Many adults do not like the cottage precisely because of the need to work hard on it. What can we say about children, for whom the country affairs of adults are usually boring and complicated? If a child is gradually accustomed to work from a young age, then there is a chance to increase interest in country “adventures”, to instill diligence and responsibility in him. We found eight life hacks that will allow parents to teach their child to help in the countryside.
Method number 1: Give children’s equipment
One of the most common reasons for the lack of love for work in the country is equipment that is not suitable for age. The child is simply uncomfortable to use it! Sometimes the rake is larger than the baby itself, and several times heavier than it. Of course, this causes discomfort and premature fatigue in the child.
What to do? It is enough to purchase kindergarten equipment! In specialized stores you can find small brooms, small scoops with a comfortable handle, light buckets. And the kids can be given toys with which they go to the sandbox. For example, bright colorful shovels and rakes — the child will perceive country affairs not as hard work, but as a game.
Method #2: Assign simple tasks
It must be remembered that country work should be feasible, and not exhausting in any way. Therefore, it is necessary to start accustoming children to help in the country with easy, simple assignments. In particular, kids can independently water vegetables in a greenhouse or flowers in a flower bed. A little older children can clean fallen leaves or grass clippings into small piles. No one canceled lunch — let the young helpers set the table and collect everything that is needed for the salad from the beds.
Method number 3: Trust the technician
It’s no secret that children love different techniques: the more intricate it is, the faster they want to try it out! It is quite possible for a child to be instructed to cut the grass with a lawn mower or arrange fruit on a tumble dryer. Of course, this must be done under adult supervision.
There is only one rule here: if a child is interested in technology and wants to try it, it is worth allowing it. So the children will understand that they have earned the trust of their parents, and will not lose interest in country affairs.
Method #4: Organize Teamwork
Best of all, a child is motivated to work in a company. Do not stand aside and complete tasks together! Together, sweep, water, mow grass, paint the fence. The child should see that country work can be fun and interesting. It is good if the parents themselves show a personal interest in this matter: they gladly spud, dig in the ground and harvest. While working, you can listen to cheerful music, play cities or talk with children on any interesting topic.
Method #5: Give Choice
Sometimes you can go to the trick. You should not wave your hands and roll your eyes if the son refuses to weed the beds, and the daughter refuses to cut the salad. But you can give them a choice: “Choose what you will do today: water the flowers in the flower garden, pick carrots or help dad mow the lawn?”. The child will definitely choose what he likes the most.
Method number 6: Notice the results of labor
No one wants to work in the country if his efforts are not noticed, and maybe even criticized! The child certainly needs to show the results of his fruitful work. For example: “Look how lush the roses have grown! It’s because you watered them”, “Now we have beautiful grass on the lawn, because you removed all the garbage from it”, “Thank you for watering the garden — I would not have done it so quickly without you!”.
Support and encouragement is very important, otherwise children’s motivation is simply nowhere to come from. What does it mean to “learn to work”? First of all, to show how interesting it is to dig up the beds, to wait and wait for the first peonies and the crop grown by oneself.
Method number 7: Negotiate
In adolescence, teaching a child to help in the country is much more difficult than a preschooler. It remains only to learn to negotiate.
Conversations can be built based on objective reasons: “We will not have time to weed the potatoes and water the apple orchard alone. If you help us, we will have a big and tasty harvest.” You can negotiate a compromise: “Let’s invite your friends over and have a picnic, and you can quickly paint the fence before the end of the week.”
There is another option — to designate the teenager’s area of responsibility. Assign him a territory: flower beds, gazebo, strawberry garden or lawn. Let it be only one kind of country business (cleaning, weeding, watering), but at his disposal. Show that you trust the teenager and consider him an adult so that he alone controls his business. Do not forget to appreciate his efforts when the fence is painted and the beds are dug up.
Method number 8: Develop a positive attitude towards the cottage
Most often, children do not want to help in the country, because they perceive it as a place of coercion and pressure. Parents should do everything possible so that the dacha is “retrained” into a place of rest, joy and fun.
Yes, you will have to work and help on the site! But this is for the benefit of each family member, because everyone wants to have a clean lawn, fresh fruits and vegetables on the table and beautiful selfies.
What to do? Create pleasant associations with the cottage. In the winter, play here with the kids here and make snowmen, in the summer, have water pistol fights and picnics, and in the fall, drink herbal tea in the yard by the fire. Perhaps this will help to imbue with warm feelings, and the children will help with pleasure of their own free will, and not from under duress.
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