What Responsibilities Can A 7 Year Old Take On?
As parents, we have a duty to educate autonomous and independent children who can help themselves. To achieve this objective, it is important to give them responsibilities from the first years of life, always gradually.
With this in mind, we are going to talk about the responsibilities that a child can assume at 7 years of age. Next, we explain what tasks are appropriate for this age.
But, before covering this topic, it is convenient to clarify the concept of responsibility. According to Mª Asunción Fernández Díaz, José Luis Idoate Iribarren, Mª Carmen Izal Mariñoso and Irene Labarta Calvo (2007), it can be defined as:
Well, let’s teach children to make their own decisions, to be consistent with their actions and to understand that all people, whether in the family, at school or in any other social context, through their actions, must contribute their two cents so that coexistence works.
What responsibilities can a 7-year-old take on?
At 7 years of age, a child is ready to perform certain tasks related to personal care and help at home. Thus, some of the responsibilities that can be assumed at this age are
- Dress alone and choose clothes.
- Go to bed alone and get up when notified or when the wake-up calls.
- Shower without the need for help.
- Make the bed.
- Sort your own clothes.
- Caring for and storing own toys and personal items.
- Share belongings with others.
- Do little shopping or errands in the neighborhood.
- Moving to familiar places close to your habitual residence (for example, going alone to the house of a friend or relative who lives nearby).
- Help carry a shopping bag.
- Manage small amounts of money.
How to make a 7-year-old child take responsibility?
We have already seen what responsibilities a 7-year-old can take on. But what must we do to fulfill its duties?
When a 7-year-old is asked to take on some of the obligations mentioned above, positive reinforcement needs to be applied through praise, hugs, shows of attention, acknowledgments, etc., as long as he fulfills his responsibilities and carry them out appropriately, so that these behaviors are more likely to be repeated over time.
At this stage of evolutionary development, the actions of the little ones are conditioned by the approval of their fathers, mothers or other figures of reference. They like that they value your efforts.
Also, at this age, children understand that something is right or wrong, depending on whether the action is approved or rejected by an adult. Therefore, they obey the primary educators or caregivers because they consider that this is the right thing to do, but they do not reflect ethically or morally.
However, little by little, they are acquiring the ability to base their behavior on social norms and civic values that have been instilled in them.
Educating children to take responsibility
Educating children to assume responsibilities is essential for the correct development of children. But nobody says it is easy, it requires a lot of effort, patience and dedication on the part of the adults who are in charge of the education of minors.
Thus, as stated by Mª Asunción Fernández Díaz, José Luis Idoate Iribarren, Mª Carmen Izal Mariñoso and Irene Labarta Calvo (2007):
What are you waiting for to instill in your little ones the value of responsibility and being consistent with their actions?
