5 Ways to Make Your House a Classroom
In one of my last posts, I shared “5 Ways to Include Your Child Around the House.” I decided to revisit the topic of making our children a part of our home routine because many benefits come with it.
I know what some of you may be thinking: “They make a bigger mess and give me more work!” or “I don’t have the time to include them in my chores!” From one mother to another, I totally get it and stand with you if these crossed your mind. I still struggle with making time and having patience to include my children. Some days are better than others.
My intention is not to pressure you to incorporate my suggestions into your life if they don’t fit. This isn’t Pinterest; you’re not a failure for not making your baby five different sensory bags or including your toddler in your chores.
In the same fashion as I had shared how to include your children around the house, here are the benefits — or why — to include them.
1. In the Kitchen
The kitchen is the room with the most to gain. It provides a great opportunity to teach about sizes, shapes, and the difference between hot and cold. There are long spoons, round spoons, metallic forks and plastic forks (if you have little ones). The kitchen is a great place to teach about safety, why it’s important to stay away from fire, and how sharp utensils like knives can hurt you.
2. Laundry
Sorting dirty clothes is a great way for your children to learn colors. If they know their colors already, beautiful! It can be a great time to reinforce their knowledge by reviewing them, or to learn the difference between shades like light blue and navy blue. What about having them observe the difference between cold and hot water or wet and dry clothes?
3. Around-the-House Cleaning
Removing everything from a shelf to wipe it down may seem like a simple task to us, but it is something completely new to a child who is doing it for the first time. Having your children join you in cleaning around the house gives them the opportunity to practice their motor skills and follow instructions.
4. Pet Care
Assigning age-appropriate pet-care duties to your child is a beautiful way to watch your “baby” thrive in learning responsibility, love, and care for another living thing. You might just find yourself tearing up watching your children care for a pet.
5. Gardening
As with pet care, having your children join you in gardening tasks can be another great way to establish their appreciation for living things, as well as teach them the basics of how to care for a plant. We can never go wrong with fostering a love for all living things in our children.
There are so many hidden opportunities to teach our children. We don’t have to be a credentialed teacher to inspire and encourage our children to learn. We just have to find something that we are passionate about and start there.
In what ways do you utilize your home to teach your children? —Jasmin