Little helpers

Involving the children in household chores is good for them as well as for the parents
theSun, Tue, 05 Jan 2010

IF YOU are a homemaker, you will definitely have your hands full juggling all the household chores especially if you do not rely on hired help.

You have the laundry, tidying, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, errands, chauffeuring, child-minding, tutoring, gardening, and everything else in between.

If you have children who are old enough to handle some of the chores, it is about time you rope them in. Even your pre-schooler can help out as long as the chores are age-appropriate.

According to parenting author Elizabeth Pantley, by getting your children to help out with chores at home, you can build their feeling of competence and help them understand what is involved in running a household.

They can develop good habits, including discipline and good attitudes about work.

When assigning a chore, do not expect your child to complete it perfectly. You will only end up getting frustrated if you insist on perfection, making it a struggle.

If you insist on re-doing it yourself, your child may think that it wasn’t done well enough, making him feel unappreciated.

You do not have to wait for the chore to be completed before praising him. Praising him while he is doing the chore can encourage and help him feel good about his contribution.

Here are some chores your children can help you with:

» Laundry

Have separate baskets for white and coloured clothes so that you don’t need to spend time sorting before putting them into the washer. Buy crinkle-free clothes to reduce time and energy spent on ironing.

Get the children to join you in sorting and folding laundry. Sitting together to sort and fold laundry can be used as together time to chat and share thoughts and stories.

Children can also develop their motor skills, learn about colours and matching.


» Gardening

Simple chores like watering plants, weeding, and sweeping up leaves can be assigned to the children.

Doing gardening together such as planting, re-potting and fertilising can be turned into a lesson about plants and nature.

Dried leaves and flowers can be collected for art and craft activities later on too.


» Cleaning

Clean the house in stages, room by room within the course of the week if you have to do it yourself. Set aside a time during the weekend as house-cleaning time or what Malaysians refer to as gotong-royong.

Divide the duties among the children. The younger ones can tidy up their toys and books while the older ones can sweep, vacuum or mop.

Doing it together creates a feeling of teamwork and that no one is left out, making it fair.


» Grocery shopping

Keep a notepad around your kitchen so that you can jot down items as you find them running out. This prevents you from missing out any items and having to make an extra trip to the shop.

Bring your children along to help make the selections. By involving them in grocery shopping, they can learn about health and nutrition, math and money.

Upon returning home, they can be asked to help put them away in the pantry or appropriate storage places.