to allow your child some flexibility with their chores, no matter what the job is. If they need help in the morning, then let them do it in the morning. If they need help after school, let them do it when they get home from school. You don’t want to tell them you have to have your floor cleaned by a particular time and then have no way of getting it done.

8. Have your kids assign chores to each other.

If you find that one of your kids is not doing their chores, then have them assign it to another family member or friend. This helps get the task done and teaches them the consequences of poor performance.

9. Set up a system of reward and punishment.

Give your child a set of tasks that they have to achieve, and if they reach them, they get a reward. If they do not complete the tasks, then have a consequence that is appropriate for the child’s age (such as losing video game time).

10. Be consistent.

Kids need to know that if they do their chores, you will let them have more control over what happens to them, but you don’t have to listen to them if they don’t do their tasks. This is important because kids will test their boundaries, and if you don’t set a firm line, it won’t take long for them to cross the lines.

Author bio

Andrea Gibbs is the Content Manager at SpringHive Web Agency, where she helps create content for their clients’ blogs and websites. She is currently a blog contributor at Montessori Academy, a blog dedicated to helping parents with the ins and outs of parenting children within the Montessori tradition. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and her dog.