Yep. That's what it is around here. A momarchy. The transition to summer has been wonderful. I love having my kids with me all day. Our home just has a better feeling..but that doesn't mean constant smooth sailing. I've been getting a lot of these cards lately because I'm trying to teach my kids how to WORK. They're not liking the new regime and I've been getting a number of these....
I've had so many impressions lately that I just need to teach my kids how to work. Kids need to be kids. It's summer. Time to have a blast. But not enough can be said about how important it is to teach kids how to work. How to like work. How to be proud of their work. So...enter contention. Here's what I'm trying to do instead to make this a positive experience. Three steps to learning about working hard.
(1) Initiative. I want my kids to know how to take initiative. See something? Pick it up. This should be common sense. But really it needs creative sentences like..."How do you guys think we can improve this little space?" Instead of "CLEAN YOUR ROOM!" It's really interesting what kids start doing when you ask them what they think needs to be done to a room to make it look good.(2) Order. Do the hard jobs first. "Maybe we should rake and bag all the leaves before we spray the side of the house with the high powered hose." Or just plain order of the job. "Let's load the dishwasher THEN mop the floor so we don't end up with a mess." "What do you guys think we should do first?"
(3) Efficiency. Love the "pick one sock up at a time and put it in the laundry basket so this job takes forever and I don't have to do any more" mentality. Instead. "How much laundry/toys can you guys load up in your arms? Who has the most?" The clock is set. "How much can you do in 10 minutes??"
I want to avoid threats. "I'll turn Sarah loose on your Legos if you don't pick them up!" And reduce bribery. "I promise you all the ice cream and candy in the world if you will practice the piano and clean your room." I just want my kids to learn to enjoy a good day's work. And we'll be working on this for awhile, I think. So. Put your shoulder to the wheel, your head in the game, and your nose to the grind!Sorry kids. (I love you!)
3 comments:
Hi Stephanie.
I am struggling with teaching my 4 year old to work. She used to love doing her chores. on Monday the only thing I did all day was "help" her get her chores done which were supposed to be done before lunch.
I found the blog of Marie Ricks a couple of weeks ago. She has some good ideas for teaching your kids to work and teaching them to wait and a lot more. You can get there from my blog it is called House of Order.
If you find anything that motivates them and does not include a time out PLEASE let me know. I have a real lazy bones on my hands.
Thanks for the great post. I am always needing help with this.
Totally great post. I like your ideas. We've been doing lots of jobs around here, but I like your "what can we do to improve this space" approach. Thanks!
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