Fun Ways to Instill Good Work-Ethic in Kids

As parents, we have so many responsibilities on our shoulders. Not only do we strive to make sure our kids know that we love them, but we are also focused on making sure their needs are met and that they grow into responsible young adults who will be a value to the communities they live in. For me, that last one is one of the biggest.

Yes, it is very important that my children know how much I love them and of course I do everything in my power to ensure their basic needs are met and that they are protected. However, I believe that it isn’t my job to give them everything they want. There is a difference between wants and needs. And in order to make sure my children grow to be respectable, hard-working, responsible young adults, I have to make sure that I don’t just hand them everything to their heart’s desire. That is a sure-fire way to raise a spoiled, arrogant child who will grow into an arrogant young adult who expects the finer things in life without having to work for them.

I know that the majority of adults feel like the younger generation is the “entitled” generation. Meaning it’s full of kids who feel like they deserve the finer things just because. The issue is that parents today seem to think kids just naturally grow into responsible young adults with good work-ethic and they don’t. Having a strong work-ethic and the drive to achieve goals are both learned behaviors. It’s not something kids are naturally born with.

I believe that parents need to start working to instill these traits when their children are little. However, when working with young children, parents have to look for ways to make it fun. Below are a few fun ways to instill good work-ethic and responsibility into children.

• W4-H when children turn eight, they can get involved in their local 4-H program. This program is designed to focus on Science, Health and Citizenship and teaches children what it means to set goals, work hard to achieve them and how to become a value to their community. Hard work, responsibility and respect are just a few of the values children learn through the 4-H program. To learn more about this amazing (and fun) program, click here
  
• One Lemonade Stands, Chores, Etc. – one of the easiest things to do is to give in to the constant, “Mommy/Daddy, can I have this?” when you go to the store. It’s not like we don’t have the money and we know it’s something that they would enjoy. However, when kids don’t have to work for anything, they don’t have a respect for the things we do give them. In other words, our children will value the items they work and save for more than those that are given to them.
  Therefore, find ways to help your children earn money for the things they want. For example, when your child says, “Can I have this?” Say, “No, but you can earn it.” Then help them earn the money. Working for money doesn’t have to be boring either… it can be fun. Young children often enjoy working lemonade stands and baking goods to sell. They also like to go through their toys and select the items they don’t want to sell in a garage sale. Additionally, chores like taking out the trash, cleaning out the flower beds and vacuuming the floor can be fun when they know they will be receiving money for them when they’re done.
• Animals – One of the best ways children can learn responsibility is by helping take care of the family pet. For instance, our oldest son knows his job is to get up and let our dog outside to go potty. He also helps with the food and water for her.
  As a country girl, I grew up around animals and when I was old enough to participate in our local 4-H program, my parents bought me a pair of show pigs. While my parents helped me work and train them, I was responsible for feeding and watering them every morning. As I got older, I started clipping them for the shows. I can’t tell you how much responsibility I learned during these years. The experience was honestly priceless. While my first two show pigs were provided by my parents, all of my show animals after were paid for by the proceeds I made from the proceeds made off the previous year’s show animals. In addition to the hands-on responsibility learned from taking care of the animals themselves, I also learned how to keep a track of a check register, how to write checks, what it meant to monitor the food for the animals (if I ran out of food for the animals it was my fault) and so much more. Therefore, if your children show any interest in animals, strongly consider getting them involved in 4-H and the animal science projects they have.
• Not Hobbies – Not every child is interested in sports and there are some that have zero interest in animals and that’s okay because everyone has an interest in something. Maybe your child has an interest in hunting, fishing or guns? Get them involved in boy scouts or maybe help them find a group of kids with the same interests. Shooting competitions are getting pretty popular and there are a lot of youth gun clubs where the kids can work to improve their shooting skills through healthy competition.

Of course, there are other hobbies out there than those listed above. Horseback riding, building model airplanes/cars/trains, etc., art and design, sewing and the list goes on. Every one of these hobbies provide opportunities for parents to teach their children about hard work and responsibility in a fun way. Therefore, look for those opportunities and take advantage of them!

What is your take on teaching children about responsibility and work-ethic? Do you have any additional suggestions for how to instill these values in children, while still having fun?