It DID take about 30 minutes and me insisting he not give up and one small temper tantrum when he knocked the entire stack over by accident, but he folded and put away four dish towels all by himself.
I am typing this miraculous account with a humongous grin.:) One little step for Gabe. One giant leap in his mother’s hope for the future.
One day, my little ones will be able to help me around the house. I don’t plan to ever make my kids into child slaves, but I do plan to teach them about what it takes to run a house, and what it takes to be part of a family. I’d love to instill some nice virtues (generosity, charity, strong work ethic, cheerful service, etc.) in them as well, but I have no idea how to get from Lovely Goal to end result with that one.
Here are some other “chores” I am introducing for Gabe (3 1/2) and Faith (2), of course just as I remember to do it and as I sense the kids are ready:)
– Clear the table after meals
– Put forks and napkins on the table for meals
– Help unload the dishwasher
– Take laundry to the laundry room
– Help unload the dryer (if not too hot, of course)
– Throw away dirty diapers
– Help make the beds
– Dust with socks on their hands
– Water the garden
– Wipe up messes in the kitchen
– Pick up toys before naptime and bedtime
– Fold dish towels
– Wipe off window ledges, window panes, cabinets, etc. with diluted vinegar spray and rag
Please leave a comment if you have any good tips for me on teaching little ones to help out around the house! I know I have at least a few much more experienced mommas and poppas who stop by here who should have some good advice for me! Any tips on learning more patient on my part would be nice too, since letting them “help” can can take so much longer sometimes than just doing it myself.:)
We also sing cleaning songs and talk a lot about how important it is to be "big helpers" as they become big kids. E holds the dustpan for me while I sweep, "washes" dishes on a stool next to me (extremely counter productive, but she LOVES it), and peels onion and garlic while I cook (she's surprisingly great at it!). This isn't a "chore" exactly, but I let her sit on a stool at the counter while a cook and I give her little plastic bowls and spoons with dried beans, rice, etc and let her cook while I'm cooking. I find activities like that make her more prone to pitch in and just make her that she is part of the vital chores that make a family work, like cooking.
My sister made up little cleaning songs and would sing them whenever helping the kids clean. After a short time she would start singing the song and they would automatically start to clean. It made her life so much easier……of course she ended up hating the song but it worked. They taught it to their little brother and he sings it too.