1. Identify Stages of Children's Responsibility
As a parent, you know that your child is not the same now as he was a year ago. Not only is he physically bigger, but he is also at a different stage emotionally and socially than he was the year before. As your child matures, he also enters different stages of responsibility. This means that, in different periods, he can take care of himself, take care of others and contribute to his community in different degrees. To help you work with your child on learning responsibility, experts suggest appropriate tasks for each stage. Try to identify what stage your child is in. Learn about how future stages are divided as well.
2. Learn About Different Stages
Reading a little about the different stages of children's responsibility can prepare you to teach these skills in a way that will stick for your child. Preschool-aged kids, for example, are eager helpers. They can understand simple tasks, but they cannot completely understand about doing something for the good of other family members. This is because they do not yet understand their own role in the family. Learn what you can expect from your child at his current stage. Then learn what you can do to teach responsibility at this stage.
3. Build Responsibility at Each Stage
Amazingly, children start learning to how to be responsible very early. Even before they can walk and talk, they begin by watching how you show responsibility. Your baby learns about responsibility by seeing how you frequently and reliably care for him. Soon, between 9 and 12 months, he can help put a few toys away. As children grow, they can build on what they have learned in the stage before. They can add more and more responsibility over time. At later stages, your child will be to complete more challenging tasks. In each stage, work with your child regularly, be consistent and patient as he learns responsibility, and reward him for successes.
4. Never Too Late
Do not worry if you have not started working with your child on some of the tasks listed for their age group. It is never too late to start. Just remember that each stage builds on earlier stages' responsibilities. Start with giving your child more basic responsibilities. As he does well with those tasks, you can slowly add more. Be careful not to overwhelm your child with too many responsibilities at once. Make sure learning responsibility is a positive experience at every stage.
5. Responsibilities to Community
As your child matures, you can teach him more about his responsibilities to the community. These later stages of responsibility build upon the earlier stages' themes of responsibilities to friends and family. Children start understanding how their family and friends rely on them at the end of their preschool years. They can also finish more tasks on their own. By the time they enter grade school, you can teach them about their responsibility to the community. Take your child to plant trees at his favorite park. Add more experiences that help him learn to care for people and things beyond his family.
