If you ever doubt your child’s inventiveness, just ask them to tidy their room or help fold the washing. As far as they’re concerned, it’s no coincidence ‘chore’ rhymes with ‘bore’.

Perth-based child behaviour expert Brad Williams has some advice for you: don’t. “Chores are a great opportunity to spend time with your kids, to teach them, to build their self-esteem, independence and inclination to have a go,” says Williams. That’s all very well, but how do you get past their initial evasiveness?

Get in early If you haven’t got the patience to reason with a five-year-old, don’t think it’s going to be any easier when they’re eight. “You need to do the groundwork when they’re younger if they’re going to develop the willingness to do chores,” explains Williams.

Match the age The first step in getting kids accustomed to helping out is to make sure the tasks are age-appropriate. Don’t be asking a three-year-old to clean windows. “And if you want a four-year-old to put away their clothes, help them out at first before gradually leaving it to them,” advises Williams. Remember, too, that kids don’t necessarily know how to do what might seem simple tasks, so take the time to teach them.

Cut some slack Kids being kids, there’ll be occasions when they leave a chore half-finished. Instead of fuming at them, “praise them for what they’ve done and encourage them to complete the task,” says Williams. Above all, avoid threats about potential consequences, which, warns Williams, only serve to cast the chores in a negative light.

Join the dots Rather than offer pocket money in return for completing chores, spell out how their contribution benefits them – and the family – in other ways. “You might say ‘I really appreciate you putting your shoes away, it gives me more time to kick the footy with you’,” suggests Williams.

Refine your sales pitch “Look at how you ‘sell’ the whole idea of chores,” says Williams. “That starts with looking at how you model the chores you do: do you do them apathetically, or do you attack them? Kids will mirror that.” Oh, and consider the timing. “Chances are you won’t get a good reaction if you ask them to put the washing away when they’re on PlayStation with their mate.”