Children Are Given Useful Roles-Asset 8

Make Sure to Give Children Useful Roles

To invest in this empowerment asset, parents should involve their children in family life in ways that fit the children’s needs and abilities. Preschool and elementary-age children should be given useful roles at home and in the community and have a voice in family decisions.

Here are some specific ideas for ensuring that your child has the benefits of this important asset in his or her life:
• Set the standard early in your child’s life that everyone can contribute to the family. Assign age-appropriate chores and tasks to you child and create and have them help with small projects. Helping and completing simple tasks and projects gives your child a real sense of accomplishment and a sense of belonging and being needed. For example, a 3-year old could bring napkins to the table. An 8-year old could wash vegetables for a salad while a 10-year old makes sandwiches. As children get older, they can help with painting around the house, reorganizing the garage, planting and tending the garden and looking after pets or animals in your care.
• Find ways for preschoolers to feel they are an important part of the family. For instance, you could buy white t-shirts and nontoxic fabric markers and help preschoolers create matching shirts for themselves and the rest of the family.
• Let your child make choices, such as occasionally deciding what the family will have for dinner or what the next family outing will involve. Let preschoolers help with planning a family event or outing.
• Find ways to put children in charge and experience a sense of leadership. For example, your child could be put in charge of planning and leading games at a birthday party or neighborhood block party. (Makes sure there are plenty of willing children and adults around to help make this successful.)
• If you have a computer with access to the Internet, use Google to search for websites developed by children for children. (Be sure to talk to your child about the rules for using the Internet safely and to have child safe filters in place to prevent viewing of inappropriate materials. You can learn more about Internet safety by going to www.nyise.org/safety.
• Ask your child to teach you things they know and have an interest in. You could ask them to show you how to do things on the computer if they have learned to use one at school. If they are swimmers, ask them to show you a stroke that you don’t know. If they are into magic, let them show you the tricks they know.

Summer is coming and it will allow many opportunities to invest in this very important empowerment asset for you child or children. If you have any questions, call or email me.