Have you heard of the small-steps technique? This approach, which involves seeing each new skill to learn as a series of small steps to take one after the other, will not only make it easier to get your kids' cooperation with household chores, but will also give them a chance to gradually build new skills without being discouraged by the size of the task. To help you break down the different chores you'd like to give your children, here are a few examples of steps you could plan for some of them (always add the next step to the previous ones once your child has mastered them).
I want my child to put their plate in the dishwasher after meals.
Step 1: Your child brings their plate to the kitchen counter after the meal.
Step 2: Your child scrapes the leftovers from their plate into the compost or the garbage.
Step 3: Your child rinses their plate and puts it in the dishwasher.
I want my child to do their own laundry.
Step 1: Your child puts their clothes in their laundry hamper after taking them off.
Step 2: Your child brings their hamper to the laundry room when it's full.
Step 3: Your child puts their dirty clothes in the washer after emptying it and putting the clothes in the dryer.
Step 4: Your child does their laundry from start to finish on their own.
I want my child to clean the bathroom.
Step 1: Your child picks up and puts away anything lying around the bathroom.
Step 2: Your child cleans the bathroom sink.
Step 3: Your child cleans the bathtub.
Step 4: Your child cleans the toilet, vacuums and washes the floor.
I want my child to pack their own lunch.
Step 1: Your child takes the lunch you've prepared and puts it in their lunch box themselves.
Step 2: Your child prepares the sides to go with their main dish (fruit, a dessert, veggie sticks, etc.).
Step 3: Your child packs their whole lunch.
Of course, feel free to adapt these steps to your child's developmental level and how easily they pick up new skills!
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