My mother, Ms. Fatima, Director of Hollywood Learning Center is the definition of a superwoman. I know, completely bias coming from me, but it’s true. I remember growing up with a successful woman, a spotless house and healthy dinners. However, that didn’t mean we weren’t given chores. I wish! My family believes in chores and allowances was not the reward, but that’s another story.
Why are chores so important? Well, according to parenting expert: Jim Fay, co-founder of Love and Logic, we all need to feel needed, important and to know that we’re making a contribution, even kids. Not to mention, we can’t wait for children to be adults to teach them responsibilities. By then, it might be too late.
So, Hollywood Learning Center put together a cheat-sheet on some chores’ tips for preschoolers:
Choose Age-Appropriate Chores for Preschoolers
How appropriate a chore is will vary from culture to culture and family to family. In my case, I remember asking my mom for a little broom to “sweep” at the age 5, out of my own boredom. Yet, I don’t see little ones doing that today. Here are some chores Hollywood Learning Centers consider age-appropriate for preschoolers:
- Putting toys away
- Making or at least attempting to do their bed
- Clearing the table after meals
- Watering the plants
- Feeding pets, if any.
Lead by Example
Don’t expect children to put their toys away like they do here in their preschool, if mommy and daddy are leaving their clothes out. Be the example they need. You can begin by teaching your children the right way to accomplish the chore, let them see you take on the task and before you know it, they’ll be little experts. The idea is to make these chores their job at home. For example, If mommy cooks, daddy washes the dishes or vice versa, then children can be in charge of clearing the table. At first, reminders will be needed. However, the idea is to have them take on the task on their own. In my house, I leave little sticky notes around with friendly reminders and smiley faces. It works, I promise 🙂
Praise goes further than allowance
Although chores are responsibility, I still believe parents should compliment their children for their work. Praise can go a long way. Tell them things like:
“You did a great job with that bed today!”
“Those flowers are looking beautiful, you’re doing a fantastic job with them!”
“Thank you for putting your toys away so nicely”
As far as rewarding them with allowances, theories vary. We believe it’s important to avoid connecting allowances to chores, at least for preschoolers.
Younger children, like the ones in our Hollywood Learning Center, don’t tend to be motivated by money. If we award them with allowances then you’re giving them the option to choose not to do them. However, if your little ones are motivated by money, then is this a quality we really want them to have? We understand allowances can teach children about hard-work and money management, but preschoolers might not be ready for it just yet.
Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up! For more parenting survival tips, keep checking out our blog.