One of the most important things we can teach our children is to work hard and have good work ethic. You want your child to learn that you have to work hard to get the things they want, and not that they can just be handed things in life. That’s just how life works. You can teach your child from an early age to have a good work ethic. There are many ways to show and teach them that hard work is a good thing and that it pays off to work hard. Here are 5 ways to show them this principle.
1. Give Them Chores
One of the best ways to teach kids about work ethic is to give them age appropriate chores. It’s important for children to learn the responsibility of having tasks and doing them. Keep it simple in the beginning – let them set the table for dinner, push in the chairs after dinner, etc, then let them slowly do harder chores as they get older and are more able to do them. This will teach them to do the work themselves instead of expecting you or others to do everything for them.
2. Be A Good Example
You know the phrase that people learn most by example. Well, there’s a reason why people say this – because it’s true! If we except our kids to make their beds in the morning when we don’t even make our own bed, what will that teach them? It’s giving them a double standard that will confuse them. We need to show our kids that we work hard too and that we clean and take care of the house and our possessions so they will learn to do the same.
3. Have Extra Jobs For Pay
Usually chores are done because it’s expected of kids, not because they’re being paid to do it. Your kids are part of the family and live in the same house as you. You don’t clean and cook for pay, so why should they? If they have finished all their chores and are interested in working more to earn an extra reward, have some extra jobs available where they’ll be paid. It will teach them the responsibility of earning money and using it wisely.
4. Compliment And Reward Them
There’s no better feeling than knowing that someone is recognizing and appreciating your hard work. It encourages you to work harder. Kids want and needs this same recognition. You can simply say thank you when you see them doing something responsible like cleaning up their toys or putting away their clothes. For bigger jobs, you can treat them to something nice like ice cream or something else they really love.
5. Talk About And Encourage Their Dreams
One of the worst things you can do to your child’s work ethic is to tell them they can’t do something. You should always encourage your child whether it’s telling them that they are the best dish washer there is or telling them that when they grow up they’ll be the best doctor there is. Encourage them to work for their dreams. Help them learn what they need to do to accomplish their dreams.