Kids Working Toward Happiness One Chore At A Time

Mention the word “chores” to any child or teen who has done them, and the facial expression (or any other form of expression) is most likely going to be negative. Chores are a rite of passage, a child’s debt to society, the price of living at home or something done because parents said so.

They also serve the purpose of instilling positive character traits that children need to be successful in life. Accountability, credibility, honesty, time management, teamwork, and creativity are just a few that experts say comes from regularly performing assigned tasks (chores).

However, for the moment, let’s forget what the experts want you to see and flip that kid’s frown upside down so I can share examples of how chores can also be a lot of fun for children, teens, or adults, and how they can contribute to overall happiness.

Games and Challenges: Turn chores into games or challenges. For example, see who can tidy up their room the fastest or make a game out of folding laundry. Adding an element of competition can make chores enjoyable, especially with a cool prize for the winner.

Pump Up the Volume: Play some upbeat music while doing chores. Create a cleaning playlist and turn up the music while tidying up. This can make chores feel less like work and more like a fun activity.

Creativity in Tasks: Allow children to get creative with their chores. For instance, let them come up with imaginative ways to complete tasks. This adds an element of fun and personalization.

Rewards System: How you feel about rewarding chores is really a parenting preference. In my home, we use allowance because I want my kids to understand the connection between work and money. I also want them to know they can be rewarded for doing a good job.  You may feel completely different and want to give stickers for each task completed, or technology time. That’s ok too. The important thing is to look at what will benefit the child or teen the most in the long run and provide a positive incentive.

Allowance, whether given for any completed chore or for something beyond a family responsibility, is a reward that can help introduce children to the basics of learning, saving, spending, and investing money. As they grow, these will be the foundation of everything they do in life, and as some of you already know, happiness can be abundant and empowering when you are financially stable.

Teamwork Building: Turn chores into a collaborative effort to help finish chores faster but also introduce teamwork to your kids. If you have kids differing in age, team up the youngest with the oldest and let them figure out a plan for getting things done. There’s nothing more rewarding for a parent than listening to a constructive conversation between a teen and a five-year-old.

Storytelling Time: Sitting around the table for lunch or dinner provides a great opportunity for some storytelling. Have them share something about doing their chores that was funny, unusual, or challenging to them. You could be amazed at what you hear or by what means they went to get a chore done.

Remember, the key is to make chores a positive and enjoyable experience for them while you sit back knowing that they are really working on important positive character traits that will serve them throughout life. It’s truly a win-win!

About Murset & BusyKid

The co-founder & CEO of BusyKid, Gregg is a groundbreaking inventor, father of six, certified financial planner, and consultant who is a major advocate for sound parenting, child accountability, and financial literacy. He was named Financial Educator of the Year in 2017 and is featured in hundreds of media stories each year promoting improved financial literacy in schools.

BusyKid, once known as MyJobChart, helps children develop a healthy financial routine they can carry into adulthood. With the help of parents, children use BusyKid to get hands-on experience in making various money decisions, including how much to save, share, spend, and invest. With pre-loaded chores and allowances based on children’s ages, parents can easily set up any kid’s account, and in minutes, and kids can be earning money. Payday is each Friday after parents check the work to verify that it was completed and approve a notification on the phone to ok the transfer of funds. After getting paid, children can save some money, donate some, and use the rest to get cash or learn how to invest in real stock. Every child also has a personal debit card to use while parents can follow all transactions. BusyKid is available via Apple Store and Google Play.  For more information about BusyKid, visit http://www.busykid.com.