A recent article in the Chicago Tribune regarding teaching your children life skills got me thinking. The idea was to give parents an idea of what functional skills should be taught and when. Below is a list of the jobs around the house that they can master, according to them, at a very young age. As a parent, I take issue with the timeline. The bottom line is that they must be able to perform these everyday tasks by the time they leave home.
So take heart, parents. Not all seven-year-olds possess the fine motor skills to thread a needle.
Below is a list of household tasks we should teach our children…and at what age they should be taught…taken directly from the Chicago Tribune . In the next few days, other areas will be explored.
Laundry: Start sorting clothes at 2 and help load and unload a washer or dryer at 3. Wait until they're 10 before they handle detergent or fabric softener, even a little older when bleach is involved.
Do the dishes: You can hand a 3-year-old a wet pot -- dentable but not breakable -- and a dish towel. A 4-year-old can load and unload a dishwasher, but keep them away from glassware and sharp objects. A 9-year-old should be able to handle it all.
Iron a shirt: Michelle Duggar, the mom on TLC's "18 Kids and Counting," has 10-year-old twins who iron. "They're capable of pulling the ironing board out, plugging in the iron and getting a few wrinkles out," she says. "Maybe it's not a perfect job, but they can do it."
Set a table: A 5-year-old can put out plates, silverware and napkins. As the child gets older, he or she can ratchet up the layout. By 12, with a little supervision, the kid could be setting out the good china, crystal, silver and linen napkins.
Trash: A 3-year-old can sort recyclables; at 7 or 8 a child can take out the trash.
Clean a toilet: Start them early, at 3 or 4, with a cloth moistened with alcohol to wipe the outside of the bowl and the floor around it. Hand them a toilet brush at 6, and by 9 or 10 let them graduate to a cleaner they spray on and let sit before scrubbing off.
Sew a button: There should be some familiarity with a needle and thread by 7 or 8. The Duggar boys learned to stitch a seam on a sewing machine by 8. "It's a machine," their mom explains.
Make a bed: A 2- or 3-year-old can make his or her bed. Maybe not perfectly, but good enough. The more they practice the better they'll get. Kids should be proficient by 8.
Dial 911: By 5 a child should know how to call 911 and what to tell the emergency operator.
Change a light bulb: You spend years teaching them not to play with sockets and electricity, so wait until they're 6 before dealing with bulbs.
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Submitted by The Magic Bowl on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 08:50