Assigning Chores Will Help Your Child Learn How To Be Responsible

Assigning chores will help your child learn how to be responsible. The steps that will make this challenge easier are listed below:

1. Hold a family meeting - Rather than just handing out chores to your child, involve them in the selection of the chores. Call the family together and have them brainstorm jobs that need to be completed around the house. Make sure that the jobs are age appropriate for them. If your child resists choosing jobs put the list in a hat and have them draw. Ask your children to establish consequences if they do not follow through and complete their assigned jobs.

2. Develop a chore chart as a reminder of who is suppose to do what (go to http://www.schoolfamily.com/)

3. Set a responsible example - As with most things children learn from the examples that their parents set. If you want your child to act responsibly you have to show them what being responsible looks like. That means you have to do your jobs at home when your are supposed to rather than putting them off. In other words live up to what you say! You can't expect your child(ren) to do it if you don't do it yourself. You can also model being responsibile in your community by volunteering and allowing your child to join you when you volunteer. They will enjoy doing this with you and will follow in your footsteps. This also teaches your child(ren) to think of others.

4. Don't nag - Before a child(ren) can learn to be responsible, they have to be allowed to take responsibility and accept the consequences when they aren't. Providing them with a gentle reminder and then allowing them to experience the consequences when they don't follow through by completing their job is a life lesson. It will also prevent many battles and in the end you will have a responsible and independent child.

Guidance in the clasroom

This week has been my first week in classrooms with students and we have really had fun. We have played games, learned what responsible behavior and irresponsible behavior is, and talked about why we should be responsible. The students have really been great listeners and are working hard at filling up their character buckets in their room. Next week will be Aims Web testing so no guidance classes, but I will be visiting with new students inbetween testing times. It has been a great week and I can't wait to see what is around the corner.