by WordExplain
A Potpourri of Biblical and Practical Perspectives
on a Variety of Topics . . .
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Applied
Theology by WordExplain A Potpourri of Biblical and Practical Perspectives on a Variety of Topics . . . |
For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 |
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November, 2007 Q:
What is a good age to start
teaching children
to do work around the house? What
rewards, if any, are appropriate? A: We
believe that you start teaching children to work as soon as they can
follow
instructions! When they are toddlers
they can bring you their shoes or coat or help you put the blocks in
the toy
box. As they get a bit older, they can
bring you diapers for baby sister/brother, take their sippy cup to the
counter,
put their shoes away. All of these things
are considered “training” in these younger years.
As they approach 5 years old or so, you can
make up a simple chore list for them consisting of making their
bed, putting their clothes away, helping feed the
family pet, putting the
trash from small trash cans into the bigger trash can. At
around 8 years of age, they’re capable of
doing a great many tasks. They can take
clean laundry piles to each person’s room, set or clear the table, get
the
mail, take out the trash, make lemonade for supper, make ice for the
drinks,
clean their room, sweep the sidewalk, possibly mow the yard
. All of these various chores teach them that
all of us in the family have to contribute and share the load to make a
home
function properly. All children at
appropriate ages are working around the home both to help out and to
learn
responsibility. It’s important that
they learn how to do all these tasks as they get older and, whether
they admit
it or not, it gives them a sense of pride knowing what they’re capable
of. As
for the rewards, allowances are often given to children. You
and your spouse will need to decide what
you feel is appropriate for your family because you’ll find that each
family
does allowances differently, if at all. Some
give allowances for doing chores. We
give our children a very modest allowance as a way to teach them the
use of
money, not as a reward for chores. We
want them to understand that working around the house is just part of
being a
member of a family unit. Whatever you
decide, I do not recommend using treats, candy or rewards to “bribe”
children
to do anything. They ought to learn to
obey you for the sake of learning obedience, not for the treat or
reward that
they think they have coming to them. So
be encouraged and be bold in assigning tasks knowing you are training
the next
generation and molding in them a work ethic they will carry all through
their
lives! November, 2007
Published by WordExplain.com Email Contact: parentingqa@yahoo.com Go to Parenting Q&A Index Page Go to Applied Theology
Index Page Go to October, 2007 Parenting Q&A Go to December, 2007 Parenting Q&A About the Author: Christa Bartsch is a stay-at-home mom who lives in the Midwest. She has led seminar workshops for women on marriage and parenting. She has been happily married for twenty years and is the mother of five children. WordExplain by James T. Bartsch
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