Starting chores early

Starting chores when children are young and enthusiastic is great timing. Most preschoolers are not very good at chores but they are often eager to help. When parents give their preschoolers some simple chores and start teaching them how to do more complicated ones, they are on the road to enabling their children to be significant contributors to the family.

One mom told me she is teaching her 5-year-old twins how to do the laundry. Although she still needs to provide some guidance, she remarked that the boys are so proud they know what buttons to push and how to do a load of laundry! Mastering new household skills builds self-confidence in children and starts building appreciation for what needs to be done to keep the household running.

2 comments:

Liz said...

Since Hazel is only 20 months, it was really difficult to get the laundry folded sucessfully while she was awake. But, we designated the bottom drawer of her dresser for pajamas, and while I'm folding the laundry, I will hand her 1 pair (or half) of jammies and ask her to put them in the drawer. It takes her a while, so I can get the rest of the load folded, but she always completes the task! It's never too early!

Kathy Slattengren said...

What a perfect task for Hazel! I bet she's proud of being able to help out and it keeps her busy for a little while.

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