OBLIGATIONS OF CHILDREN AT HOME AND SCHOOL (BY AGE) - ECONOMÍA - 2025

Knowing the obligations of children at home and in the classroom is important, as it is one of the best ways to educate and instill good values. In this article I will explain some of the most important obligations and responsibilities divided by age groups.

Nowadays it is very common to hear that parents who have a child at home complain that they do not help, do not pick up what they mess up, do not behave well at school… This behavior can influence the life of the child and be extrapolated to other contexts and situations such as school.

If you do not start from a young age to give him responsibilities and obligations, it is very likely that when he grows up it will be difficult for him to internalize this type of duties. The problem we usually have is that we do not know exactly what they can or cannot do and at what ages.

Since the children did not ask to be conceived and it is the parents who decided to have them, the children do not have to pay a cost to their parents.

Parents do not have the right to ask their children to pay for their "investment", either monetarily or by demanding that they "in return" be supported in their old age.

This mentality would only lead to discomfort for children, not enjoying life, family conflicts and in extreme cases to child abuse or neglect.

Giving responsibilities and obligations in childhood should be seen as something positive so that when they are adults, children know how to function alone, be independent and autonomous.

Children are the result of adult decisions, and adults must be aware that their choices have consequences.

Duties and responsibilities at home

When facing this type of situation as parents, many times the question comes to mind as to whether what we are asking of our child is according to his / her age.

It is normal for us to ask ourselves these questions because something we have to keep in mind is that we can only demand from the child what he is capable of doing and he will only be able to do it if we take into account the different stages of his development.

Here are the tasks you could do at home divided by your age group:

2-3 years

Children at this age can work through commands and prohibitions, therefore an adult has to be with them while the action is taking place.

Due to the young age of the child, he is only able to work under the supervision of an adult and does not distinguish why he is doing something right or wrong.

The activities they can do are: put and collect the table napkins, water the flowers, put their slippers in their place, etc.

That is, simple and clear activities for which you do not need a lot of effort.

3-4 years

Children at this stage of development often act through rewards and punishments. Normally, they observe the behavior of the adults around them to later imitate it in the situations that arise.

At this age, they are able to have their things organized so we can ask them to keep their room tidy to some extent.

You can also continue to help set the table, but this time not just the napkins. Even if he has a little more autonomy, it is important that the adult accompany him in the different activities he does.

4-5 years

At this age, it is important that we trust them and allow them to carry out some activities at home alone, activities that since they were little we have been introducing them little by little, such as setting the table, tidying up their room a little more…

The child at this age will want to please and serve the adult, therefore, they will have responsible initiatives. In addition, as in the previous stage, it will continue to imitate the actions of adults in the different contexts in which it interacts.

5-6 years

When the child is this age, we can let him / her participate in household tasks that require more responsibility such as finding what they need to do some exercise, clean the dust, prepare clothes for school, etc.

From this age on, you can assimilate some rules and respect them, it also awakens the sense of intentionality. However, she still needs the adult to tell her what is right or wrong with her behavior.

6-7 years

He is able to carry out the orders given to him without any problem. You can also manage the money you are given and start saving. You can move around the neighborhoods that are known to you and are close to home such as school, a friend's house…

He continues to imitate the adult, so it is important that our behaviors are in accordance with the rules that we impose on them.

8 years

At this age he already begins to have more independence, that is, he begins to be more autonomous. Also depending on your intentions, you can control your impulses.

He is able to control his time and activities, so he can already organize himself, he also usually controls the money that his parents provide him as payment.

This will allow us to send you actions such as: go to school alone, take a bath or even prepare breakfast.

9-11 years

It is quite autonomous and is able to organize your materials, your clothes and even your savings. At this age you can take care of the housework that we propose. You like to be rewarded for your actions.

11-12 years

You have the ability to know when you do something wrong and even know the consequences that these actions will have.

He also has the sense of responsibility acquired, so he will try to fulfill his obligations correctly.

13-15 years

They are the first years of adolescence in which they will begin to be more rebellious and to have priority for their group of friends.

At this age it is important to let the children know who has authority in the home - the parents - and that certain rules must be respected.

