When you’re raising children, one of the greatest gifts you can give them is a sense of responsibility. We know how difficult it can be to instil a sense of responsibility in your child but that doesn’t mean it isn’t critical!
Teaching your children to take ownership of their actions helps to develop essential life skills and also encourages them to feel as if they are contributing to the family as a whole. These are some creative ways you can teach your children responsibility around the home whilst keeping them engaged throughout the learning process.
Chore Charts:
An oldie but a goodie, a colourful chore chart that outlines different tasks for every member of the family is a great way to help instil a sense of responsibility in your child. You can encourage your child to get their chores done by using stickers or coloured textas to make doing their jobs more fun and engaging. A chore chart means your child can see their responsibilities for the week and learn to manage their time accordingly, you could also use small rewards as incentives for getting their jobs done to help to reinforce positive behaviour.
Make Clean-Up Fun:
No one likes cleaning up, not even adults, but that doesn’t mean it’s something that can be skipped in the household. To encourage your children to participate in clean-up and take responsibility you can try to turn day-to-day chores into a game. Think races for who can clear the table quickest or a dishwashing judge that gives a score for how well the dishes get done. Not only does this strategy make cleaning more fun, it also helps your child to associate a sense of responsibility with positive and enjoyable experiences.
Teamwork Makes The Dream Work:
Encouraging teamwork is a great way to foster a sense of shared responsibility in your household. Whether it’s a family game night or making a meal from start to finish together, working as a team helps to develop that shared responsibility. You can also use it as an opportunity to teach your children about how their individual contributions make a big difference to the overall success of the team!
Responsibility Journals:
A great way to help encourage responsibility and to get your children thinking about their responsibilities is with a responsibility journal. Encourage your children to use this journal to document their daily tasks, accomplishments and any challenges. It’s a reflective practice that helps children to become more accountable and aware of their actions.
The Responsibility Tree:
You can help create a visual representation of responsibility by creating your very own “Responsibility Tree”. Use coloured paper and craft supplies to make a tree with branches representing different household tasks, have your children add leaves with their assigned responsibilities as they complete their jobs. As your children get their jobs done the tree fills with colourful leaves which can help your child see a tangible representation of their responsibilities.
Use Storytelling:
It’s no secret that storytelling is vital for your child’s development,and you can help to encourage responsibility by choosing stories or books that have characters facing challenges and overcoming them with responsible actions. After you’ve read your story, you can circle it back to real-life situations and help to reinforce the importance of responsible behaviour.
How can Young Academics help encourage responsibility?
Teaching your child responsibility is crucial, and whilst it starts in the home, it’s important you choose early learning centres that foster your child’s emotional growth and wellbeing. At Young Academics our team of dedicated early childhood educators help to foster a sense of responsibility within your children in a holistic way to set your child up for developmental success as they grow up.
