7 Ways To Teach Young Children Responsibility

As parents, it is too easy for us to take on all responsibility in our child’s life. All we want is for our children to live happy, healthy, and stress-free lives, and we will do anything to ensure that that happens.

However, doing this could be hurting our children because they are not learning valuable life skills. Children need to know about and experience responsibility so that they grow up to be well-rounded adults.

Here are some ways that you can teach young children responsibility.

Teach Goal Setting

If your child sets goals that they want to achieve, they will have something to work toward and keep them focused. Often when you have a dream to achieve, you have to sacrifice other behaviors and habits.

Sacrificing their usual behaviors and habits to reach a goal will teach them responsibility. It will teach them how to control themselves and work toward something that will only benefit them.

Give Chores

This is perhaps the most popular way to teach responsibility. Children must have household chores so that they learn to live as part of something bigger than themselves and contribute to that.

Household chores are versatile in that they can grow with your child. When your child is young, their duties can include putting their dirty clothes in the wash basket, and when they are older, it can consist of things like washing dishes or taking out the trash.

Teach Coping Skills

At some point in our lives, we will all experience emergencies. You must have the coping mechanisms to deal with that situation effectively when you do experience an emergency.

Teaching your children coping skills for emergencies will allow them to feel in control and independent should they be in a crisis. It will also allow those around them to calm and taken care of in the situation.

Respect Your Child

You have to know what your child is capable of and how they will take responsibility on. Some children will not take responsibility well and need to be constantly encouraged and praised when responsible.

However, some other children take to responsibility, like fish to water, and thrive upon it. You have to know which type of child your child is and help them navigate responsibility accordingly.

No Bail-Outs

As a parent, it can be challenging to leave your child high and dry when they need you, but it is sometimes essential to do so for them to learn that that luxury will not always be available.

You can do this by refusing to take them homework that they left at home and making them face the consequences. You should help your children out if they get into any serious trouble, but remember to explain and work through the situation with them afterward.

Teach Paying It Forward

An excellent way to teach responsibility is to teach your child to pay it forward. Responsibility for themselves and responsibility for others are two very different things, but both important to learn.

Paying it forward will only really become possible later in life, but your child can volunteer at animal shelters or soup kitchens. Doing this will teach them to practice kindness and compassion, but it will teach them responsibility and show them how blessed they are.

Lead By Example

Your child will almost always follow your example. For this reason, any kind of responsibilities that you want your child to take on should first be taken on by you. Doing this will teach your child that it is normal behavior.

Many children admire and model their behaviors on their parents. Being a good example to your children is an invaluable part of their lives and will stand them in good stead to be well-rounded adults.