Chores and Executive Functioning

By: Jessica Drake-Simmons, M.S. CCC-SLP

People are not leaving their houses right now and you know what that is resulting in?  A need for lots of cleaning and organizing!  This doesn’t have to be a solo effort though!  Maybe we can embrace this unique opportunity, where we are being asked to be our children’s teachers, to show our children some new things we don’t normally have time for in everyday life.

Research has found that one of the best predictors of a young adults’ success was whether one participated in household tasks when they were young.  Chores help kids have a “pitch-in” mindset, which is an invaluable skill throughout the lifetime.  In the book, 50 Tips to Help Students Succeed, Marydee Sklar describes the executive functioning skills that are developed when completing chores including:

• Time management
• Delaying gratification
• Planning
• Prioritizing
• Problem-solving
• Focus and goal-directed behavior

Here is an idea of some of the chores your child might be ready to do by age.  The level of assistance a child may need will vary.

Age 2-3: This is a magical age in which your child is so enthusiastic in their desire to  “help”! The problem is that “help” feels like anything but help!  However, it appears that cultures that embrace and expect children in this age group to participate in household work raise children that are willing and proud contributors to household chores.

• Put toys away
• Throw garbage away
• Put dishes in sink
• Help set the table
• Put dirty clothes in the hamper
• Dust the baseboards
• Fold rags, washcloths and dishcloths

Ages 4-5:

• Make the bed
• Feed the pets
• Pick up toys
• Water the plants
• Wipe cabinets
• Put away dishes they can reach
• Clear and clean table after dinner
• Make easy snacks
• Wipe down doorknobs
• Match socks

Ages 6-7

• Sweep the kitchen floor
• Empty the dishwasher
• Sweep the hallways
• Mop the kitchen floor
• Organize the mudroom storage area
• Make a simple salad

Ages 8-9

• Clean room
• Bring in the empty garbage cans
• Put groceries away
• Clean out the car
• Clean room
• Wipe bathroom sink and counters
• Sweep the porch
• Hang, fold and put away clean clothes
• Make scrambled eggs
• Bake cookies

Ages 10-11

• Clean the toilets (inside and outside)
• Wash your own laundry
• Vacuum
• Sweep the garage and driveway
• Wipe down the counters
• Clean the kitchen
• Make a simple meal

Ages 12+: For this age group, help them be proactive in recognizing what needs to be done and initiating a plan for how and when to do it.  Work side-by-side on house projects with them. 

• Clean the garage
• Mow the lawn
• Wash the car
• Mop the floors
• Wash windows
• Clean bathroom
• Help with simple home repairs
• Cook a complete meal

Tips for success:

• Teach the skills- Don’t expect them to learn it on their own.  Break down the task into small steps.
• Help them come up with organizational systems for their belongings that they can maintain with little help from you.  Have written labels or pictures to assist in sorting items in different boxes.
• Take a picture of what their clean room (or other designated) area looks like.  Encourage them to match the picture when their chore is complete.
• Give them some control, even if that means it’s not done the way you would prefer. 
• Assist them in thinking through when they will have time in their schedule to do their chores. 
• Help implement designated chores into daily routines. 
• Schedule work time and break time.
• Help them recognize how long a chore should take to complete in order to maintain their focus to the task and motivation for completing it in a timely manner. 
• Make it fun! 
  • Play music
  • Make it a race or competition
  • Create a chore chart or list which will assist experiencing a sense of accomplishment as they complete their chores
  • Sometimes incentives might help!
  • Have everyone completing chores together

Stay home, stay well, embrace the ones you are socially isolated with and relish in those chores! For more information on Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley, visit eastersealsdfvr.org.

Motivation Comes From Seeing Your Future Self

By: Jessica Drake-Simmons M.S. CCC-SLP

We all have a range in abilities of executive functioning.  Kids and adults alike can struggle with organization, memory, focus, managing time, initiating a task and completing a task.

Being able to visualize the future is an imperative skill for moving from event to event and showing up on time with the needed materials.

Some of our kids who struggle with executive functioning may seem distracted, disorganized and struggling to keep up with the pace of the day.

Additionally, some of these kids can be perceived as being unmotivated.   They might be smart kids that simply don’t appear driven to work up to their potential.  Executive functioning guru, Sarah Ward, asserts that these kids have difficulty imagining their future emotions.  They don’t intuitively imagine what they will feel like or what they will look like when they complete a task or achieve a goal.

What I need to look like now.                                   So that I can look like this later.

We want kids to be able to see the future, say the future, feel the future and plan for the future.  So how can we facilitate this skill of ‘future imagery thinking’?

• Have your child make an image by helping them talk through the following:
  • What will the environment look like?
  • Who else do you see being there?
  • What will I look like?
  • What will I feel like?

• Ask questions that encourage future imagery thinking.
  • Ask:  “When you walk into class tomorrow, what do you see yourself handing to your teacher?”
    • Instead of:  “What do you have for homework tonight?”
  • Ask: “What would you look like if you were standing by the door, ready to leave for soccer?”
    • Instead of: “Go get ready for soccer.”

Making a mental movie of the future requires us to actively think through the necessary steps in order to complete a task.  It enables us to envision and play a ‘dry run’ of a task without the risk of error.  Seeing the future helps us to persist through the present challenge in order to achieve our goals.

To learn more about Easter Seals DuPage and Fox Valley programs, visit eastersealsdfvr.org.

 

Featured image by: Lauren Sims