How To Get Your Children to Finally Do Their Chores

Welcome! This blog and associated podcasts are inclusive, self-empowerment, personal development, and inner harmony-nurturing safe spaces where you will be guided to not only take up space, but simultaneously hold space for others. The blogs include more information than the podcasts. Here is a blog about: How To Get Your Children to Finally Do Their Chores.

I have been meaning to write this article for some time, and I am so glad that I finally have a fun way to get kids to do chores now . I am a huge supporter of healthy competitions and this one is no different. I find it to be the secret to getting children to do their chores which helps them build essential life skills, and it also helps take the stress away from parents, guardians and other caretakers! Indulge me if you will and let me explain my musical chairs chores proposal.

A little song, a set time; it all becomes so much fun! I started teaching my kids the clean-up song since they were 9 months old. I have said this story many times over, but my 12 months old son actually picked up two of his folded pants one day when we were playing with him, walked them over to his drawer, opened it, placed them in the right spot and closed the drawer. At 12 months! A miracle, you might say. However, we are our children’s best role models. What we do while they are still young, they will try to imitate. Most important is consistency, consistency, consistency. Before we begin, let me suggest some things that might be helpful. Try not to associate chores with punishment, avoid screaming, yelling and nagging, and try to have chores done at the same time each day or each week because kids secretly respond well to structure.

Healthy competitions have always been the norm in our house. Not only are they fun, but so much is accomplished by all involved.

Here is how to get your kinds to finally do their chores!

·         Start by deciding what the chores are. Whether all children should make their bed or have 5 minutes to go around the house and pick up all their toys or belongings or get all their dirty laundry to the correct place or remove trash from their rooms and get them to the large trash bin outside, find things they no longer need or use or fit in to donate, etc. Chores are different for each family and are also based on needs and dynamics.

o   The chores need to be equal in regards to their potential of being done at the assigned time even if they are different. If one person is assigned dishes while the other sweeps and another person wipes tables; they need to all have the ability to finish within a particular time. One person’s chores cannot take 5 minutes while another’s chores takes 30 minutes.

·         When it comes to timing, start slowly. Based on your kids ages, start with 5 minutes; this can be longer with older kids.

·         The next step is to pick a song and play it loud enough to be heard! I love this because you can have different songs each time or multiple songs if the timing is longer. Once the song stops, everyone has to stop what they are doing, and a winner is picked. A parent or both parents or a nanny or guardian goes around and assesses what each person has done and how much they have completed. Ties between children are also allowed if true and fair and so are tiers; you can have a 1st prize, 2nd prize, and 3rd or only one. Make it clear that none will be given for little or no effort and they can always aim to be better the next day or the next week.

·         Next, you need to decide on what the reward will be. From an extra 30 minutes on the tablet or T.V. and extra dessert to a solo treat trip or a big reward at the end of the week or month. The good thing is that you know your family members and what they like so you can actually work with their hobbies and desires in mind. In fact, you can have multiple musical chairs chores healthy competitions throughout the week (and can even rotate who is doing what each day), and decide the winner or winners by the end of each week.

Even if you have one child in your care, this will still work and you can get them to do it with their favorite song and award a star for each day that they do it within timeframe of the music. At the end of the week, they get a special treat based on how many stars they have.

Chores are essential for teaching responsibility and by delegating, parents and guardians also learn to not micromanage their kids and give them a sense of self and self-confidence.

Please let me know if you are willing to try this musical chairs chores version and find out how to get your children to finally do their chores or if you already tried it and it worked! I would love to hear from you.

Yve (pronounced “Eve” / @secretsofyve) is a Public Health Specialist, Content Creator, Podcaster (www.secretsofyve.com) and the CEO of the PATESI Foundation (www.patesifoundation.org) and PATESI LLC (www.patesillc.com). Her family’s blog is located at: www.parentsofdragons.com