Job Talk: A Parenting Tool to Help Get Your Kids to Complete Tasks! by Mindy Hudon, M.S., CCC-SLP

Children generally don’t enjoy being told that they have to do a task, like "make your bed" or "brush your teeth." If you want to increase job performance, change the tasks from a simple command to personal ownership. This transfers the ownership of the task and increases a child’s sense of self. When they “own” a task, kids will be more likely to complete the task and take pride in their work.

Research has shown that empowering others through “job talk” actually increases motivation to complete the task. Empower children to take ownership by making the task into a specific job and giving it a “job title.” The best way to do this is to simply add "er" to the end of a word that describes the desired action. For example:

• "Be a toothbrusher."
• "Be a bed maker."
• "Be a toy cleaning master."

Let me know how it works for you!