In our Indian society, the ongoing debate of whether kids should indulge in household chores or not has been around for years. With a variety of extracurricular activities and attending school/college, a child is left with very little time for anything else. Also, parents come with a clear mindset of only adults pitching in for household chores. Modern parenting comes with a string of advantages but with a small set of drawbacks.
There is a fine line between loving and over pampering children. Engaging them in chores is a small way of preparing them for real-life hurdles. Chores are essential for kids; strangely, they teach them life skills.
Five life skills that household chores can teach kids
- Time is money
Learning the art of time management should be a focal point for kids. Most people juggle to find time for work, pleasure and a million more things to do in a day. Here’s a known fact which is not spoken about- managing time properly plays a big role in achieving one’s goals.
Assigning children one small task a day will be a good idea. With a busy schedule involving academics, social life, part-time work and other activities, teenagers will find it hard to allocate time for chores from their ‘busy schedule’. Parents need to find an interesting way to get them to do it for instance, if their 17-year-old holds a debit card for teens, reward them with a little sum of money for completing the task.
- Level-headedness
Having a sense of responsibility at a young age is rare; if we manage to inculcate it in our child, it’s a grand success in our parenting. One way of doing it is by letting them work on a task independently will help boost their confidence. In the case of younger children, we can assign smaller and doable tasks like coming up with something challenging. For instance, we can ask them to prepare a weekly grocery budget. Alternatively, introducing them to financial management apps and helping upskill their money management credentials.
- Self-sufficiency
Children must realise how important it is to be independent. Giving examples of self-sufficiency may sound boring and intruding to some. A clever way of doing it is, for older kids, regardless of gender, asking them to prepare a meal in our presence. Guiding them but letting them do it on their own would fill them with a sense of confidence and self-reliance. Another way of doing it is getting well-versed with a bank ac for teenagers and opening an account for them. Transferring a certain amount and letting them manage their expenses will teach them skills like self-care and money management.
- Decision-making and problem-solving
Two things that at any given age, people struggle the most with are decision-making and problem-solving. Learning how to deal with a problem and making a decision is required at every age and assures a promising future. While being involved in chores, let your child intervene in problems and ask them for a solution. It will work on their problem-solving and decision-making skills, which is sure to help in any profession.
- Budgeting
It wouldn’t be wrong to say budgeting is one of ‘the most’ important life skills. Taking your child grocery shopping for a first-hand experience would be a good start. Allowing them to observe the skills required to manage the budget and buy essentials items would teach them the value of money.
Since teenagers understand technology, one way of doing it is familiarising them with a pocket money app and letting them learn to budget. Children must know how to budget for the things on their wish list.
One Last Thought:
Whether your child is in school or college, it is not early to get them involved in household chores. Motivating them for some meaningful contribution to the house and getting them ready for the realities of life.
Reality check: Household chores are the basis of becoming independent, resilient and well-grounded. It is a blueprint for a safe future.
For some comprehensive financial literacy, download the muvin app on their smartphone.