Helping around the house doesn’t need to be a chore, and helping with the laundry is a great way to get your kid started participating in household tasks.
Laundry is a wonderful way to practice sorting. You can do this by color, by whose laundry it is, or by fabric texture. Ask you kid to sort the laundry and see what happens!
If you want to demonstrate why we sort laundry by color, you can show your kid how water can change color by rinsing off a paintbrush with a little paint on it into a glass of clean water. Ask them to predict what might happen if you washed a red sweater with white socks!
Teach them how to safely use the washing machine with your supervision. Always keep kids safe! Then allow them to do some of the button pushing when you are ready.
Older kids might be interested in how we washed clothes before we had washing machines. They might even want to try it themselves outside on a warm summer day.
If you have space, install a clothesline low enough for your kid to reach, and let them hang up freshly-washed clothes to dry in the sunshine. It takes fine motor skills to manage those clothespins!
If you use a powered dryer, make sure you take a moment to enjoy the cozy warmth as the clothes come out. Who doesn’t love a warm blanket straight from the dryer?
After the clothing is dry, demonstrate how you fold the laundry, so it stays nice and neat until it is needed, and then allow your kid to try it. Even if they’re not quite ready for this step, they can still put it away neatly.
Helping with the laundry is an enjoyable chore that builds life skills, giving kids a sense of accomplishment, and you get a helper!
