How to Teach Kids Housework the Fun Way

It’s not easy mustering the energy to start housework, even as an adult who has been responsible for keeping a clean and tidy home for many years already. There is a way you can prevent your children from growing up resenting the chore of housework, but it takes patience and time. The earlier you are able to start introducing the idea of housework as necessary yet fun, the more likely your kids will grow up happy to help you out around the house.

The first step you can take toward this positive change is by educating your children on how various household appliances work. Everyone, especially children, love learning about new things. Sure they may have walked by the washing machine or the dishwasher many times before, but what they would register would be mostly limited to the sight and sound made by these appliances. If you want to pique their interest further, then a gradual introduction to the utility and maintenance of an appliance always helps.

You can start by showing them how to place the plates and dishes properly inside a dishwasher or sort out batches of laundry to go into the washing machine. Similarly, in times when an appliance requires upkeep or repair, let them see how Dishwasher Repair happens or the fridge maintenance person goes about fixing an issue. It is one thing to own appliances, and another to operate them (like you would at a laundromat). But it is a whole other aspect to utilize home appliances and care for them properly; this is the bit you would want your kids to imbibe.

With children, the right examples set the right precedent. That said, here are a few more such steps to ensure that their curiosity and sense of responsibility towards doing chores in the house is not dampened:

Set an Example

Children learn by paying attention to the people around them. If you are visibly bored and exhausted by the thought of sweeping the floor or doing the laundry, your kids will learn to associate these tasks with unpleasant feelings too. It might be difficult at first to put on a happy demeanour every time you have to take the bins out, but eventually it will sink into your kids that doing chores isn’t an inherently boring activity. You might also start to find ways to enjoy the housework yourself by being more mindful during each chore. For example, listen to music or a podcast while doing the vacuuming, or use a detergent with an enjoyable scent to make hanging up the laundry more bearable.

Take Them Along for the Adventure

Certain household tasks such as cooking meals require some preparation. Many children find cooking too difficult or boring to join in, so a great way to combat this is to bring them with you and let them contribute ideas for your meals. Let them explore the options at the supermarket or look for fishmongers in Twickenham, and then give them the opportunity to be curious about the origins of their food and understand the importance of cooking with quality ingredients. The more you involve your children and show them that there is plenty to be excited about, the more likely they will grow up to be competent and proactive adults when it comes to chores.

Reduce Friction

If tidying up toys after a play session is something you can’t seem to persuade your children to help with, reduce the friction between tasks as best as you can. This means, for example, keeping the toy storage nearby and creating a habit of putting toys away before bedtime. Habits are an excellent way of making tasks automatic in the brain, so commit to building these good habits and the friction between starting a task and completing it will be significantly smaller.

Transform Chores into a Game

If you can get your children to feel excitement or playfulness while participating in housework, they will be more likely to want to help around the house. Turn washing the dishes into a bubble fight or make a game out of putting the bedsheets back on. Children are naturally curious, and if you teach them that there is value in appreciating the little joys in life, they will have no problem carrying out these essential tasks.

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Kelly Tate

Kelly is a full-time supermum, caring for two kids and a hardworking husband. A cook, a cleaner, a carer and all round hard worker, striving for the perfect family life (with a few bumps along the way!) Eternally honest and sometimes brutally forward, no topics are off limits with Kelly.