How do you develop your kids' sense of labour at home at a young age?

My daughter started picking up her toys when she was three years old. Now she is 5 and she cleans her room, puts her clothes away (most of them)and she gets 25 cents for every day she helps me with the dishes. If she doesn't help, she knows thats money she's missing out on. We were giving her $1.00 a week to clean her room, but realized that its something she should be doing anyways and we aren't going to pay her for that. She helps her dad outside with weeding and yardwork and helps with her little sister. She is rewarded for that. I have a neice & two nephews that never had to do chores and I know they'll have a huge reality check when they move out.

When I was a child it was expected that I do domestic chores. I was brought up to understand that you had to work for a living so doing the domestic chores meant I was earning my pocket money. I brought my son up in the same way, he had his chores to do in order to earn his own pocket money and now he is a young adult he fully appreciates the fact that he has learnt at a young age that you have to work for your money.

William, I think, your wife is doing great work with your growing kid. As we all know, childhood is the formative period and the values and all good things that consttute us 8is inculcated that tender age. As a child, i remember running errands for my mom, like arranging clothes, cleaning the house and doing bit of gardening and stuff like that. We used to get incentives in the form of choc'lates and dolls and colors. Much later in life we got money and used to save each penny for later. Now, i see my sisters doing the same with their children. Thatis the reflection of what we have learned in our childhood and i am sure my radma did something like that with my mom. William, i feel, nothing is sweeter than earning something by our labour and hard work. However little it may appear, it gives us impetus for doing more and achieve more. quality of living improves to grat extent. and all this start right in the childhood. Thanks for a very responsible post. Love to you son.

I still could remember during my childhood I had to walk about a mile to collect fire wood and cut them into pieces at the kitchen. Time had changed and my children had experienced quite a much easier life than the parents. Nowadays I always hear children being over pampered. So it is time for us to instill sense of labor into the mind of the child. Here the manual labor is much associated with diligence which is considered to be an essential moral value for earning a clean living. My children were trained to solve their own problems since young. Household chores like tidying their own beds, washing their own plates, socks and shoes and other less strenuous works were left for them to manage by themselves. In this way they could be trained to be self-reliant and diligent. I believe this could instill the consciousness of responsibility into the child as well.

i wish your wife was my sister. my sister isnt effective in teaching her kids to do household chores because she is lazy herself and i just get sooo pissed by it. i always get annoyed when i see her kids comfortably lying on the sofa watching tv while there are plates to be washed and table to be cleaned. i just am soooo annoyed about it.

I don't have kids yet but I remember that when I was younger, my parents would assign us chores around the house. We were expected to clean our rooms and help setting and clearing the dinner table. We have more tasks during summer so we don't end up wasting the time away.

My 4 year old grandson has been helping set the table and doing other things since he was about 3. It's never too early for them to learn that families work together and help each other out. He also helps keep the kitties fed and watered, and knows it's his 'job' to check their bowls. I keep a small pitcher of water on the table closest to the bowls, and he will check and fill their water dish when he sees it's low. I think lots of parents think it's just quicker and easier to do things themselves, instead of relegating duties to the kids, but gee, how will they ever learn to help out or work together as a family if they're not allowed to? My kids never got paid for housework, unless it was something above and beyond what upkeep needs done routinely/daily/weekly. (ie: sweeping, vaccuming, dusting and stuff like that.) What I DID pay them for was washing windows, and things like that which are only seasonal and I could use some help with. I didn't want them to grow up with the expectation of getting paid for every little chore that should be done as a family on a routine basis.

I fully intend to start my daughter helping around the house as soon as possible. (It's a little early now - she isn't a year old yet!) Children who have everything done for them turn into lazy adults. I intend that my daughter will begin receiveing pocket money when she begins to earn it.

I helped my mother baking, I even made some cookies and cakes by myself. I also dusted the furniture, and did some of the ironing and was doing that before I was eleven. There is a photo of me helping babysitting my brother, I was three years old at the time. Our sons had to help with the dishes, mow the lawn, and put their own clothes in the laundry. They were not very good at cleaning their room, but it was their job to do so.

I remember doing the dishes when I was young, but what age I do not know. It was either washing up or drying, and we had one special day for dusting and that was my job. Oh the worse, pulling weeds. This was when I was in grade school. We got our boys picking up things, and helping out. I have no idea what age it was because I did not keep records or a diary. (You know I get the feeling that the myLotters who ask, "when did you do this" or "at what age,etc." have a diary around with them and as soon as they do something, there is an accident, or any major or minor event, they get out the diary or journal and write in it.) I think they were about two or three when they started 'helping' put things away. After that, it was a progression.

