I have to admit, I really like cleaning, organizing, and tidying. I always joke to my husband that I really don’t have that many hobbies but cleaning the house is one of them. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t call it a hobby…that’s pretty weird, right? I would really love to pass on my love of orderliness to my kids though.
So, since Isla turned five years old she really loves being independent. It's like all of a sudden she decided she was a big girl. I guess typically the ages of 1-3 years old is described as toddler and 4-5 is a preschooler/kindergartener! That’s a pretty big deal. She wants to do chores just like her mama so that’s great news!
Isla has been doing chores for a couple of years now. She is my helper when I empty out the dishwasher and she is in charge of putting away all the utensils (I put away the knives first). Isla used to have to pull up a small stepper stool to do it when she was little and it was so adorable to see her leaning on the counter with tiptoes on the stool. Now she is so fast at it. Isla loves this chore and never complains about this one.
Another chore that my daughter does is putting laundry away. When the laundry is dry, we put the clothes on the floor and she helps me sort the laundry into 4 piles - hers, Noa's, Mom’s and Dad’s stuff. Isla then has to fold and put away her laundry into the dresser. I put away everyone else’s laundry after we sort.
I like to try to make putting away the laundry more fun. After she matches up the socks, we divide it up into two piles and take turns throwing them into the laundry basket. She keeps track of who scores more. Isla is very competitive, so making it a contest helps make this task more exciting. She has great hand-eye coordination so she beats me most of the time! Definitely still a WIN for mommy though.
Isla also LOVES mopping the floor. I’m not too sure why she likes this chore so much, but no complaining from me! After the holiday season and hosting many get-togethers with friends and family, our floors were quite a mess. The day after New Years, I promised her we could mop the floor, but we had such a busy day that we didn’t get around to it. Isla remembered just before bedtime and was so disappointed and sad. “Mommy, you said we could mop the floors today and you forgot.” My bad! We did it the next morning to make up for my mistake.
The other weekend, Isla joined our cleaning crew and helped with dusting. We were both armed with Swiffer cloths and ready to go. I told her that the perimeter of the house is like a racetrack and we have to go through the course to get to the finish line. Isla was on her hands and knees to do the baseboards and was also the perfect height to dust the window sills. We had a great time and laughed as we encountered obstacles while racing each other. What a great morning activity! Hanging out with mama is so fun. Haha!
I’m glad to have a little helper around the house and before I know it, Noa will be joining us too. Now I just have to figure out how to get my Dad to have the same enthusiasm for cleaning as the rest of my family. I’m sure everyone has seen the article about husbands creating extra housework for their wives. I don’t think my Dad creates 7 hours of extra work for my mom a week. He creates some, but probably not 7! Is that a compliment?
I’d love to hear about how other mommies are making chores fun for the kids!
