Teaching Housekeeping Skills in Schools

Argumentative Essay

Should Children Learn and Practice Housekeeping Skills at School?

Introduction

Learning household skills at school sounds absurd, yet it is necessary in today’s world. There is a reason why I chose this topic, as it is seen that most children in the family are raised in the system of patriarchy (White et al., p. 1). Hence, the core system is all about gender based chores in the house, where boys are taught to do the income-based activities, and on the other hand, girls are taught to do the household chores.

In recent years, educational professionals have published their observations and studies, and consequently, more people are now beginning to see the inclusion of these home economics skills, such as laundry and cooking, as part of the formalized education curriculum. This paper argues that teaching children basic housekeeping skills at the school level allows them to develop their cognitive abilities, enhances their self-image, and prepares them for future independence. Properly implemented, teaching basic housekeeping skills in schools will yield greater benefits than potential limitations related to time and potential cultural insensitivity.

Housekeeping Builds Cognitive and Executive Skills

The regular cleaning through structured organization, arrangement, and management of home tasks helps children develop their executive functioning abilities. An ever-growing amount of research is highlighting how creating these types of habits is linked to improving executive functioning, working memory, decreasing impulsivity, and teaching children to use their time efficiently while completing their tests and assignments. Children who develop these habits and have a high level of executive functioning will have better chances of being successful in school and in their adult lives, as well as during their lives, when they face challenges with problem-solving (Tepper et al., p. 27). Teachers assist their students in developing these skills by helping create their cognitive abilities to perform cognitive tasks associated with these daily responsibilities, as well as help alleviate the financial burdens on families created through the extra funding needed for classroom-based structured chores, such as categorizing food types, tidying classroom desks, and storing items.

Housekeeping Supports Self-Competence and Academic Gains

The research shows that children who do chores appropriate for their age are more likely to have increased self-confidence and to make a more significant contribution to society. The findings of a longitudinal study of child development indicated that children performed a greater quantity of age-appropriate chores during their elementary years. Therefore, they are having higher levels of self-esteem resulting from the feeling of being useful and providing a greater sense of accomplishment when entering third grade, compared to other children who do not complete their age-appropriate jobs. Hence, doing chores allows children to become physically active, as well as helps to create a sense of responsibility in children and teaches them about these concepts and words, and it also develops respect for themselves as individuals. Incorporation of chores into formal schooling will provide support for children's academic and social development.

Addressing Time, Cultural Bias, and Equity Concerns

Some believe it is unnecessary to provide training in home-furnishing and household-management techniques because it diverts attention from considerably more important areas like reading, writing, and arithmetic. Additionally, those who argue against the necessity of homemaking skills indicate that the curricula reflect only a narrow perspective of an entire culture’s approach to home management (Xia et al., p. 105629).

 To support that viewpoint, schools should begin developing short instructional units in these life-skill areas. The practical implementation of such units could be done in Health or Counselling classes. Therefore, incorporating such lessons into existing subject areas would not significantly impact the academic time provided to students. The language used to teach the life skills in these lessons can also be created so that it is presented from a global perspective, thus creating some neutrality among all different cultures. 

By giving students a hands on opportunity to create something for themselves, schools provide a way for students to experience equity. Throughout the course of the school year, students will participate in numerous hands-on projects related to making items. In addition, thanks to the partnerships with various community institutions, where these students connect with all local resources, allowing them to have the ability to create anything from furniture to apparel to crafts (White et al., p. 1).

Conclusion

Ultimately, we should implement the teaching of housekeeping in the educational system, as housekeeping develops the ability to execute good executive functioning and thus helps with self-esteem building and developing a sense of responsibility for children. Along with this, housekeeping also supports academic success at school, as research indicates that when housekeeping was included as part of the overall course curriculum and appropriate for students’ ages as it has positively impacted students’ academic achievement. Students gain knowledge of how to perform household management skills, both cognitive skills as well as practical skills, and then apply those skills toward becoming a responsible, independent, and productive adult.

Works Cited

Tepper, Deanna L., et al. “Executive Functions and Household Chores: Does Engagement in Chores Predict Children’s Cognition?” Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, vol. 69, no. 5, May 2022, https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12822.

White, Elizabeth M., et al. “Associations between Household Chores and Childhood Self-Competency.” Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, vol. 40, no. 3, Nov. 2018, p. 1, https://doi.org/10.1097/dbp.0000000000000637.

Xia, Liting, et al. “The Relationship between Involvement in Household Chores and Problem-Solving Abilities among Preschool Children and the Moderating Role of Parental Scaffolding.” Acta Psychologica, vol. 260, North-Holland, Sept. 2025, p. 105629, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105629.