Kids Can Do Chores Happily

Kids Can Do Chores Happily

About a year ago I published a story about a six-year-old girl who lived in the Peruvian Amazon and how she just spontaneously found ways to be a help to those around her. She was traveling with another family as they took a five day leaf gathering trip down the Urubamba River.  She had no role to fill in the group–she was just along for the trip.  But she quickly found ways to make herself useful.  She swept the sand off of the sleeping mats and stacked the leaves the adults were gathering.  In the evening, she fished for dinner and cleaned, boiled the fish, and served it to the others.  No one told her what to do–she just did it.  At her young age, she had learned to be responsible. (see http://drstoop.com/spoiled-kids-create-perennial-adolescents/)

Well, there’s hope for American children.  There is now a smartphone app called “You Rule Chores” which gets kids doing chores happily.  And it only costs $3.99!  It’s designed for children under the age of 12, and will turn your kids into bed-makers, laundry-folders, and toy picker-uppers.

Your kids get involved in setting up the reward program.  They get to enter the list of chores they are responsible for, choose one of the avatars and set it in motion in the program.  As they do their chores, the app gives rewards which can be redeemed for real rewards.

What about the older kids?  Studies show that about 65% of kids over 16 take part in family chores.  There’s no app for them that I’m aware of, so it’s probably too late to start with the 35% who are not helping.  It may that later it will take a spouse to train them.  So don’t wait until they are older, you needed to start earlier to train them to help with the chores.

Here’s what to do if the app is too “techy” for you, or if your kids are too young to use it:

1.  Start giving children regular jobs when they are young.

2.  Let them take part in deciding what their chores will be.

3. Be consistent.  Expect them to do something every day.

4.  Remember the power of rewards for a job well done.

5.  Plan some tasks that the family will do together.

6.   Don’t forget to thank them for helping out.

Question:  What were your chores when you were growing up?

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