Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared early this year, most children have found themselves spending more time than ever inside their homes. With schools closed indefinitely and states issuing stay-at-home orders, kids are cooped up within the four walls of their homes, with plenty of time on their hands.
Many will likely spend much of that time in front of TVs, computers, and mobile devices. You can, however, get your kids to do more than just staring at screens all day. Give them household chores to do using a chores app for kids, and they’ll be able to learn essential life skills while in quarantine.
Some of the everyday chores your kids can do while in quarantine include:
Washing The Dishes
Dishes are bound to pile up when everyone in your family is in the house for most, if not all, of the time. Whether you’re using a dishwasher or doing it the old-fashioned way, you can’t be washing all the extra loads of used plates, glasses, and utensils all by yourself. You should get your kids to help with the dishes.
Initially, have them take charge of something as simple as scraping excess food off the plates or drying the dishes with a towel. Show them how to wash everything with a sponge and soap, or how to load the dishwasher properly, and get them to do it by themselves when you think they’re ready.
Laundry-Related Tasks
Younger kids can start with taking dirty laundry and putting them in a hamper. Having them sort of colors and whites can also make things more fun for them. You can also teach them how to fold fresh laundry.
If you have older kids, teach them the finer points of laundry, from separating those for hand washing only to operating the washing machine and dryer.
Setting And Clearing The Dining Table
Kids aged four and up can be taught to set and clear the dining table. As with most other chores, you have to be there to supervise them to ensure they set down the placemats, plates, glasses, and utensils properly. Do the same thing once the meal is done.
Give them some time to practice, and they will eventually master the chore enough to do it unsupervised.
Sweeping The Floor
Six-year-olds can begin to learn to sweep floors. Show them how it’s done, that they should do it gently and not flip dirt and dust everywhere. To make it more fun, try marking a spot on the floor using tape, and get your kid to gather all the dirt there before sweeping it all up using a dustpan.
Mopping Up
Mopping floors is a task best suited to 9-year-old and up. Teach the basics of mopping, from preparing mop water to rinsing and wringing the mop. Supervise them at first and tell them what to do if they encounter hard-to-remove spots on the floor. In time, they should be able to mop the floors well on their own.
Decluttering
Picking up after yourself is one chore that even a two-year-old kid can do. If you have a kid that young, teach him to pick up toys and put them in their proper places after use. As your kid gets older, picking up after himself will become a habit, and you can expect his bedroom, at the very least, to be relatively clutter-free.
Your older kids should also make decluttering a habit, so make it a point to remind them about picking up their stuff and not leaving them lying around on the floor.
These are just some of the everyday chores you can get your kids to do while in quarantine. By assigning your kids these chores, you will be teaching responsibility and skills that they will carry forward in their lives.
Article courtesy of BusyKid
BusyKid is the chore app where kids can earn, save, share, spend and invest real allowance. There’s NO SUBSCRIPTION FEE* to use BusyKid but plenty of features to help your kids build a strong financial routine.