Housework for small children

Modern parents often complain about lazy and dependent children. Kids don't help at home. Moreover they don't even do the simplest duties like to clean up their own room. Where does it come from?

All this is due to ignorance of parents, who bear full responsibility. At the time, the child learns to experience the world, itself taken for helping parents with housework or self-service activities like food or dressing, usually drives away from such activity by parents. Because the child does it slower, awkwardly, because he or she could spill something, drop, flood or break. Because it is convenient for mother and father of the child have nothing to do than show up and learn.

It's a fact that if you wash the dishes or do the laundry with your child takes us a lot more time than if we had done it ourselves. However we should treat it as a futhure investition. Rome wasn't built in a day so learning takes time. In addition, our kid will feel important, useful, needed. Are we ourselves do not like to feel this way?

There is also the issue of responsibility. Very often if we give the child a responsible position (for exemple look after younger siblings or carry a cart in the store), suddenly our little rebellious whiner changes in impeccably polite older brother or little sidekick.

You can't be discouraged by setbacks or inaccuracy. Small children do not yet have precise movements of muscles especially small ones eg. hands. Sharing the work is always good idea and step by step you will help kid less and less.

For example, let's take a peeling vegetables. Give your child a middle part of carrot to peel and cut difficult ends by yourself. After some time, the kid will gain some practise and then he or she will try peel whole vegetable. It will be next challenge for him or her.

Two years:

• Dressing with a little help
• Inserting the laundry into the washing machine
• Washing the plastic dishes and spoons
• Wash himself/herself (it is good from time to time do control)
• Undressing himself/herself and throwing dirty clothes in the laundry basket
• Throwing garbage into the trash
• Cleaning the toys in the evening
• Partially peeling vegetables
• Helping in the shop when unpacking shopping

Three years:

• Dusting in the room
• Making the bed
• Packing up to walk or kindergarten
• Lubrication of the sun cream
• Sorting rubbish (bio, paper, plastic, mixed)
• Peeling a whole vegetables
• Picking fruit and undergrowth (of course mushrooms under control) and peeling them from the stalks
• Brushing teeth on his/her own (it is good to sometimes checked)
• Setting to table
• Eating on his/her own
• Carrying cart in the store (light)

Four years:

• Sweeping the floor
• Cleaning up after a meal
• Sorting the laundry and using the washing machine
• Helping with hanging the laundry
• Putting clothes in cabinet
• Helping in the kitchen (dish of flour, sandwiches, salads)
• Washing hair on his/her own
• Unpacking shopping at home

Five-six years:

• Vacuuming
• Brushing hair
• Caring for the animals

Seven years and more:

• Preparing meals
• Helping in the garden or workshop
• Cleaning the car
• Care of younger siblings