That is phenomenal that your son would be so industrious! You must be a very proud parent. I could certainly take a lesson on parenting and getting a child to be more involved in housework from your wife. I have a three (almost four) year old and she shows no interest in doing chores. Perhaps a little gentle pressure and weekly or daily allowance will help change her mind on the subject! Thank you for the very interesting subject. I had been wondering what to do about her chores lately.

My son is almost 4 years old.I'm teaching him how to help me set the table at mealtimes. It's very obvious that he's enjoying it maybe because it gives him a sense of responsibility. I'm also teaching him how to pick up his toys after making such a great clutter. I want him to understand that Mommy can not always go clean up after him. But to ensure that he won't end up in tears and protests, I initiate singing the song, "pack away". This song was taught to him by his teacher and it helps me let him understand that it's time for clean up. It actually works. He doesn't make a single protest as we pick up his toys.

Hi, well i would not cal it a sense of labour, instead would like to call it sharing duties in the house, which i feel each individual must. In our house too, all four of us share and do our own work . My kids are eight and thirteen and right since they were 4-5 years old, they have been trained to do a number of things, which they do happily now, as it has become a habit with them. Like they keep their room, neat and tidy, fold their clothes and keep them in their own cupboards, dust the house, alternately, lay out the table for meal times, when the maid doesnt come in, which happens very often, they readily mop and sweep the floors, help me with dishes whenever they are free, hang out the clothes, polish their own shoes, wash their own socks, hankies and other smaller clothes. Thats a lot for them, but now they are used to it. Earlier too, they were always helping me very readily. No, i have never tried to bribe nor would i encourage to pay them or anything, as its their house, and their things, which they are doing readily. I dont think its a good idea, to pay them to make them work, by saying wed pay them, for these small things, as then its kind of forcing them to think twice and maybe they are working just for the money they get instead. This as per me, isnt right, though each person has their own views, but i feel if this quality, of working together, sharing the work in a house is to be instilled, it must come from within the child, when they see their parents working, they automatically get up, and share the work. That makes me very proud of them, and i know they will be effecient house wives, its a taining for their future as well.

since my niece was four years old,we began to ask her to help us to fetch chicksticks before lunch.then she has fallen in the habit of helping us with litte things.

My daughter started showing signs of wanting to help with laundry and cleaning when she was about 2 years old. She is 5 now and she does her own laundry, cleans her own room and even keeps up the living room. She does it on her own. She even likes to vacuum. I think it's good that kids help out. I don't think they should do everything though because it should be a family thing.

Hi williamjisir! When we were young (my 2 brothers and I), we were given some specific minor household chores. One of my brothers is in charge of cleaning the yard and the youngest is in charge of all the garbage in the house, he is the one who has to clean all the bins and put the garbage outside. The two are alternately in charge of cleaning the toilet while I was in charge of cleaning the the living room, dusting and sweeping. The three of us alternately washes the dishes and we are all in charge of cleaning our rooms. These kind of discipline was instilled to us at a young age. I guess, that's how we became to be responsible and earn to balance our time in between schooling, playing and household chores. However, the reward is out of the question but that kind of reward you are giving to your child somehow motivate him to do well in his share of work in the house and teaches him how to save his earnings. Have a nice day and take care.

Phew Will, that is a tough one and the one with the one and only answer, would win a prize. I think you need to start as you have done, at a pretty early stage. When first kids reaches the rebel age it is too late, coz then they have a clear idea of what they want and dont. Starting at an early age will make it a natural integrated part of your personality.

Yes Sure and always couple with the advantages and disadvantage and necessary time to apply it. Telling our next generation what ever step that we take must be moderate usage, don't use "too" much and and example; even for medicine; if too much we will no longer enjoy the benefits, over dose will leads to danger or futility.

Toddlers used to scatter their toys and I seen it was so messy. I love to have an organize sorroundings so at the age of 4 and 6 of my kids I had tried them to ask them to fix their toys and put it on their proper places. I was amaze because they were following my instructions and they were enjoying it. So since they enjoyed it I still to continue instructing them every moment after they use their toys to put it on their proper places until such times they get used to it. So now, my son is 7 and my daughter is 5 1/2 years old and they are good in organizing their own things such as bags, shoes, books, toys and now even their clothes. I tried to motivate them intrinsicly, like giving them appreciation of what they did. They love to be appreciated. Then after appreciations I had just gave them big hugs and kisses. :) Intrinsic motivation is really good for kids for them not to grow materialistically. At their young age I trained them to embrace the good values. :)

My mom always paid us to do chores, that really helped me understand working to get money and then I can get things that I want.