February 1, 2024

Take the “Chore” Out of Doing Chores

Participating in chores is a very important part of development. Completing household tasks will increase independence and self-esteem within your child.

All work and no play? No way! It can be difficult to encourage children to participate in daily routines and chores at home. Chores are hard for all of us to complete at times. However, chores don’t have to be all work and no play! By utilizing several simple strategies, doing chores can turn into fun activities for the whole family to complete together.

Participating in chores is a very important part of development. Completing household tasks will foster increased independence and self-esteem within your child. Your child will also learn the importance of working together. He or she will gain a sense of accomplishment and pride once tasks are completed, which will build internal motivation to continue participating in chores in the future.

For more information on selecting developmentally appropriate chores for children of all ages, please see the previous blog Household Chores for Children by Age. By selecting age-appropriate chores, you will help maximize your child’s success. In addition to establishing realistic expectations for your child, you can utilize the following strategies to take the “chore” out of doing chores!

Make chores into a game:

Be creative with the daily routine! Have a race with your child to see who can complete their task first. Try to beat the clock or timer while cleaning up toys. Turn the task into a sport, like shooting baskets with clothes into the laundry hamper.

Play pretend:

Create a secret mission for your child to complete. Make an obstacle course throughout the house while completing tasks. Have your child pretend to be their favorite character while cleaning. Sing songs while completing chores or cleaning up.

Call chores by a different name:

“Chore” can have a negative connotation and feel like a burden to a child. Chores could be called projects, jobs, or secret missions, among many others, in order to make it seem more fun and exciting.

Implement a reward system:

Reward systems can provide a source of external motivation for completing daily tasks and routines. Provide your child with a token or object after completing a chore. This token could be a sticker on a reward chart, a marble in a jar, or a check mark on a checklist. After the child receives a pre-determined number of tokens, he or she can receive a larger reward.

Create visuals:

Utilize a calendar or chart in order to provide an additional visual cue of responsibilities to be completed throughout the week. Incorporate the child’s favorite pictures, characters, or interests in order to make the chart personal and unique.

Keep in mind that new chores may be more difficult for a child at first. It is important to provide cues and reminders in order to support your child and foster confidence in completing new tasks. You can assist your child by breaking down the chore into smaller tasks. Encouragement and praise are also very important for increasing your child’s confidence and independence. By utilizing these simple strategies on a regular basis, you can turn boring chores into exciting fun for the whole family!

Download our Guide for Families

We know that choosing a local ABA facility can be a hard decision. We’ve created an informational guide to help you understand more about the questions you should be asking while meeting with different providers.

Although we talk about our services here, our highest goal is for you to feel comfortable and knowledgeable about picking a provider that is the best fit for your needs. You are making a decision that will impact the entire trajectory of your child’s life!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
The cover of the NSPT Guide for Families, which helps families to figure out the questions to ask when picking an ABA provider.

Continue Reading

Testimonials

Why we do what we do.
Success looks different for every child... But we bet we have a story that matches your child's needs. Like James, who started with us as non-verbal and lacking the ability to initiate and maintain social interactions. Today, he can speak complete sentences, clearly state his needs, and navigate social interactions with his friends!

Contact us to get started

  • 1
    Submit an inquiry form
    Completing this secure form helps us understand how we can serve you.
  • 2
    We'll reach out to you!
    One of our dedicated team members will connect with you to discuss services, your insurance benefits, and your family’s needs.
  • 3
    Paperwork & insurance
    We'll review and confirm your insurance benefits, and we'll work with you to gather additional paperwork required and discuss financial expectations based on insurance.
  • 4
    Treatment personalization
    We'll schedule an assessment date for your child with one of our clinicians. This assessment will serve as the basis for your child’s personalized treatment plan. After, we'll meet to discuss recommendations and your child’s treatment plan and start date.
  • 5
    Start making progress!
    We will greet and welcome your child to our warm and supportive environment where our staff will provide 1-on-1 care to meet our treatment goals.