1. List the tasks to be accomplished
All family members help decide how to share the tasks and the frequency with which they must be done.
To share tasks democratically, ask the entire family to take a vote. Make sure however that your child is able to take on the tasks assigned. Other family members can offer guidance the first time the tasks are being performed.
2. Assign roles
Aim for an equitable division of labour: As a family, discuss the division of tasks and help your child understand the goal of an equitable division. Ensure that your child understands that tasks should be assigned as a
function of people's abilities, ages, experience, etc. For example, it's possible that a younger sibling will have easier tasks to perform.
3. Delegate tasks
After a discussion or vote that led to the final choices of roles and responsibilities, it's time to get to work!
Some motivational tips
Plan the week's schedule together
Cooperatively plan the schedule of tasks to be completed and discuss the benefits of working this way as well as the potential compromises to be made.
Post the schedule in a place accessible to everyone
Post the schedule, which should list the names of each family member, on the wall of a room where it will be visible and accessible to everyone. This will help your child realize that everyone has responsibilities.
Suggest that everyone cross out tasks as they are completed. This will help “motivate the troops” to complete their tasks.
Choose a “supervisor of the week”
Democratically choose a family member who will be responsible for supervising the week's tasks. Change supervisors every week. To get help, see our quick tips on democratic decision making.
Feel free to make your child supervisor of the week to instill a sense of responsibility. Ensuring that the schedule is respected and all tasks are completed will help your child better understand the importance of everyone's contributions to
communal living.
Plan a weekly review meeting
Add a weekly meeting to the schedule to give the supervisor a chance to review the week's tasks and make any needed adjustments.
This will give you the chance to discuss the advantages of cooperative work as well as each person's perspective on the experience (e.g., benefits, drawbacks, limits, improvements to make, etc.).
The weekly review meeting is a good opportunity to talk about the advantages of using the cooperative method for household tasks and the compromises that may need to be made.
The meeting is also the time to talk about how the work was organized and the adjustments to be made in the coming weeks.