A study earlier this year from the University of Mississippi found that chores are good for children, according to The Washington Times.
The study said chores help children learn how to handle responsibilities, how to be more empathetic towards adults and how to have strong social relationships with friends and family, according to The Washington Times.
That said, it can be difficult to inspire children to wash the floor or pick up their toys. The study’s researchers suggested parents make chores a family event, where each member is responsible for one chore.
“Rather than saying, ‘It’s time to do your chores,’ you can say, ‘It’s time for us to do our chores,’” Nicholas Long, director of the Center for Effective Parenting at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, told The Washington Times. “One of the keys is that you can make it fun. … You can turn on music and you kind of dance some. It needs to be kind of a fun time instead of a punitive time, especially with young kids and kids who are kind of resistant. And over time they will learn to do these things on their own without all that stuff.”
Parents may also want to give their children incentives to complete their chores, like the one pictured below, which will likely work with any child who loves technology:
Here are some other ways to get your children to do their chores:
Chore wars: How to get kids to do their chores, or else
It's not just about getting your kids to do chores — it's teaching them how
The app that incentivizes kids to work around the house
Herb Scribner is a writer for Deseret News National. Send him an email at hscribner@deseretdigital.com or follow him on Twitter @herbscribner.