"A roof to keep out the rain. Four walls to keep out the wind. Floors to keep out the cold. Yes, but home is more than that. It is the laugh of a baby, the song of a mother, the strength of a father. Warmth of loving hearts, light from happy eyes, kindness, loyalty, comradeship. Home is first school...for the young ones where they learn what is right, what is good, and what is kind. Where they go for comfort when they are hurt or sick. Where joy is shared and sorrow eased. Where fathers and mothers are respected and loved. Where children are wanted. Where the simplest food is good enough for kings because it is earned. Where money is not so important as loving-kindness. Where even the teakettle sings from happiness. That is home."
Ernestine Schumann-Heink
Children through the ages have been given opportunities to earn money through gainful employment. When used appropriately, it helps children develop character and a good work ethic. It gives them an opportunity to explore the world and apply the things they have learned in academia to real life. The sense of worth that productive work gives to a child is of substantial value. Work, when used as a part of a home school curriculum, helps to form values, skills, and knowledge that develop the entire child.
When using work as a part of a homeschool program, there are several things to consider:
1. Work should be appropriate to the age of the child. It should not be tedious or forced, but rather something that engages the interest of the child and inspires them to participate.
2. When working with young children, participating with them encourages them and develops positive attitudes. A team approach works best.
3. The amount of time spent working should be tailor-made to the needs and abilities of the child.
4. It should assign enough responsibility for the child to grow, but not so much that it overwhelms and stresses them.
5. Work that inspires creativity and positive attitude is priceless!
6. It is important to teach the child how to budget the money earned through gainful work. Developing a saving, tithing, and spending plan that works will benefit the child for years to come.
Gainful work can be tailor-made to a child’s interests and abilities. Babysitting, mowing lawns, and setting up a lemonade stand are just the beginning of a world of possibilities when it comes to gainful work. Applying these principles will be discussed in a future post.
Sometimes finding work opportunities for children can be challenging. Daily chores create opportunity for routine work experience, and tasks like lawn mowing or pulling weeds in the garden provide opportunity for extra jobs that can provide learning and fulfillment for children. But it’s important that purposeful work be provided that is not part of the daily routine. Children should not be made to feel that ‘work’ is a negative concept and is just something they have to do to make their parent’s lives easier. An altruistic spirit is good and work can help create it, but that is not the entire purpose and role of work as a part of a home school curriculum. Children can develop work attitudes and a sense of self-worth if they have work related jobs that are unique to them and provide them with a sense of fulfillment. Thus, special care needs to be taken in helping a children in this role. In the past, school children could harvest cucumbers or strawberries for pay, or work on a farm changing irrigation pipes. Regulations regarding the age that children can be employed has made it more difficult for children to find work related roles, so creative thought must be applied! Helping a child establish a small home business is one way of providing meaningful work related opportunities for them and a good way for them to earn extra money.
Here are some ideas of work opportunities for children:
1. Being a mother’s assistant or babysitting.
2. Washing cars.
3. Baking homemade bread and selling it to neighbors.
4. Having a bake sale.
5. Setting up a lemonade stand.
6. Participating in a yard sale and having a table of toys, clothes, or things not wanted or needed any more.
7. Folding laundry and/or ironing shirts for a neighbor or relative.
8. Sewing aprons or cushions and selling them to friends and neighbors.
9. Growing a vegetable or flower garden and selling the produce or flowers.
10. Writing a monthly neighborhood newspaper and selling it for a quarter to community members.
Gainful employment and business opportunities for teens are not as difficult to implement as it is for elementary age children. The key to success in this area is to encourage the teen to find something to do that follows their own natural interest and ability. Encouraging teens to develop skills that they have or would like to develop is key. That, along with the spending money that gainful work provides, works as interest and incentive for the teen.
Some ideas for youth employment and business opportunities are:
1. babysitting and child care
2. housekeeping or assistance with spring-cleaning
3. growing flowers and selling bouquets
4. building customer computers and selling them
5. working as a computer tech, fixing problems and reformatting computers
6. growing produce and selling at a fruit stand or Farmer’s Market
7. making products to sell like jams, jellies, bread, cookies, cakes
8. catering meals for an event like a wedding or family reunion
9. mowing, weeding, planting yard care business
10. ironing and doing custom laundry
11. doing car detailing and washing
12. tutoring young children; being a homework helper
13. bagging groceries at a supermarket
14. working in a fast food restaurant
15. caretaking of the elderly
16. becoming a personal shopper, for groceries or other items
17. gathering firewood and selling it
18. painting rooms, houses, or furniture
19. repairing cars or lawn mowers
20. sewing things and selling them
Sometimes work can be especially "fun". The teen in this picture is modeling for a jet boat promotion and brochure. Although something might look like recreation, it can also be gainful work.
