Chores help to establish familiarity and understanding of routine, teaches valuable life skills, develops confidence, and development of fine and gross motor skills!
▪️Having chores and a routine can help reduce anxiety, improve focus and even decrease meltdowns. Children feel more secure when they know what to expect next and thrive on routines. Consistency with chores assigned on a daily or weekly basis can make for smoother transitions between activities. Visual schedules can help with this as a concrete point of reference between steps of an activity(ies) in sequence.
▪️Teaching valuable life skills. Learning the task and also the responsibility that comes with the chore. Children with developmental delays and other conditions may need more practice with certain things and/or modifications for greater independence but every child can participate to some degree with day to day activities.
▪️Contributing to the family. No matter what a child’s abilities, there are always ways to help out. It also gives children confidence and a sense of accomplishment.
▪️Development of fine and gross motor skills and sensory integration. Chores require use of large muscle groups (gross motor skills) or careful hand-eye coordination & finger manipulation (fine motor skills). Chores help integrate the sensory system, as a child touches, sees, hears, and senses their body in space during the activity as they make sense of their world.
Examples of chores your child can help with: putting away their toys, wiping down countertops, sweeping, helping sort laundry and put into washer/dryer.
Have fun with it! What chores have you tried with your little one recently?