2
Provide Choices & Empowerment
I don’t want to raise children who need someone to take care of them. I want to raise people who take care of themselves and don’t expect anything from anyone else. I want them to feel accomplished at the end of the day from a job well done. Before taking ownership of a chore, some kids may need to start with a little more motivation, so incentives or a chart can be helpful. I try to stay away from rewards or treats a high five or a simple praise is often enough. “You did a great job!” when they know they earned it always feels good.
My expectations changed and so did their behavior. They started naturally helping without being asked every time. Maisie would see the trash filling up and take it out. Francie would feed the dogs and the bottle babies in the mornings before school and as soon as she got home. They feel accountable for those things that they “own” as their duties. I don’t really need to make lists anymore for routine chores, but they still work for deep clean days or extra projects.
3
Have High Expectations
The less help we give our kids when they don’t absolutely need it, the more they will do themselves. Every kid is capable of tasks that Some ideas to give “Chore Choices”: you might not expect. So, raise your expectations! Besides the fact that ➢ A list on the counter and a blank the chores are getting done, they line next to each one. They get to feel so proud of what they’ve claim the line and write their accomplished, especially when it’s name there to see how many truly helpful and contributes to the lines they can accomplish. family or community. ➢ Choice of chore A or B - they feel empowered by having a choice, but they are aware that not doing a chore is not an option. I think back to the summer we moved to the ranch and I really needed them to help.
I remember reading somewhere that instead of telling children we are proud of them, we should ask them if they are proud of themselves. I think that’s important to remember: We want them to do things for their own selfsatisfaction more than to make someone else happy or proud of them.
