Chores or Life Skills?
Kiddos may ask themselves this question: Why do I have to do these chores? Here at CTC, we call chores “Life Skills” because that is simply what they are. Although not always the most preferred thing for your child to do, washing dishes, washing clothes, making the bed, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, grocery shopping, cooking, and many more are essential life skills that are necessary when becoming an independent adult. Not only are they necessary, they are also very helpful for the development of time management skills, executive functioning, sensory regulation, and even emotional regulation.
You may be wondering how you can gauge what skills are appropriate for your child. Below is a short list of age appropriate chores to get you started based on your child’s age:
Life Skills for 2-3 years old
- Picking up toys
- Wiping up a mess (wiping off the counter after eating or messy play)
- Putting laundry in the hamper after taking off dirty clothes
Life Skills for 4-5 years old
- Making the bed (even if it is assisting you with the task!)
- Starting simple meal preparation (putting thing into bowls, stirring, etc.)
- Helping wash/rinse dishes
Life Skills for 6-8 years old
- Feeding pets
- Vacuuming, sweeping, mopping
- Folding laundry/putting away own clothes
Life Skills for 9-12 years old
- Prepare simple meals (heating up a hot pocket, TV dinner or oven pizza)
- Taking out garbage
- Cleaning areas of the home other than own bedroom (bathroom, living room, outdoor areas)
- Helping make a shopping list and helping to find items in the grocery store
13-18 years – Include all listed above with increased to total independence!
So your child may be age appropriate for the tasks at hand, but what if you wonder whether they are developmentally, emotionally, physically or cognitively appropriate for the task at this age? Recently CTC held a Life Skills camp with 4 days of fun while completing tasks that increase independence within the home environment. The kiddos in this group worked on grocery shopping, meal preparation, cleaning up after themselves, household life skills, taking care of pets and plants, team work and communication. During the camp, each child was asked to review their skills and determine the toughest part of doing “chores”. The #1 answer was time management and feelings of overwhelm when presented with multiple tasks to complete. We all worked to develop either written or visual (picture) schedules for each kiddo to take home to aid in these concerns, making getting these life skills done easier and less frustrating!
Talk to your child’s occupational therapist to see if these could be options to help your child regulate their emotions, plan their time with greater efficiency and learn new skills after mastering current ones! If your kiddo struggles to complete their daily activities, call our clinic at (252) 341-9944! Your child may benefit from an occupational therapy screening or formal evaluation!
Here is 2 recipes of foods that were made during the camp:
- Rice Kripsy Treats – The Original Rice Krispies Treats™ Recipe | Rice Krispies®
- Soup (written by a kiddo in the camp)
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless chicken thighs
- 1 medium onion
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 2 chicken stock boxes
- 1 small rice pack (boil in a bag)
- 1 can black beans
Add a pinch of…
- Pink Himalayan Salt
- Chili powder
- Seasoned Salt
- Black pepper
- Red pepper flakes
MIX TOGETHER IN A SMALL BOWL
Steps:
- Make the rice according to directions on the rice bag
- As the rice is cooking, cut chicken into 1 inch cubes
- Sprinkle seasoning onto chicken
- Cut carrots and onion into preferred size and cook until preferred texture
- Cook the chicken until done in saucepan
- Once all ingredients are finished, combine with stock in a pot and boil for 2-5 minutes
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes
Written By: Shelby Godwin, COTA/L, AC
