The boys love to help around the house! And we usually love to have them help. Of course, sometimes, it’s a little more work or takes about ten times as long, but it is fun to see them learn and participate.
DISHES: The boys love to help unload the dishwasher. Lucian’s dishes are all in his own cabinet which is one of our lower cabinets. He knows he can get his own dishes out and he also likes to put them away when we are unloading the dishwasher.
LAUNDRY: The boys are obsessed with the washing machine and dryer. They are great at carrying dirty laundry to the laundry room, loading the washer and also transferring the clothes to the dryer. Of course they’re experts at pushing the buttons too!
COOKING: The boys love to cook. Measuring, pouring and mixing are all important skills to learn, not to mention fun! We have just started letting Lucian help with stirring things on the stove with some strict safety rules. He is proud to eat when he feels like he cooked the meal.
SETTING AND CLEARING THE TABLE: This is a skill that will develop more as they get older. Here’s a picture of Lucian’s last table setting! It was the day after Halloween, so he thought we needed some candy too. He can barely reach the table, so he just makes a pile but he loves remembering all the things we need and getting to help in this way! The boys are able to throw their trash away and put their dishes in the sink. They can barely reach the sink, but their dishes are plastic and light, so they can just drop them in!
CLEANING: This one is often one that makes more work! But, we really enjoy their willingness to be helpful! We encourage them to clean up their spills! Both boys have both a cleaning set and this mini vacuum that really works! Also, kids love squirting squirt bottles. Just make sure you keep these put away when you are not supervising closely and only use safe cleaners!
GETTING THE MAIL: Walking up the driveway to get the mail is a daily must! I started taking Lu to get the mail soon after he was born. It was a way to guarantee I saw some sunshine every day and it is a tradition he has kept either with me or Dad!
PUTTING OUT AND BRINGING BACK THE TRASH CAN: Because we love Bluey, we call the big trash can the wheely bin and who doesn’t love getting to roll it down the driveway! Of course, its a big bonus if you also get to see the trash truck pick it up!
HELPING WITH YARD WORK: This is something that is so much fun! They are able to help with blowing the leaves, “cutting” the grass, and picking up sticks to put in the burn pile!
WASHING OUTDOOR TOYS: We love to get out a scrub brush and the hose and let the kids do a carwash or was the water table or anything that could use a little scrubbing! Plus, playing in the hose on a warm day is fun!
PUTTING TOYS AWAY: Cleaning up toys can be a real learning opportunity! You can sort by types of things, colors and more! Let’s be honest though! Many times, we do the big time picking when the kids are in bed because it’s so much faster and more peaceful!
What are your favorite tasks to include your kiddos??