Does your child know how to hold a broom? Perhaps you
think you don’t care right now, but one day your son or daughter will be all
grown up and will thank you if s/he knows how to accomplish all the things in
life that require doing.
Let’s have a quick look at this comic strip. What is
the dad saying to his son? Is it just about knowing how to hold a broom or make
a bed? Not likely. One of the most important aspects of work is that we know
what we need to do, tackle it and get it done on schedule. That sounds pretty
simple, but you would be surprised at how many people can’t manage their lives
because work (any work) is too much for them. They can’t organize, they can’t
prioritize, they can’t break a task down to do it in sections and they end up
feeling overwhelmed by work. Any work.
So….what to do? Start now. Provide the time, space and
materials to complete homework.
Homework should average about 10 minutes per grade per day. So, for
example, a grade four student will have about 40 minutes of homework (that does
not include dawdling; getting a drink, sharpening the pencil, taking a bathroom
break, eating a snack….and…you get the point). School is a child’s first job.
Help your child accomplish this task with pride.
Another thing you can do to help your child develop
good work skills is ask your child to contribute to the household. This will be
a small contribution when they are toddlers and will grow to be a real help
around the house once they are in their teens.
Doing a little research on the internet brought me to Focus on the Family. They have an
amazing little article on children and household chores – complete with charts,
templates, a funny quiz and cut-outs! It
is very clear that children, while they will balk – some more that others – at doing
chores, in the end they feel like a respected, contributing member of the
family while they are learning extremely important life skills. And that is not
just about how to hold a broom!
Respectfully Yours,
Gabriele Pulpan, Principal
Chore Charts from focusonthefamily.com.
Works Cited:
Johnston, L. (n.d.). For Better or For Worse [Cartoon].
Seifert, S. (2009). Age-Appropriate Chores. Retrieved May 12, 2016, from http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/parenting-challenges/motivating-kids-to-clean-up/age-appropriate-chores
