04 Nov 6 Helpful Tips for Teaching Responsibility to Your Child

• Start early 

  With life-changing traits and foundational values such as responsibility, it is important that we start young and early. When we do that, it becomes an integral part of their everyday lives and is nothing out of the ordinary. Also when we start early, this flows into their later years much more seamlessly with minimal effort from your side in the young adult years.

• Show the way

  While we want you to start early, we also want to make sure we’re not bombarding our little ones with complex processes. Instead of just asking them to do a task, blend it into their routine. For example, instead of putting away their toys after playtime, why not help them do it the first few times and then give them clear instructions on how they can do it themselves. This way, not only are they responsible for their own toys but they also stop treating it like a chore because they’ve seen you do it too.

• Set age-appropriate tasks

  Set up tasks that you already know would not be too difficult for them to carry out. For example, instead of giving generic instructions, like “Clean up after yourself”, why not suggest, “Once you’re done playing with the dolls, put them back where they belong”. Or once they’ve eaten, instead of saying “Clean up after you eat” we can try something on the lines “We need our dishes clean for tomorrow so we need to pop them in the sink”.

• Let them do the thinking

  Children are smarter than we think. Let them figure out what they can do, to make it better. For example, instead of getting everything ready for them before bed, ask “So, what do we take to bed before nap time?” Chances are, they will naturally reach out for their bedtime storybook.

• Make sure they know it is ok to mess up

  A lot of children are just outright scared, that if they try to do something and up breaking, misplacing or making a mess in the process, they will be faced with consequences. Let your children know that even adults make mistakes and if they make one, they can be honest about it without being scared. This allows them to go that extra mile and willingly want to do more things.

• Children love helping

  We all know a bunch of over-helpful children. They love to ‘help’ adults because it makes them feel they are of value and grown-up. Use this to their advantage and let them help you in daily chores so that when they’re a little bit bigger, it is already an everyday practice and nothing out of the ordinary.

  How can Little Kingdom Childcare Centre help you?

  At Little Kingdom Childcare, our mission is to become a part of your extended family – enabling you to entrust the care of your children to people who will love, nurture and educate them. To book a personalised tour and meet our wonderful team in our Sydney or Georges Hall location, please click here.