Giving your child chores will benefit them more than you think...
Encouraging your children to do things themselves teaches responsibility and will help develop their self- confidence. Even at such a young age, children will start to want to do things for themselves and be involved with family activities. Promoting independence will also allow you to step on the sidelines and do other things instead of doing everything for your child. School closures and longer home time is an opportunity to start letting your child do simple tasks.
Doing these activities at first will take longer and repetitive but that is how children start to learn. It is better to show how to do it first, then let them do it with a little bit of support when needed, until they can independently do it themselves. The children will enjoy the feeling of success and ownership as they complete the different tasks which will boost self- confidence.
“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” -Maria Montessori
Here are some activities you can do with you child:
1. Food shopping, preparing and cooking
This is a great learning activity for the children. When shopping, you can ask them to get some fruits or vegetables and see if they know what it is. If children see where their food comes from, it might encourage them to eat their food later on. It is also an opportunity to revise colours and shapes of the things they see around.
Ask your child to take fruits and vegetables out from the fridge and wash them. Children can also help in prepping such as cutting, mashing, mixing (should be age appropriate and watch out for safety!) In the Philippines, we were taught how to wash rice, measure the water and cook it in a pot (not rice cooker), as young as 6 years old.
Using a knife is also important for fine motor development. Young children can use a cutlery set like this from IKEA or something similar, to cut, spread butter or jam on toast, etc. Baking, I think is the most fun for the children because they like pouring (teach measuring too), mixing, tasting and of course, making a mess. So be ready for a good tidy up after all the excitement!
2. Meal time
The children can help set the table up and tidy after. During meal times, talk about the food they helped shop and prepare. You can also talk about healthy eating and table manners too!
3. Tidying up
Toddlers love brooms and hoovers. As much as children love making a mess, they will start to like cleaning with you, especially using small brooms. You can try making it an activity by making a shape on the floor using sticky tape and encourage them to brush the "dirt inside the shape" like this:
4. Laundry
Cue: Happy Working Song from the movie Enchanted... Your little ones can help load and unload the wash, hanging clothes using pegs (great fine motor activity!), sorting, matching pairs and folding. I really don't like organizing clothes myself but maybe you can play a music or play a game while folding clothes to make it fun for the children.
These simple activities can be a start for your child. I found this amazing list by Gavin McCormack-
80 Practical Life Activities for Your Toddler During Covid-19 Lockdown which can be really good for toddlers.
Have a read on this article too on Parents.com: 10 Life Skills to Teach Your Child by Age 10
Have fun doing the chores, er... fun activities with your children!
Paalam!
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