Before the summer vacation started, I had visions of what 3 months at home with a 3 year-old and 5 year-old would look like. Daily crafts, outdoor adventures, and baking nutritious snacks together — all achieved with no screen time at all (looking for tips on managing that? Click here!) Well, the reality has been… different. With another baby on the way, I’ve had to give myself some much-needed grace. We’ve baked together, but made box brownies. We’ve crafted, and my garden (and washing machine) is now full of painted rocks. We ventured to the beach armed with other non-pregnant adults. Overall, this has been a summer of learning. I spent our previous summers working in a corporate job in London with the girls in day-care full-time, so this is all new to me.
Children learn through imitation. Many educational philosophies are based on this principle, including Montessori, Steiner, and Waldorf. I have to say that the times I’ve involved my kids in household tasks have made them take longer and made more mess — but have also made them much more fun. For everyone! Especially once I’ve let go of control. Even if the kids lose interest quickly, it means they will typically go off and find something “more fun” to do. They play independently and I get to carry on with the task at hand.
Here are a few of the household chores that have been a hit with the kids lately:
1. Car (or Porch) Washing
A couple of buckets of water, a bottle of dish soap (they will use all of it), sponges, and cloths are all that is needed to set them off on this useful task. The hardest part of this activity (for mom!) is keeping the buckets full of water, because they typically tip them out. I typically let them clean the car before I’m due to go to the car wash anyway, as just half the car gets cleaned if I’m lucky.
2. Dishes
Bit of an obvious one, but also an obvious one to forget! We invested early in a kitchen helper, so even when they were super little they could reach things (you can even get double ones for multiple kids). Again, more dish soap is required!
3. Dusting
Even better if you can buy one of those old-fashioned feather dusters. They’re actually better at doing baseboards than me because they are that bit closer to the floor! They also like to dust the floors which is less helpful, but appreciated.
4. Laundry
This could be a list in itself, because every stage is an activity in and of itself! When I strip the beds and wash towels I let them throw them down the stairs, which somehow makes them laugh uncontrollably. They also love pressing the power and start buttons on the machines. Unloading is less popular, but once it’s all dry we play a ‘whose is this?’ game and I always guess wrong (cue more laughter).
5. Washing and Chopping Fruit & Veg
This one caught me by surprise. My then 2 year-old spent 20 minutes washing blueberries and individually drying them on paper towels. Every time she was done she put them back and did it again! My 5 year-old loves chopping the stalks off strawberries. I bought these plastic kid-friendly knives which come in various sizes, and actually work pretty well on anything softer than a raw carrot.
I should say that, full disclosure: I don’t do this every time. You just can’t! There are plenty of times when they’ll be watching TV whilst I prepare dinner alone, or I’ll leave other tasks until after they have gone to bed, because sometimes doing household chores for kids with kids is just too much. But if you’re stuck for something to do, especially on the long days of summer, give something on this list a try — you may well be surprised, too.
