What we are taught develops into habits that shape our lifestyles and, eventually, characters. It is essential to instill good values and home management responsibility in kids to become responsible adults. Read on to identify four areas to focus on when teaching your kids about being a good person and a homeowner.
House Chores
When left open, doors and windows result in cold air currents flowing into a room. The Department of Energy statistics show that a cold breeze through the window can lose between 25% and 30% of your warm air. Opening windows and drawing blinds in the morning and doing the reverse at night may seem menial, but it is a necessary chore to teach kids.
Age-appropriate chores help instill good habits. They help children build self-reliance and a sense of responsibility. Kids as young as three can pick up their toys. As the kids grow older, they are gradually introduced to new responsibilities such as making their bed, putting away dirty clothes in the hamper, and even going to the self-service laundry shop. Have the older children feed the pets and clean the dishes. Chores for teenagers include loading the dishwasher, ironing clothes, and yardwork.
Financial Management
According to FIP, people start developing stereotypes at a young age, which continues well throughout their lives. It is therefore vital to address any financial notions kids may have. For children with stay-at-home mothers, a child may think that men make money while women folk stay at home. Yet, this is not necessarily true.
When discussing financial matters with children, use child-friendly lessons such as anecdotes. It will make the class enjoyable and will not overwhelm the kid. Teaching children how to save can lay the foundation for sound financial habits. One step in this direction involves opening a children’s savings account for them. Avoid oversharing your bad financial decisions in the child’s mind. Contrarily, identify your financial baggage and leave it so the kids don’t adapt to these bad habits.
Instilling Etiquette
As parents, it’s essential to teach our kids about proper etiquette and manners. Also, practice suitable methods since the kids look up to you and will emulate your actions. Good etiquette and styles make up socially acceptable behavior, whose benefits include increased self-esteem and confidence. A well-behaved child is likely to be elected to leadership positions such as student council because parents and teachers trust their responsibilities.
Good etiquette includes a proper greeting as an acknowledgment of someone’s presence. Kids must address older people respectfully with titles such as miss or mister. Etiquette also covers formal introduction. Parents need to teach their kids good table manners at home to avoid embarrassing situations in public. Table etiquette includes:
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- Chewing with the mouth closed and not talking while chewing
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- Keeping elbows off the table
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- Sitting upright at the dining table
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- helping to clear the table once the meal is over
Time Management
Research shows that an overall 1.5 million children joined nursery school within the last 12 months. These kindergartners comprised 32 percent of kids aged four and five percent of those aged three. Often, children take homework from school. Yet, distractions such as using electronic gadgets can prevent them from getting to it. Teach the children to plan their time by creating a checklist and prioritizing constructive activities like schoolwork before concentrating on leisure. Help establish a sleeping schedule so the children can rest adequately and be in time for school.
Proverbially, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Physical activity is crucial to the firm and healthy growth of children. However, they need to understand that playtime should not infringe on the time of other activities such as bedtime and bath time.
Teaching children to make a daily checklist and prioritize tasks will mold them into time-conscious adults. Instill the value of work ethic and responsibility through house chore designations when they are still young. This way, they can effectively manage their households when the time comes.
