Life is too short to clean up your kids room

5 tips for teaching kids to work

Assign Them the Job(s)

You can start with having them clean their own space. If you are like most parents, your kids have their own area, either a room or a section of a room that they call their own

Implementation

  1. Make the Assignment: "Son, I can't clean your room anymore, I'd like you to clean it from now on."
  2. Set the expectation: "You need to make sure to make your bed, keep clothes off the floor, pick up toys, etc."
  3. Deal with failure: "Until your room is clean, you can't play with your friends; have dinner; watch TV; etc."
  4. Conduct verification: "What are all these clothes under your bed?"

Let them Help/Contribute

Most children have an inate desire to do what their parrents are doing. When you let them help, it helps to encourage their work ethic. They will start to associate work and pleasure.

Implemenation

Make it a Habit

Initially doing chores is not going to be easy. It's up to you as a parent to ensure that your child is reminded of their task(s).

Implementation

Teach Delayed Gratification

Allowance is a topic that I'll address in another section, but it's important to give your child some sort of positive feedback for their effort.

Implementation

Set the Example

Kids see more than we give them credit for. You can't teach hard work, if they never see you work.

Implementation