News & Articles

HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR CHILD BE MORE RESPONSIBLE?
Kids are very rarely going to complete a job to adult standards, especially when they are just starting. They are still kids and this is part of the learning process and the only way they are going to get better at the said job is to practice.

First of all, find a job that they are capable of doing. If you are not sure or maybe they are not sure they can do it, do it together the first few times.
If it is a regular job, something you want them to do daily or weekly say, help them remember by setting up reminders or use something like the Montessori Daily Routine Cards. And never underestimate the power of conversation. Talking about responsibilities and what happens if certain jobs don’t get done. You can make it into a silly game which on the surface sounds daft but actually helps your child understand and remember why they are doing the job.

For example, if it’s the child’s job to clean out their pet hamster’s cage.
Q: What would happen if you didn’t clean the hamster cage?
A: There would be lots of poop.
Q: And then what would happen
A: There would be so much poop the hamster couldn’t move around in the cage and it would smell
really bad.
Q: And then what would happen?
A: The poop would start spilling out of the cage and the smell would be so bad we would have to
open the windows in the house
Q: And then…

And keep going until there is so much hamster poop that the whole town gets shut down and your family becomes known as the owners of Hamster Poop Mountain, no one can come and play because there is too much poop and you have to keep the windows open all year round because of the poop!

It’s silly but it gets the point across that if we have a pet to look after, we need to care for it properly because otherwise, all these things can happen.

And finally, on this point, most kids want to be helpful, to be treated as a grown-up or older than they actually are. We see this when we watch them role-play. This is where the phrasing is important.

Ask leading questions such as “Do you think you are responsible/big/old/capable enough to do this job?”

If they say yes, then you have a great start but what if they say no? Then follow up with questions about why what is it they think will be difficult or why they don’t think they can do the job. Take their concerns seriously (even if they sound daft to you) and work through the
problem.

Alain Wallart, Director of courses

Feel free to contact me if you want more insight:
awallart.steppingstones@gmail.com