Skip to main content

How to Teach A Strong Work Ethic to Your Child Early in Life

2 min read
How to Teach A Strong Work Ethic to Your Child Early in Life

Instilling a child with a strong work ethic is critical for success later in life. Most achievements require hard work and determination. By teaching your child that working hard for what he or she wants in life is invaluable and why it’s important to take his or her responsibilities seriously, your child will be well on the road to developing a strong work ethic that can become second nature.

You can start to introduce the concept of a strong work ethic at a young age, which is when it’s best to do so. Here are some guidelines for how to teach work ethic:

Lead by example.

The best way to teach a child anything is by example. Take your child to work with you when you can, and let your child watch what you are doing. Teach him or her the basics of working at a job, such as being timely, doing good work and always doing one’s best, demonstrating initiative, exceeding employer or client expectations and personal expectations, and maintaining a positive and cheerful attitude.

At home, show your child how you handle various tasks and responsibilities, and that you’re not above pitching in for any of them.

Assign tasks and chores.

Make your child responsible for various tasks around the home, and give him or her a list. Many experts are divided on the subject of rewarding children for helping around the home. Whether or not you decide to give your child an allowance or other reward for doing chores, be sure that you acknowledge to your child the ways in which his or her contributions help the household.

Explain the reason.

Discuss with your child why the chore needs to be done and why he or she is doing it, so that your child understands the real-life application and reasoning beyond possibly receiving an allowance or reward. Be sure to explicitly spell out the consequences of non-completion of a task. For example, the dishes need to be washed so that the family has plates to eat off of and utensils to use with the next meal.

Make “work” a team effort.

For younger children especially, having them work together with you on chores can be a good stepping stone to teaching the value of hard work. For example, younger kids can easily become distracted by the toys that they were asked – a task – to put away. If you work side-by-side with your child, you can help keep him or her focused on the task at hand while showing how to stick with something to completion.

Use school for teachable moments in work-ethic application.

School is likely one of your child’s first experiences with developing a “work ethic.” Set clear expectations. Make sure that your child understands the consequences for completing or not completing schoolwork and homework, as well as for the amount of effort put forth.

As hard as it may be, allow your child to suffer the consequences that may result from a lack of “work ethic.” For example, if your child is falling behind in class because he or she hasn’t been studying, have your child find out if there is an opportunity to work for extra credit to bring up the grade. Or, you could hire a tutor and have your child dedicate more time for the subject in which he or she may be struggling.

Was this article helpful?
0%
100%
View All Lifestyle & Parenting Tips Articles

Swipe to see our products & get a free quote

Term Life
Term Icon

Term Life Insurance

Adults 18-70

Flexible coverage at a price that’s right for you.

Whole Life
Whole Icon

Whole Life Insurance

Adults 18-70

Keep it for life and build cash value.

Guaranteed Life
Guaranteed Icon

Guaranteed Life Insurance

Adults 50-80

Coverage for adults between 50 and 80 years old.

Accident Protection
Accident Icon

Accident Protection

Adults 18-69

Help protect loved ones without busting your budget.

Grow-Up
Grow-Up Icon

Grow-Up® Plan

Children 14 and under

Valuable protection that grows with your little one.

College Plan
College Icon

Gerber Life Insurance College Plan

Children 18 and under

Safe, secure and easy way to help pay for college.

Term Icon

Term Life Insurance

Get a free instant quote

Your quote

spinner sprite icon

Get a Free Quote

Have you used tobacco? *

* Indicates required field
** Currently not available in Delaware, District of Columbia, New York, or North Dakota

Still want to learn more, view our product page for more information.

Whole Icon

Whole Life Insurance

Get a free instant quote

Your quote

spinner sprite icon

Get a Free Quote

Have you used tobacco? *

* Indicates required field
** Currently not available in Delaware, District of Columbia, New York, or North Dakota

Still want to learn more, view our product page for more information.

Guaranteed Icon

Guaranteed Life Insurance

Get a free instant quote

Your quote

spinner sprite icon

Start here. It's easy!

Let us customize a Guaranteed Life Insurance quote just for you.

* Indicates required field

Still want to learn more, view our product page for more information.

Accident Icon

Accident Protection

Get a free instant quote

Your quote

spinner sprite icon

Get a Free Quote

Just enter the state you live in to get an instant quote.

* Indicates required field

Still want to learn more, view our product page for more information.

Grow-Up Icon

Grow-Up® Plan

Get a free instant quote

Your quote

spinner sprite icon

Get Your Free Quote Now

See how little it costs to help protect your child

* Indicates required field

Still want to learn more, view our product page for more information.

College Icon

Gerber Life Insurance College Plan

Get a free instant quote

Your quote

spinner sprite icon

Start here. It's easy!

Tell us about yourself, and we'll customize a plan just for you:

Child's Age *
Relationship to Child *
Your Age *

* Indicates required field

Still want to learn more, view our product page for more information.

We’d like to notify you about updates, videos, new products and more.

Notifications can be turned off at any time in your browser settings.