Saturday 12 October 2013

Teaching kids to be responsible early

Photo from thehappyhousewife.com found on facebook.

I'm proud to say that my kids remember their goals / targets.  I applied what I learned and used in my work at home to set KPIs (Key Performance Metrics) and to achieve them.  We only have 3 so that they won't forget:

1.  Feed your Mind (Soul)  - meaning to do all activities that will enrich the mind and nourish the soul - reading, math exercises, studying, reading the bible, praying, listening to worship songs etc.

2. Feed your Body - eat healthy food, drink plenty of water.  Limit sweets and salty food. No soda pop.

3. Cleanse your Body - taking a bath, brushing and flossing teeth, wearing clean clothes, washing hands, playing clean toys or games.

These activities are in order of priority.  They have to finish all three or complete one before doing another activity.  i.e.  Wash Hands first before eating or brushing teeth before going to bed.  They can play only after all 3 have been completed.

They are asked to do small tasks like setting up the table, tidying up toys and school or art supplies everyday.  Once a week, they help in the laundry by sorting their own clothes and storing them in their respective drawers.  They also water the plants indoors and outdoors during summer.  They also help in mowing the lawn using the manual type.  I remember this last summer, they helped me in the garden by removing all dandelions, raking the leaves and putting them in the bin.  I make it a point that every once in a while they wash the dishes.  Aloysius and Kyle work as a team with one soaping the dishes and the other one rinsing and storing.

Anything that hinders them from achieving these tasks are identified as time-wasters, and they need to stay away from it. Talk about efficiency and achieving the targets in our home.  I hope they will continue to develop good habits of doing something of value at an early age.  Striving for excellence will not be hard if you have started to achieve your set goals, you can outperform or overachieve and be hungry for more.

God will bless those who work with their hands.

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