“I can do it, I can do it, let me help, I’m a big boy!”. Tyler’s frantic cries pierced an otherwise quiet Sunday morning. At least several times a day I hear this from Tyler and as much as possible I let him help me for several reasons. Not only do I boost his self-esteem, allowing him to help me is a great opportunity for him to learn new skills and reinforce old ones. It also helps foster a sense of responsibility and some of the activities actually helps calm him down.
Usually around preschool age, your child will want to be your little helper. Tyler is so proud of himself when he’s assisting me with whatever mundane task I‘m performing and he will loudly proclaim, “I’m a good helper!”
He will usually ask to help when he sees me doing something that looks interesting or when I am performing a task he enjoys such as washing the dishes. At other times I will enlist his assistance whether I need it or not, especially when I can make a learning experience out of it.
I can’t begin to list all the things he helps me with but a few that he does often include:
Assist with the laundry— sorting by color, measuring detergent (not bleach though), putting clothes in the washing machine, taking them out and placing them in the dryer, folding clothes and putting them away.
Food prep/cooking— tearing lettuce for salad, helping with measuring and mixing, making simple meals like sandwiches.
Housework— sweeping the kitchen floor, vacuuming, picking up around the house.
Yard work– racking the leaves, watering plants, picking up trash.
Miscellaneous— crossing off items on my shopping list, helping me make photocopies.
And on and on. As you can see there are many, many small tasks your child can help you with. If you don’t force them they are more likely to want to continue to help out as they grow older. So take advantage the next time your little ones wants to help out, by all means go ahead and them them.