By Elva Anson, M.A., MFT

About the book:

In How To Get Kids to Help at Home, Elva Anson shows how parents can use ordinary household tasks to make their children capable, responsible, and independent adults -- in only eighteen short years. It’s a struggle for nearly every family, but with these guidelines you really can get your kids to help at home. And what’s even better, they will probably like it.

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ISBN 0-9723569-4-0

Table of contents:

1. Born Dependent
   Understanding the problem
   How we keep children dependent
   Doing chores is more for them than for you
2. “You’ve Got Too Much Potential” Is an Empty Statement
   Support must precede a challenge
   The importance of confidence and how to increase it
   Encouragement – the key to growth
   Concentrate on who the child is, not on who he can become
   Think small – a child is not a miniature adult
   Give your child the benefit of the doubt
3. Home Is the Classroom for Learning Basic Skills
   If you are a parent, you must be a teacher
   Characteristics of a good teacher
   “Do as I do” is more important than what I say
   Teachers to each other
   Setting up the curriculum
   Learning means making mistakes
   When significance is distorted
   Work yourself out of a job
4. Who Does What and Who Decides
   Family meetings – the center of learning
   Format of a family meeting
   Family consensus about household standards
   Assessing the work load
   Making plans – chore charts and other creative ideas
   Back to the drawing board
5. Begin at the Beginning – Young Children
   Begin at the beginning if you can
   Young children love to help
   Make your home child-functional
   Chore ideas for children under six
   Chore chart ideas for young children    
6. “Catch Me if You Can” – Juniors
   Age of mastery – six through twelve
   What you can expect
   Chore ideas for children six through twelve
   Chore chart ideas for juniors
7. “I Have Too Much Else to Do” – Teens
   Understanding your teen
   Responsibility, adaptability, flexibility
   Teaching the teen
   Chore charts for teens
8. Make Work Easy
   Simplify
   Get rid of clutter
   Teach principles that cut down work
   Organizational skills make work easier
   Provide easy-to-use, functional tools
9. Bribes, Allowances, and Other Compensation
   The pitfalls of manipulating children with bribes
   Use motivators and incentives creatively
   Inspections that encourage and teach
   The value of natural and logical consequences
   The big debate – should we pay children to help
   Use allowances to teach responsibility
10. Values – The Foundation for Training
    Know what you believe
    Recognize and promote differences
    Teach time management
    Children learn through play as well as work
    Teaching right from wrong

About The Author:

Elva Anson, a marriage family therapist and former elementary school teacher, has raised three children. Her books on family have been read by thousands of people. She teaches classes on parenting, relationships, and communication.

• “Becoming Soul Mates” available
• “The Complete Book of Home Management” (co-authored by Kathy Liden) (available)

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