Why and how to teach children to work

Historically, children were attracted to work from the earliest years. The child in the family was considered a full-fledged labor unit, both parents and younger brothers/sisters counted on his help. With the development of the economy in capitalist countries, the concept of healthy development and upbringing of the child was revised, shifting the focus from work to play, cognitive activity and learning. 

But what about domestic work — helping relatives, performing household duties? Has the tradition of involving children in the joint work of the family sunk into oblivion? Let's figure out why it is necessary to teach children to work and how to do it.

Child labor: pros and consIn 2002, the UN officially approved the World Day against Child Labor and called for increased control over the involvement of children in dangerous types of work.

Worldwide, more than 152 million children (and this is almost every 10th child) are forced to work to help their family survive. And more than half of the guys work in terrible, life-threatening conditions. 

In accordance with article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, children are guaranteed protection from economic exploitation.

And this is right — hard and backbreaking work interferes with the normal development of the child, harms his health, social and mental development.

But still, child labor can be different. It's one thing when 13-year—olds in China are plowing in a brick factory, and another is the minimum labor, which clearly corresponds to age and is used for pedagogical purposes. Is he needed? 

Arguments "for"In the course of work, the child draws knowledge about the world around him, socializes, learns the skill of adopting experience. 

• The ability to cope with work forms a positive attitude to work. In adulthood, such a person will have a high working capacity and will be able to cope with complex tasks.
• Systematic work activities contribute to the development of responsibility, initiative, purposefulness and the ability to achieve the desired.
• A positive assessment of the results of the child's work strengthens his self-esteem.
• Work activity is inextricably linked with creativity. It helps to develop the most valuable qualities: perseverance, diligence, ability to plan and achieve results. Anatole France wrote: "Work is the inner fire of every talent." 

Also read: Pros and cons of strict parenting Arguments "against"

Children with a busy schedule (studies, hobbies, development) can allocate time for regular work only to the detriment of the above-mentioned activities or recreation.

• It is not always possible to correctly correlate the size of the load with the strength of the child. Performing backbreaking work, he will experience stress, fatigue.
• Persistent involvement in labor is of a violent nature. Adults sometimes raise the question of the child's participation in labor actions without alternative, it is impossible to refuse. This depresses the child's self-esteem, provokes protest moods. 

Labor as a pedagogical method

All adults work: someone to provide for themselves and their family, someone for pleasure, someone not to suffer from idleness. But at what point does a person realize the need to work? This skill is formed in preschool age. 

Watching mom and dad, the child learns a whole complex of moral, psychological and behavioral factors that then form his personality.

If dad works hard and provides for the family, the child will see a positive example and will overcome high efficiency, diligence. 

Conversely, the parasitism of parents will lead to the child's confidence that work is something boring and unnecessary. Then the question arises: if such a person does not want to work in the future, then how and for what means will he live?

Why teach a child to workIn the process of working together, the child begins to understand his parents better — he sees how difficult it is for them, how much they need to know and be able to do all the necessary work.

This is how empathy develops — the ability to understand the emotions of other people.

To work, you need to think and make decisions. And to learn how to think and make decisions, you need to work hard.

Physical labor develops strength and endurance, homework enriches useful knowledge about everyday life (something that will be useful in adult life). 

Familiarization with work is one of the ways to reduce parental overprotection and correct what she has already "done": infantilism, irresponsibility in a child.

Daily feasible work will discourage the habit of laziness and teach the child to plan his time, distribute efforts and set priorities.When to start teaching a child to work

At preschool age, children have a very developed imitation skill.

Dad picks up a hammer — the kid enthusiastically watches his actions and asks to knock. Mom does makeup at the mirror — daughter and herself reaches for lipstick to be just as beautiful. Sometimes parents stop attempts at imitation: you will get hurt, you will break, do not climb, etc. This is a huge mistake, because the kid just wants to help or just repeats his actions for an adult. 

There is more harm than good in banning a child from joining adult affairs. Parents thus make it clear to him that he is incompetent, his help is undesirable.

Sooner or later, the baby will lose initiative, and this will bear fruit. In a few years, when mom and dad already need his help, he just won't want or won't be able to provide it.

Therefore, it is worth starting to introduce the child to work as early as possible — from the moment when the baby himself becomes interested in this. Of course, you should not give him a hammer in his hands. But it is quite possible to hand over a toy hammer and ask to score a match, for example, in an apple. Safe, interesting and just like Dad!

How to properly teach children to workThe main rule is that any work activity should be a joy, without ultimatums and coercion, without unbearable tasks and punishment for non—fulfillment.

Start with a game form: arrange socks by colors, twist them into "snails", take them to the linen drawer. For a mother, this is a routine matter, and for a child it is an educational game.

Little ChefKids love messing around in the kitchen.

Organize a safe corner there and let them play enough with the dough, make their first dumpling. Add a couple of drops of beetroot or celery juice to the dough, and you will get a multi-colored mass for modeling.

HarvestingTrain yourself to clean the apartment of toys scattered on the floor every evening.

Make it a kind of ritual — harvesting before going to bed. You can perform tasks for speed — for example, who will clean the room first: mom puts her things in their places, and the child collects toys. 

Order in the roomChildren of primary school age can already monitor the cleanliness of their room.

Make the bed, put books on the shelf, put notebooks and pencils in drawers, etc. Once a week — wipe off the dust and vacuum. 

If the child protests against these duties, do not insist. Gently explain that the room is a reflection of a person's personality. If his head is in order, then everything should be in place on the desktop. Few people will want to admit that the mess in his head and in the room suits him perfectly. 

Household choresChildren from the age of 12 can perform a number of duties on an equal basis with adult family members

. For example, taking out the trash or washing dishes, walking the dog or hanging/folding laundry. 

Let it be 1-2 small cases, but they should be performed regularly, without reminders and additional requests. Cultivate responsibility in the child by assigning him feasible household duties. Come up with a position: Minister of Cleanliness or head of the watering pot department.

Working teenagersIf a child has expressed a desire to find a part-time job, in no case stop his desire for work.

You can — help, you can't — don't interfere. There are a lot of side-work options: from tutoring with younger students to distributing leaflets. Make sure that the chosen type of employment is safe, and be happy for your child. 

*****

The labor activity of children is the first step into the world of adults. A way to prove yourself and know your capabilities. This is a vaccination against laziness and a powerful impetus for harmonious development. A child accustomed from childhood to work — feasible and voluntary — has every chance of success in adulthood.