Real Tools, Real Work

I shared a picture earlier this week in a note to parents from the summer session 1 class of children using small brooms and dustpans to clean up after working in the sand table.  A parent wrote to ask where I had purchased the small brooms because she wanted to have one on hand at home.  I highly recommend not only stocking your home with real tools, but also providing lots of opportunities to put them in to action.  These children were simply pointed to where the dustpans hung nearby, and they set to work.

I was reminded upon reflection of a speaker I heard a number of years ago whose main message stuck with me long after I left.  I wish I could credit her with it now, but regrettably, I cannot.  It went something like this...Independence breeds responsibility which breeds altruism.  First we learn to take care of ourselves, then we learn to contribute to our families and then we offer ourselves to the world.  What a wonderful thought!

And it all begins with the belief that children are competent and capable and oh so willing to make some contributions at home and in the classroom.

I taught for many years before I had an occasion to bring the vacuum out to cleanup during the middle of class and when I did, there was queue to use it!

How often to you hear the affirmation from children that they can do it and want to do it themselves?  Why not work towards creating more opportunities to get your children involved in the everyday work of your lives?  Emory Luce Baldwin suggests beginning with an invitation to your child, "Would you like to learn how to do this yourself?"  Work that we find mundane and ordinary will be very attractive to children.  Vacuuming, setting the table, dusting, rinsing dishes for the dishwasher, washing out the recyclables, folding laundry and pet care are some good beginning points.  Baldwin also advises to break the job into small chunks, demonstrating a step at a time, offering suggestions, not directions, and using humor and whimsy to make the learning fun.  Most of all, she adds, appreciate generously!  Give children opportunities to make real contributions.  Here are some tasks she suggests are age appropriate for preschool children:

Two and three year olds can pick up toys and put them away, water plants and gardens, help plan meals, scrub veggies with a brush, choose clothing and work towards dressing themselves, push buttons to start the dishwasher, sweep and wipe up after meals.  I'm sure you'll find more work to add...

Four and five year olds can help put groceries away on the lower shelves, feed pets, rake leaves, help prepare sandwiches, retrieve mail, clean up toys after play, make beds, put clean clothes away, answer phones properly, take out garbage and help washing dishes.

The benefits?  Your child will feel a sense of competence and growth, and the value of making a useful contribution to the family.