A new study has discovered a way to make kids smarter - but they're not going to like it. Photo / Getty Images
A new study has discovered a way to make kids smarter - but they're not going to like it. Photo / Getty Images
OPINION
Household chores could improve cognitive function in children, a new study has found.
The study, by PhD candidate Deanna Tepper and questioning more than 200 parents, found chore engagement could boost a child's ability to plan, switch between tasks, remember instructions and control their behaviour.
A total of 207 parents of children aged 5-13 were asked to complete surveys on their kids' engagement with household chores and their subsequent executive function, mental skills including memory, flexible thinking and self-control.
Self-care chores, like making oneself a meal, and family-oriented tasks, such as making someone else a meal, significantly predicted working memory and behavioural control, the research found.
The study also discovered encouraging children to do chores could be used to strategically target ability deficits.
Speaking to Perth talk station 6PR on Monday, Tepper suggested aligning a child's chores with their interests could encourage them to take on more household tasks, improving their brain function down the track.
Not all chores have to be boring, Ms Tepper says. Photo / Getty Images
"Children that engaged in more chores actually had better executive functioning skills," Tepper said.
"Not all chores have to be boring. If your children seem to like cooking, then get them involved in that. If they like gardening, encourage that interest from a young age.
"Some children enjoy mimicking their parents, so they like getting into the kitchen and copying what their parents do."
Girls tended to be better at putting clothes away and making their beds, while boys preferred taking out the rubbish, Tepper added.
She suggested an alternative name for chores could also help, given the word's negative connotations.
"We tried household tasks in our journal; I don't know if that is any better, though," she laughed.