The most important responsibilities will be studying - going to school - helping with household chores (setting the table, tidying up her room, throwing out the trash…), and if she has started to go out, getting home at the time agreed with her parents.

15-18 years

At this age the adolescent will have to follow the same rules as at 13-15 years, being especially important to begin teaching discipline.

To avoid conflicts, the rules will have to be verbally communicated or even written down. More responsible tasks such as shopping at the supermarket or other errands that teach them to function may be delegated to adolescents.

On the other hand, for the safety of adolescents, it is important to control the times of entry and exit from the home, and have them located.

However, bullying with too much control will be negative and will lead to the adolescent not wanting to be in contact with the parents.

If the adolescent is out with friends, one solution is to ask him / her to call or text at a certain time to say that he / she is okay. That way you will do it voluntarily.

Here is a summary table of the activities they can do for each stage:

There are many more responsibilities and obligations the child can do to help out at home.

I have numbered some by way of example so that you can get an idea of ​​the exercises they can do depending on the age.

Obligations and responsibilities at school

Next, we are going to present in stages the responsibilities and obligations of the child in the school context:

3 years

They are able to obey the orders of their teacher. On some occasions, she is responsible for the objects or material that she takes to school from home.

Lastly, she has the ability to wait her turn in class when the teacher is busy with another classmate.

At 4 years

You can run errands inside the school, and even from the inside out or the other way around. That is, we can communicate with the teacher through it or even through notes that are placed in his backpack or in any of his materials.

Between 5 and 6 years

Children of this age like to do homework to display at home, although you need instructions to get it right.

It is important that we give him positive reinforcement of these activities in order to develop his feeling of competence.

At 7 years old

He is able to organize his school supplies as well as his backpack. Therefore, it is necessary that you have a schedule to do it in order to create habits and routines. She still needs instructions on the tasks that adults propose to her.

At age 8

Time can be allocated if an adult supervises you and is responsible for homework. It is important that we allow you to distribute your time even if we advise and control you.

At age 9

At school he usually enjoys his class and his classmates, so he feels good about what he does.

In addition, he is able to prepare his materials and tries to get to school on time. He also accepts discipline without difficulty and adheres to class rules.

At age 10

Teachers can send you helpful social tasks. At this age, he usually wants to do his homework quickly to be able to play, so he is still not very responsible in his studies and needs vigilance.

Finally, say that you think on your own and are not satisfied with any question so you usually work better in a group.

At the age of 11

In general, they are usually responsible for their tasks and duties. He is also critical of teachers and is motivated by studies. Finally, he shows curiosity about the knowledge of the physical and social environment.

At 12 years

Usually shows great concern for grades and exams. She also rejects tasks that cause fatigue, continues to enjoy learning, and works better in groups.

Below, as a summary, I present the responsibilities and obligations that children have in school based on their age group:

If at home we work on the sense of responsibility and obligation, the children will not have any difficulty in carrying out those at school, since as can be seen they go hand in hand.

Conclusions

It is important that as parents and educators, we adapt to the stage of development in which the child is at the time of requiring them to fulfill their obligations and responsibilities both at school and at home.

Although we have listed the activities that can be done classified by age, each child is different and progresses at their own pace.

Therefore, it is important that we adapt to each child individually so that they can carry out the activities without feelings of frustration and can affect their self-esteem.

As parents we must be consistent with both our actions and our promises. That is, the child will imitate our behavior in the different contexts that she has to develop, so we have to respect the rules that we have imposed on her and comply with them.

References

1. Development of responsible behaviors from 3 to 12 years (S / F). Government of Navarra.
2. Texas Children's Hospital (October 2002). "Growth and development of adolescents"
3. Monton, J., Casado, E. (2005) Lifestyles, habits and psychosocial aspects of adolescents. Study of the population aged 10 to 19 in Pozuelo de Alarcón and Leganés. Madrid: Complutense University of Madrid Back to top
4. Hattie, J., Biggs, J., & Purdie, N. (1996). "Effects of learning skills interventions on student learning: A meta-analysis." Review of Educational Research, 66, 99-136. go back up
5. Baquero and Narodowski. "Does childhood exist?", In: IICE Magazine Year III No. 6, Miño y Dávila, Bs.As. pp. 61-67, 1994.