As parents we want to raise children that are independent and able to show initiative and be responsible as they grow. If you are unsure of how to go about this, then here are 7 tips for parents to teach their children new responsibilities.

Don’t miss our best content straight to your inbox! Sign up now and get our FREE newsletters packed with fun ideas and things to do with the kids, family-friendly recipes, expert advice, parenting tips and great competitions.

A child who has learned a sense of responsibility is more likely to succeed and enjoy school, the workplace, and society in general. With a sense of responsibility, they can be more productive and organised with their tasks, allowing them to succeed in their goals.

It is never too early to teach your children some important responsibilities, such as assigning them household roles. And here are the tips on how you can teach your children new responsibilities.

Tips To Teach Your Children New Responsibilities

#1. Let Your Children Help You

When you’re doing household chores, allow your kids to help you out so they can learn how to do the tasks themselves. Of course, they won’t be able to do them correctly the first time, but they’ll develop the necessary skills over time.

You can ask them to help you cook. Start by getting them to wash vegetables or fruit or set the table or they mature cutting and peeling. Teach them the proper way to cut  and peel and supervise them at all times.

By allowing your children to help you, you’re allowing them to learn new skills. Also, you get to bond, which also helps strengthen your relationship together.

#2. Assign Tasks

If you have more than one child, you should assign responsibilities in rotation, so everyone has the chance to do the tasks. Or implement a chore chart system os each hcild knows what they are responsible for and when, and can tick off a task when it’s done.

A good early responsibility for children is to help look after family pets. For example, taking responsibility to feed the family pet with properly balance and nutritious pet food, such as brands like Petsumer, twice a day. Make sure they know the right amount of food they ought to give and that they fill up the pet’s water supply as well.

Older children can help with walking the dog, cleaning out cages or tanks for fishbowls, or helping to brush your pet – don’t forget to do their teeth too!

#3. Start Teaching Them Young

As mentioned earlier, it is best to teach children responsibilities as young as possible so they don’t feel that the tasks are just chores, but, rather, a necessity. You can’t suddenly tell your teenager to wash their clothes and expect them to know what to do from the get-go. They need to learn over time.

When your children learn to take responsibility at a young age, they’ll be able to develop their sense of independence, allowing them to handle themselves without needing your help every single time.

#4. Show Them How To Do It

When assigning a new task to your child, don’t expect them to know how to do it right away just because they see you do it all the time. It’s different when they’re watching you versus when you’re teaching them how to do it. When you teach them how to do a specific task, they’ll develop focus as well.

You can show them how to wash the dishes, wash the car, and even vacuum the floor. Showing them how to do specific tasks could also be a great bonding experience between you and your child.

#5. Manage Your Expectations

You should never expect your child to do tasks correctly the first time around. Depending on their age, they can take a while to learn. This is natural and isn’t something to worry about it.

The fact that they’re taking on responsibilities by themselves is already an achievement, most especially if they did it without you asking them. Recognise their hard work and teach them how they could do things better next time.

#6. Provide Routine

Children like routine, provide this when teaching them responsibilities too. For example, when dinner is ready, they should be setting the table with proper plates and utensils. They should also know that they need to fix their beds as soon as they wake up in the morning.

Providing them with a proper routine will help them develop successful habits that they could also use at school or in the workplace in later years.

#7. Don’t Bombard Them

When teaching your children new responsibilities, you shouldn’t bombard them with all of the things that they need to do. You can teach them one responsibility per week to allow them to learn the necessary skills for that task.

Teaching your child new responsibilities can be quite challenging, most especially when they’re (or you) get hot-headed. You must learn to be patient and give them room for growth.

Never expect your child to do everything perfectly the first time around, and praise them for a job well done. You must incorporate positivity when teaching them new responsibilities so they enjoy the whole process of learning new things. Also, give them age-appropriate responsibilities in your home so as not to put them at risk of injuries.

Have your say! Have you used any of our tips to teach your children responsibility or do you have any of your own to add? Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!