Every parent has different views on how to instill the sense of responsibility in their children. Below are some common helpful suggestions on where to start in your journey of teaching your child to be a responsible person. You may have heard the saying ‘It is better to start teaching them when they are still young’, may ring true in this matter.
House chores
The first place to start is you can ask your kids to do house chores. You can make it enjoyable by doing the chores with them and make it into a fun game. At the same time, you will be spending quality time with them. Common chores are like setting the table, washing the dishes, washing and waxing the car, mowing the lawn and putting away the laundry.
Family business or part-time job
If the family has a business, a store, a workshop, a farm, a fruit orchard, etc., you can ask the child (if he is old enough) to help out. You can also encourage him to do part-time work in his spare time. However, the work should not interfere with school work or school activities.
Volunteer work
Another approach is by encouraging them to participate in a volunteer program or it could also be a church related youth program or activity. It would be good if you are also participating in some way to lead by example first.
Participate in school
Your child can also learn about responsibilities in school. Taking up a special or active role in school, for example as the school librarian, school monitor or prefect, etc. will help your child to develop this area much faster.
Personally, I have started my kids in doing some simple house chores and also encourage them to take active roles in school. In doing so, I have taken some steps to develop their sense of responsibilities.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
what age do you recommend we start asking our children to do some house work?
Actually by observing your own child you will notice that at a certain age (mine was about 2 years old), they like to imitate the grown ups doing work. From this point on, the parents should continue to teach and encourage them.