Teaching Kids about Maintaining the House

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

11 Jan 2009 04:45 PM

This week I have really been concentrating on teaching my oldest child how to do the laundry. We have gone over sorting, setting the washer and turning it on, adding detergent, transferring clothing to the dryer, setting the dryer and turning that on as well. When the laundry is done, he brings it up two flights of stairs to the master bedroom, where I will fold it (we will work on folding another time). You may be surprised to know that my son is only seven.

At his tender age, he also knows how to vacuum his room, wipe down his bathroom, put his own clothes away, adjust his own bike using tools, rake, shovel and sweep, spackle and load the dishwasher. My daughter, at four, already knows how to sweep, use a dust buster to vacuum (the regular vacuum is too much or a hazard), wipe down the table, kitchen cabinet and appliances (unplugged), clean windows, out her clothes away, find pairs for socks and fold laundry. Our youngest at two, can put his clothes in his drawers, throw away his own garbage and bring his plate to the counter.

Now before you go siting child labor laws at me, please realize that my kids are far from slaves. All of this labor doesn't come for free. I do pay them a very small amount for each household task that does not fall into their regular chores. They are also supervised in their tasks to avoid possible harm to himself and our stuff, and more times than not I have to sneak over and redo their completed jobs.

Teaching kids about all that goes into maintaining a house is important. It not only teaches them valuable skills, but it also educates them on how much there really is to maintaining a home. And kids generally like to help because it makes them realize that they are important members of the family.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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