Fun Valentines Day Ideas
January 29, 2013
Puzzled With Organizing
February 4, 2013
Kids And laundry? You Bet!!!
If They Can Reach the Knob, They Are Old Enough For The Job!
Why not start early teaching your kids to do laundry? They are perfectly capable of learning how. They can master technical video games so they can master laundry.
My kids did their own laundry starting in Middle School. I believe it is one more way for them to be responsible and take care of what they have.
Here are some guidelines you can go by:
Do not include towels and wash cloths in their laundry. I learned this the hard way with sour towels. Other than those items, they are responsible for it all.
Get them a rolling laundry sorter
Explain the dials and how to use them.
Show them what can be dried and what needs hanging up. Explain why & how.
Read the labels
Explain the importance of the size of the load. My son was the worst at trying to wash two loads at once. The life of your machines depend on this but it is easy enough to learn.
Show them how to measure out detergent and softeners.
Remember to check pockets!!!!!
Set aside a particular day that is their laundry day. This keeps siblings from getting in each other’s way.
Now that the laundry is washed and dried, show them how you want things folded and what hangs up in their closet.
Let them know that they are not finished until everything is put away properly. See my six year old grandson, Eli putting away his own laundry. Watch video Here. He does not wash and fold his own laundry yet, but he is responsible for putting it away properly.
Share with them a sense of pride for a job well done.
Beware: There may come a day when something does not get washed on time. This is not your problem, it is theirs! My son wore dirty socks to school one day because he did not wash his whites. It bothered me more than it did him. 😯
If you find your child (most likely your teen) sniffing something before they wear it….keep walking! You have been liberated!
Now that you have freed up a chunk of your time during the week, reward yourself. Read a good book, take a long bubble bath!
Do your kids do their own laundry?
Do you have any funny stories to tell?
I can’t count the times that my son washed his wallet. It was a familiar site to see his drivers license and wallet drying on the counter-?
Pink t-shirts & socks? You should have sorted!!!
PS…..If your kids mess up on purpose so you will come to the rescue, don’t do it. You know your kids and their craftiness! 😉
11 Comments
Hi Susie,
I agree with your idea of teaching domestic chores – there is indeed no reason for the kids not to understand, and it helps to develop the responsibility you mention.
I wasn’t given that stuff to do when I was young, and to be honest, I think I would have been better for it if I had!
Cheers,
Gordon
Jenifer, it will help you out so much when she does. Thanks for coming by!
Did you watch the video? It only took me one day to teach him this and he enjoys this chore.
Suerae,I have two kids one girl and one boy. The day they started doing their own laundry I felt like I had been set free. Especially because they would change several times a day.Thank you for your comments
Great post! I am guilty of doing my sons laundry for way too long. He is in high school and had the bad habit of storing up all his dirty clothes and then sending them all down in a HUGE pile. That’s when he started doing his own. My rule was that if he can get his dirty clothes into the hamper on a daily basis, then I will wash them, otherwise, he has to do it. And he’s been doing it ever since. It’s the folding and putting away part that is the problem. I guess if he wants to wear crumpled shirts to school, it’s okay with me!
I used to try to get my oldest to put away her own clothes when she was 4. I ended up giving up. Now her chores just include picking up her dirty washing and putting it in the basket (a task in itself some days). Will have to try again when she gets a little older than she is now at 5.
My kiddo is years away from doing her own laundry…but if she was able to wash her own diapers I would be elated. I seem to recall starting to do my own laundry around middle school age as well.
Hey Audrey, Glad to be a reminder for you. Thanks for commenting!
Great Tips 🙂 My oldest does his own laudry, reminded me time to start teacing my daughter!
Janice, I remember those days! Today my son is 30 years old and he is awesome at ironing too.
I started this when my son objected to me collecting clothes from his room. He has such pride in his laundry now that he is better at ironing than I am 🙂