by Cheryl Williams

Created on: August 10, 2009

Giving your child chores to do is important because it helps them to develop a sense of value and also helps them to develop a sense of responsibility. You do not have to wait until your child is older to give him chores. The younger you start assigning specific chores to your child, the better.

The important thing to remember is to keep the chore age appropriate. If you assign a chore to a young child that is beyond his capability, then you are only setting him up for failure. This will have the opposite effect that you are looking for. Instead of feeling proud of his accomplishment, he will feel a sense of shame. Instead of feeling empowered, he will feel like a failure. Not only that, he will not look forward to doing any more chores for you because he is afraid he will fail again.

Sam is two years old. Sam's mother noticed that Sam seemed to naturally want to help do things around the house, so she took notice of these things and incorporated them into chores for Sam to do. On Fridays when she went grocery shopping, Sam was eager to help her carry her shopping bags into the house. She always made sure to have a couple of bags packed especially light so that Sam would be able to lift and carry them. She also assigned Sam the chore of taking out the small bags of trash in their house.

As your child gets older, you can easily find chores that are age appropriate. Common sense will tell you that you should never allow a child to use any kind of cleaning product that could get in his eyes or harm him in any way. Many of these products are toxic. Some of the new disposable cleaning wipes would be perfect for a child who is age four and up to use in helping dust furniture. Just make sure your child is past the age where they might be tempted to put the wipe in their mouth.

Chores such as making their beds and keeping their toys picked up are chores that can start at a very young age. It is a good habit for your child to get into and it will stay with him as he continues to grow and develop.

Chores that are more appropriate for older children are chores such as washing dishes, doing laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom or working in the yard.

Sometimes it may seem like more trouble than it is worth in being consistent in making your child do his chores. The truth is...you won't regret it. The lessons and tools that your child will learn will be priceless. He will also learn the importance of being responsible and that is something that will carry over into other areas such as his schoolwork.

Just remember to keep the chore age appropriate. By doing this, you will not be disappointed with the results.

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