Kids and Chores: Train Now, Enjoy Later

Life seems to be moving really fast right now!  I am struggling with some of my goals, but one area that I am proud of is teaching Asher (5) to help around the house more.

I have given him jobs before, but I often get busy with something else, and he just ends up with a big mess (that he’s quite proud of).

"Look, Mommy, the bubbles are spilling over."

Recently, I made a decision to spend time each week training him to help with laundry. The thought occurred to me, “What if he could help me with laundry?” Like, really help? Laundry is such a battle for us, so it seems like it would be well worth my time to teach him.

So, I am coaching him through one load of laundry per week. He brings his clothes downstairs (throwing some over our upstairs balcony for added fun), turns on the washer, puts the detergent in, sorts and stuffs the clothes in the washer.   I fully supervise each step at this point.  He then transfers to the dryer when they are finished.  He has a harder time with folding and putting up the clothes, but we can keep working on that.

Teaching takes time now, but if it means less laundry for me later, it will be worth it!

More thoughts on kids and chores:

Simple Mom: Preschooler’s chore chart and how she uses the chart

Quirky Momma: Lists several blogs discussing kids and chores