They are Happiest When They are Working

I think I have found a BIG key to happy children: giving them plenty of work to do. Good, physical labor seems to give them much better attitudes!

Don’t get me wrong – I certainly know the value of child’s play as well, and my children certainly get plenty of time for that as well.  However, we seldom see the benefits of teaching children to work touted in our modern society.



Before I go any further, I want to be clear about what I am NOT saying. I am NOT saying that you should make your children your slaves and make them do all of your work while you sit and eat bon-bons while shouting orders at them and maybe cracking a whip over them now and then! (Does any mother ever do that??)

Okay, now that we are clear on that, I want to tell you how much happier my children are when they are working.

When they have too much free time on their hands, they tend to get bored with their play. On the other hand, when a good bit of their time is taken up in good, honest work, their play time seems to become much more creative and enjoyable!

When they don’t have a valuable contribution to make to the household, they are whinier, less appreciate, and just idle!  I just can’t stand to see idle children! They follow me around and are always in my shadow, while I bustle about and nearly trip over them every time I turn around!  It’s like they are just begging for something useful to do…

So give it to them!  Allow them the pride and satisfaction of being a useful, contributing member of the household, and watch them beam with pride when Daddy gets home and you brag on what they helped you accomplish during the day.  Watch your relationship with your children thrive as you include them in your everyday life work, talking and singing together as you go, enjoying one another’s company.  And as you train them to perform household duties, watch your own work load lessen over time as they become more and more able to assist you.

The Amish set out with the goal of training their daughters to be able to perform all household tasks that the mother can – cooking, cleaning, gardening, caring for babies and small children, etc – by the time she is 12 years old! I can assure you, they don’t wait until the girls are 9 or 10 to begin!


In talking with other mothers, I have discovered two main reasons they don’t encourage their children to work around the house:

*It’s easier to do it themselves. I know this is true – I have four children!  But let us not be so short-sighted!  It is never too young to start having them help, and it will pay off, very soon!!

*They feel they are doing their children some disservice by making them work.  If you fall into this category, I would encourage you to see what the Bible has to say about work. The Proverbs are FULL of verses encouraging a strong work ethic, and Ecclesiastes as well. Then, moving into the New Testament, we see the same thing, even to the point that it states that if a man will not work, he should not be able to eat! (We have employed this verse in our household as well!)


Here are some practical ideas of household duties of my children.

My 2 ½ year old can do these things to help:
-Empty trash cans
-Run errands for mommy, like getting diapers for the baby or picking something up from the floor, etc.
-Help entertain the baby
-Fold washcloths
-Empty the hamper contents into a laundry basket, and push it into the laundry room
-Put his own dirty clothes in the hamper after changing
-Spot clean the kitchen floors with a spray bottle of water and rag
-Unwrap tea bags

My 4 ½ year old can do the above, and also these things:
-Make her own bed
-Sweep the patio
-Separate laundry into darks and lights
-Fold smaller clothes, like her own size and the littler kids’
-Wash dishes – amazingly well I might add!
-Take letters to the mailbox and get the mail in the afternoon
-Water the garden and pull weeds
-Peel vegetables, make salad, break eggs and other kitchen help, with my supervision
-Set the table and clear the table after meals
-Fill ice trays

My oldest is just turning seven at this writing. In addition to the above chores, he can also:
-Make beds (he makes mine every morning, as well as I could. )
-Sweep and mop the kitchen
-Fold laundry
-Get the baby out of his crib upon waking
-Get the toddler in and out of his high chair
-Cut vegetables for our meals and fruit for snacks (yes, with a knife!)
-Hang cloths on the clothesline and bring them in when dry
-Carry groceries in after shopping


Whenever our children get out of sorts, whiny, crabby, or bored, my husband and I look at each other and know what we need to do – put them to work!

So, the next time  you have bored, whiny children on your hands, give them some good, hard, honest work to do. I assure you, they will thank you for it — eventually! Make it fun, do it together, and sing as you go. “Whistle while you work!”  Work is truly a gift of God to us, and there is little more satisfying than the accomplishment of a job well done – for parents and children.