Make a Three-Step Picture Guide for One Chore
Whenyou teach a chore with several steps
Draw or photograph three steps for one recurring job, such as clear cups, stack plates, wipe table. Put the guide where the job happens and try it together.
Why it works
A spoken list vanishes as soon as you finish saying it. A picture stays where the child needs the next step.
Start tiny
Draw the first step on scrap paper.
What you’ll notice
You can point to the next move instead of repeating the whole speech.
When it slips
If the guide gets ignored, make the pictures match your actual tools and practice one step. Add tactile or spoken cues if pictures are not accessible.
SafetyMatch every pictured task to demonstrated ability; adults handle heavy, sharp or breakable items.
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2018). Chores and Children. Facts for Families No. 125. Read the source ↗ Household recipe adapted for this deck; Guidance is not proof chores cause later success.
Growth: Practices that need preparation, a recurring slot or a useful tool.
