Kids Doing Laundry #30DayMom

Getting my kids to do chores is priority 1 for the new year.  It seems to be overwhelming to not only them, but to me! Because of this, I thought we would tackle something each day. Day one and two were LAUNDRY.

Kids Doing Laundry

At first I thought this might be out of their ability, but then I thought about how simple modern life has made this chore.  It isn’t like I am sending them down to the river to beat the clothes with rocks! There is no reason why the energy of three boys can’t be channeled to tame the mountain of laundry that they create! We started with a basic tutorial.  A little how-to class at the washer and dryer. This is how many clothes you can fit into the washer.  This is how much soap to add.  This is the setting that works best. I didn’t get into the ins/outs of sorting since I am keeping it simple at first.  Clean is good and that is what I am hoping for! The dryer is easier.  I had them show me how to transfer the clothes and then which settings to use. That was day one. The good thing about learning to do laundry at my house is that you will get a lot of practice.  Several more loads were washed.  I watched each boy correctly load, set and start. The actual challenge came with day two when we had to address FOLDING clothes. Life would be easier if folding didn’t exist, but the piles of clean clothes in the laundry room needed addressing.  I started each boy with the easier items – pajamas, underwear, and things that go on hangars. They were in charge of putting their own clothes away. The folding process is definitely not at independent level, but we are making progress.  I found that if I was there during the project, I could direct and assist.  We will continue folding tutorials and strategies for organizing piles over the next week or so. I am hoping that by the end of the month, my kids doing laundry will be a reality!  I will let you know how it goes… Be sure to follow all the moms and their challenges with the #30DayMom hashtag!