Following on from my last post concerning teaching 2 to 3 year old children tidy skills, lets move on to 4 to 5 year olds.
If you were consistent, didn’t sabotage the process by “helping or micro managing” your little 2 to 3 year old;s, they should now be putting their toys away, popping their dirty clothes in the hamper and when they remove their little shoes they pop them in the cupboard, all pretty much without being told or reminded… Its now second nature….So lets add a little more.
4 to 5 year olds
As your child gets older, you can add more tasks. If you have any pets at home, assist them in feeding your family pet. They can even help to wipe up any spills. Little ones should attempt to make their bed, it probably wont be good, but its a start and your creating a habit and practice will improve… and leave it alone, don’t adjust it.. Teach them to turn off lights as they leave rooms. Teach them to hang their towel in the bathroom so that it dries. Teach them to open their blinds or curtains in the morning. Get them to help you put their clean clothes away.
In the family area, say the kitchen, you may ask the little ones to help you pop cutlery away, its not much but its a start to bigger things and they can bring their plate/bowl & cutlery to the sink and push their chair in.
Some people have messaged me and said its too hard and kids should be kids…. You are a parent, its your role to teach your child all the skills that he or she will need to function happily when they are adults. I see the other side and its a difficult process to teach teens and young adults and its usually not successful. I can make headway but they fall back into their normal habits, particularly if the parents fall back into their normal habit too. I see so many tired and stressed parents who are frustrated that their teens or young adult kids cant do anything without pushing them….. And I say to them “what do you expect, you never taught them”…. What they have done is stunted their development by letting them be kids and just play without any responsibility and now I see young adults that still behave like little kids….
You reap what you sow.
