On Wednesday, May 24th Ms. Grace Tseng from Olivia's Place Shanghai invited parents and grandparents to join a seminar about "Children's House Chores" and how to involve children in the management of their home. Close to 100 Hui Xin families took part in the seminar.
"If you do not clean up your floor, how can you clean up the world?"
Many children spend their after school hours attending programs that will look good on their resume someday and forget the importance of the basic skills. In 2014 a US study showed that 82% of all parents reported having chores when they grew up, but that only 28% of them require their own children to partake in house work.
A study from the University of Minnesota, 2015 shows that children who start helping with house chores at 3-4 year olds turned out to be more successful later in life by statistically being less inclined to use drugs, while finishing education, starting a career and having positive relationship.
There are numerous benefits of doing chores, including physical exercise, developing better gross and fine motor skills, delayed gratification, improved confidence, respect teamwork and communicate better.
Examples of house chores:
2-3 year olds: put toys in boxes, stack books, put dirty clothes in the hamper, throw trash away, fold towels, set the table, bring an object, place plates and cups in the sink after a meal.
4-5 year olds: Feed animals or pets, wipe up spills, make the bed, water house plants, prepare simple snacks such as sandwiches, help put clothes in washing machine/dryer, wash dishes and dust surfaces.
It is always import to keep chores and tasks simple to match your child's age and skills. You have to model the task and provide visual guides and show examples as well as manage chore time and provide a "To Do" and "Done" chart, possibly with a reward benefit.
Together with Olivia's Place we strongly encourage all Newton families to include children in their daily life, give them meaningful tasks around the house and prioritize the joined responsibility where we contribute more than we consume.
Sincerely,
Newton Hui Xin Campus
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