Why Our Kids Should Be Put To Work On Summer Break

My sister recently had this conversation with her five-year-old:

“Mom, what's after college?”

“Life.”

“What's life?”

“When you work and maybe get married and have kids.”

“I have to get a job???!”

The poor thing could wrap his mind around “maybe” getting married and having kids. But getting a job? Forget about it!

It was a cute exchange. Much less cute, if the conversation had involved a young adult. But culturally, it seems we’ve sent subtle messages to our children that work is a heavy burden, something forced on us in adulthood with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

It’s unfortunate. Because God values work. In fact, in the second chapter of scripture, God put Adam to work:

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

Genesis 2:15

God could have assigned Adam any role existing under the sun. But he assigned him to be a worker in the garden, the place he also called home. 

It’s important that summer include a respite from the grind of the school year. But it’s also important for summer to include some work for our kids. After all, having them home each day creates more chores around the house, so they should pitch in and help.

This is one of the reasons why our summer should include some normal days. (Remember, we’re not cruise directors)! It’s in the space of normal days where we can work on things with our children that we struggle to conquer during the school year.

We often underestimate the tasks our children can manage. Consequently, we spend a lot of time doing things for our children which they could do themselves. Summer is an exceptional time to teach our children to manage new responsibilities, helping them contribute to the family, develop a servant’s heart, and value the significance of work.

Some examples of what our children will be doing to contribute to our family this summer include:

1. Laundry: People look at me cross-eyed when I tell them our children have been doing their own laundry since kindergarten. It wasn’t my brilliant idea! For reasons unknown to me, our daughter decided this looked fun and wanted to learn when she was six. But through that experience, I learned kindergartners are quite capable. Sure, we help the younger ones with folding and hanging, but before we know it, they’re doing it all themselves. (Here’s how I taught them.)
   
   
2. Cleaning their bedrooms: Last year, a wise friend encouraged me to lower my standards regarding the condition of our children’s bedrooms. I wanted their rooms cleaned daily, and when they weren’t, it created a source of tension that was too much. We were fighting every day! Now we have an agreement. They clean their rooms once each week to my standards, and I don’t say anything about their rooms the rest of the week. This works much better for our family, and their rooms are cleaner than ever before!
   
   
3. Cleaning the bathrooms: Our daughter has been helping with bathrooms for a while, but now, we’re teaching the boys! I bought each of them a toilet scrubber, a squeegee, and a hand broom/dust pan at Ikea, and we’ve stocked each of the bathrooms with cleaning supplies. Our goal is that they’re self-sufficient when school starts.
   
   
4. Preparing meals: I’ll be honest. When the kids were younger, the idea of having “helpers” in the kitchen made my skin crawl. They were too messy, and I was too meticulous. “Let’s bake cookies!” said no one ever when we had three kids under six. But now, things are different. They are helpful (and I’ve loosened up). There are loads of lessons they can learn by helping prepare meals such as measurements, fractions, and temperatures. I’ve also learned this secret…they’re more likely to eat that which they prepare. So this summer, I’ll pull them into the kitchen one at a time to help prepare meals and set the table. It’s a great way for them to learn a skill and to spend one-on-one time together!
   
   
5. Cleaning the kitchen: If you eat at our table, you help clean up the mess. That’s the rule in our house. It’s especially helpful in the summer because, So. Many. Dishes. In the past, we’ve asked them to bus and wipe the table, sweep the floor, and help put the food away. But lately, we’ve been working on managing the dishwasher. They’re just as capable!

There are a thousand ways to attack this beast. All that matters is that we’re giving our kids opportunities to contribute to the family, develop a servant’s heart, and discover the value of work.
So what will your kids be working on this summer?

P.S. If you haven’t like our Facebook Page, be sure to do so. This week, we will be sharing some resources to help you identify what chores around the house may be age-appropriate for your children!