For our laundry we have one hamper and I separate (darks and whites) and then do them separately. So that totals for 5 loads. The kids have enough clothes to not have to do their laundry but once every 2 weeks (or weekly if they've been extra dirty one week.) What irks me (yes, I the northerner just used the word irk in a written sentence) is that as soon as the laundry has been washed and dried and the hamper returned to its proper place, it is within minutes filled with items that should have been in the original laundry that was just completed.
Hmph ... !
So what's a mom to do? Well, when my children forget to bring their baskets to the laundry room they don't get their laundry done. At 7 and 5 both are old enough to know when they have a full laundry basket they need to bring it to the laundry room and let mom know that the basket is full. They learned their lesson about this recently. Someone (not going to name names) ran out of underwear. So I believe the laundry lesson will be one they remember for some time.
I also have been teaching all my children (yes, even the 2 year old) how to take care of their clothes and different parts of doing laundry. My 2 year old helps throw the laundry into the washer and helps push the wet clothes into the dryer. He also helps separate his socks when we have his clean clothes finished.
Arianna and Audrie, being older, are being taught how to start the washer, add the soap (with Mom supervising), and how to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer. That way they are learning responsibility as well as a lifelong necessity.
I think because I've had them helping since a very early age all three of them LOVE to do laundry. We have to work on the second stage of laundry (folding and putting away), but at least for the meantime they like to have clean clothes.
So does anyone have any suggestions on how to get younger children to enjoy separating, folding, and putting their clothes away? I'd LOVE to hear them because my girls dislike it terribly. (I can't blame them. I don't really like to put my clothes away either. :( I know a bad example.)
I am entering this in The Christian Home blogazine for this upcoming week's issue.
6 comments:
I understand/ We just made a new laundry schedule yesterday. We are doing one load of laundry. One persons per day.
Also my daughter is doing the laundry M,T, W, and I am doing it Th, F, S. No laundry on Sunday.
I am stopping by from the Blog Walk.
I know I am behind, but I am catching up.
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When my son was a little younger we drew pictures of the main thing that went into each drawer and taped the drawings to the bottom of the drawers. It worked and they are still there.
For sorting clothes, we sort by color. For a short while we used colored construction paper as a guide and put the clothes by the paper they matched before sorting.
I'd like to know how you get them to care that they don't have clean underwear. My kids would just be delighted with the excuse to go without.
Rodna - thanks for stopping by!
Jennifer - great ideas, those picture. Might do that this time, especially for my 5yo.
Four Little Penguins - I don't know why they care, but they don't like feeling bare. ;)
It sounds like you are doing all the right things! Just keep at it and it will pay off.
Maybe for the putting the laundry away. You could sneak a little treat into their drawers and tell them when they put their clothes away they might find something fun. It might give them a little incentive to get started anyway!
My little ones enjoyed making labels for their drawers so that they knew where everything goes. Anything that helps them "take ownership", know what I mean?
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