Independence and Chore Charts

Ultimately, every parent wants their child to be independent. Although, the feelings that come along with watching our preschooler or kindergartner achieve that independence can be heart wrenching, parents must wrestle with their own emotions in order to help their child become productive, independent adults. Helping your child become independent means getting rid of the super parent syndrome. As parents, we often feel pressured to do so much for our children in the name of good parenting that we forget that our kids need to do things for themselves in order to develop a sense of self and in order to reach their own independence.

Preschooler and Chores

Kids of this age can make a lot of their own decisions. Decision making is one way to teach independence. Have your preschooler pick out his clothes for the next day, help plan dinner, and pick up his own toys. The more he is responsible for – within reason for his age, of course – the better he will be at branching out and into his own independence.

Kindergartner Chores

Kindergartners can do everything preschoolers can do and more. Make sure that you assign your child simple chores; he can do things like vacuuming, dusting, and washing dishes. At this age, your child can also use an alarm clock and a watch to help make morning routines easier on the rest of the family. Enlist your child's help in planning, preparing, and packing his own school lunch. He'll enjoy the feeling of independence he gets from what we adults often view as a chore. Teaching kids to be independent when they are preschoolers and kindergartners helps them learn to do even more for themselves when they are older. This can make life so much easier on you and so much more gratifying for your child.