Every parent wants their children to grow up to be a responsible adult. Not only to contribute to society but also to make them better people. It is important that you try to teach them how to be responsible from an early age, then as they grow up, they will know what it takes to be a good human being and hopefully contribute to their community. Here are a few tips for teaching your child to be more responsible.
Encourage them to Clean up Their Mess
From an early age, you want to encourage your child to clean up after they make a mess. Not only will this make life easier for you, but it will also teach them to be more responsible for the mess they make. The key is not to shout or demand that they clean something up, you need to be calm and at first, show them what you want them to do. For example, if they spill some water, tell them that it’s ok and you will clean it up together. Hand them a sponge or paper towel and have one yourself, then you can both work to clean up the spill. Reaffirm what you are doing by saying that you always clean up your own mess. Your child will probably see it as a bit of fun, and they will also learn a valuable lesson.
Praise Good Intentions and Contributions
It is important as your child is growing up to encourage them to contribute to the family. It will be a slow process, but as they grow, they will know that being part of the family means helping and contributing to the common good. You can start from when they are toddlers buy asking them to help fold napkins or to stack their plastic plates. If you can find the fun in these activities, they will enjoy helping and want to do it more often. As they grow, you can ask them to do other things like lay the table or fold the laundry. At first, you should be helping them, so they know what to do, and they don’t feel overwhelmed. You should also praise kind behavior in whatever form it takes. If they are kind to their sibling, then tell them how kind that was and that you are proud of them. These positive reinforcement comments will make your child feel good about themselves.
Shot of a father and his little daughter doing chores together at home
Don’t Make Helping a Chore
You don’t want your children to think of helping around the house as a punishment or as something bad. You want them to see it as helping to contribute to the family and sharing the responsibility. Help them by doing things around the house with them, you shouldn’t be expecting perfection just enthusiasm. You will know that doing the job yourself will be faster, and that’s why many parents choose to do the chores themselves. However, this is more than getting them to do jobs around the house, and it’s a learning curve for them. Share the work with them until it becomes part of the family routine and help them willingly if they ask you. If your children enjoy helping around the house, it will give them the pride to do these jobs well.
Teach Them About Money
One of the most valuable lessons you can teach your children is how to learn about money and how to be responsible with it. These are lessons that your child can take with them into adulthood and go on to teach their children. You don’t want money to become boring, so show them by counting it with them at first, so they get to know the denominations. As they get older, they may start to get money for their birthdays and you can then show them how to save by going to the bank and letting them put it into their account. If there is something they want, show them how much it is and make a chart so that they can save towards it. You can them go with them to take out their money and buy it. Showing them the value of money and how to save is an important lesson for the future. As they get older, you can also show them other important money lessons like getting term insurance quotes online so they can see the benefits of providing for the future.
Encourage Thinking Rather Than Giving Orders
Most parents have been in the situation where they have five minutes before the school run, and their child isn’t even dressed. These can be frustrating times, but it is important that your kid understands the structure of the day so that they can initiate things themselves. Although it might be tempting to bark orders at them, try instead to encourage them to remember what their next task might be. They have done it many times before; you just need to prompt them by saying ‘What’s the next task this morning?’ You should then praise them if they can remember and this should be enough to get them moving. You should also praise them if they initiate any of the tasks without any prompting, this praise will encourage them to do more.
Lead by Example
One of the most important things about teaching your child to be responsible is leading by example. They will learn a lot from you, not just what you teach them, but by how you behave. For example, if you promise that you will bring a book to school they have forgotten, and you don’t do it, then they will learn that if you don’t keep promises, why should they? It is often the little things that have the greatest impact so try to set an example for your children.
Although it can be easier to do many things yourself, by encouraging them to help you, will develop their ability to be responsible as they grow up. They will then become hard working and responsible adults.