Wellbeing
Dear parents,
In this week's newsletter we begin a series of parenting articles written by Michael Grose to help you in supporting your child's learning and development at home.
Michael is the author of 9 parenting books, including Thriving! and the best-selling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change it.
His popular parenting columns appear in newspapers and magazines across Australia. He appears regularly on television including Channel 10’s The Project, and is a popular & entertaining speaker.
Michael has an education background and holds a Master of Educational Studies with research into what makes healthy families tick. He has conducted over 1,500 parenting seminars over the last two decades.
Parenting Alert: 20 Jobs to Ditch Before Your Child Hits Double Digits.
Prepare your child for independence so they don't end up living with you when they're 40!
Mar 20, 2025
children helping
Most parents want their children to become independent. But so often we do too much for them because of expediency.
We have good intentions, life gets in the way, and doing a job yourself is easier. After all, this way, you can avoid an argument and ensure that the job is done well, right?
As a teenager told her father when he asked for help, “You’ve done pretty well without my help until now. Why do you suddenly want me to help now that I’m fourteen?”
Yikes!
But Ms 14-year-old has a point.
The key to independence-building in kids is to start young with small tasks and build from there.
Where to start?
In the spirit of building autonomy, here are twenty tasks that children could and should do for themselves by age ten.
20 jobs kids should do before they turn 10.
1. Get themselves up in the morning using an alarm.
2. Pack their own school bag each morning.
3. Make telephone calls about simple requests, such as asking if a store has an item in stock.
4. Look after the rubbish, including putting bins outside, emptying rubbish and recycling.
5. Prepare healthy snacks before, during and after school.
6. Make their own breakfast.
7. Cook one evening meal a week.
8. Walk to the shops on their own.
9. Tidy their own bedroom and make their bed.
10. Clean their part of the house, including tidying, sweeping and vacuuming.
11. Keep clothes and shoes clean including using a washing machine and an iron. At the very least, put their dirty clothes in the laundry basket.
12. Care for personal items such as toys, technology, sports and leisure equipment.
13. Take messages to school, including delivering excursion notes and other important messages to the front office.
14. Take responsibility for personal hygiene, such as brushing teeth, bathing, and keeping their face and hands clean.
15. Feed and look after pets on a regular basis.
16. Pack and unpack the family dishwasher or, alternatively, wash and dry the dishes by hand.
17. Prepare the weekly family chores roster.
18. Choose clothing each day within suitable limits.
19. Make their own in-store purchases and shop for some personal items.
20. Manage their own simple expenditures such as lunch money, entertainment expenses and personal items.