As a busy parent, you鈥檒l be involved in all sorts of chores around the house. Why not tackle these tasks with a little helper? You can involve your toddler and help them learn at the same time.
Involving your child in your everyday tasks is a great way to help them understand how words are connected and discover new words to build their vocabulary.
Getting your child involved with simple jobs around the house gives you the chance to talk and interact.
Tidying up gives children a great chance to be interact with objects and their environment while hearing new words. Doing different tasks around the house will help them learn and connect words with the objects they鈥檙e using, what they hear and what they feel.
You can help them practise new words by telling them what you鈥檙e doing and getting them to do the same. For example, if you are both wiping a surface, you can use new descriptive words to explain what you鈥檙e doing, 'wipe the table to make it clean.'
Why involve your child in tasks?
It can help them learn how to follow simple instructions.
It will help them connect the name of an object with its purpose.
Getting your little one to help you will help them develop their vocabulary, as they鈥檒l begin to use the words they hear more often.
They鈥檒l understand where objects belong in the house.
Image caption, Choose some simple jobs like using a plastic dustpan and brush
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What to do when cleaning together
Give simple instructions. Talk through what you鈥檙e doing and why you are doing it. This way they鈥檒l hear words and phrases that describe what you鈥檙e doing together.
Introduce new words and phrases. Whenever your little one gives you a helping hand, introduce them to new words. This will help them expand their understanding and later use it in sentences. If you notice that your child uses new words, repeat them back.
You can make your tasks even more fun and interactive with your little one by making up a song about the activity you鈥檙e doing. Why not create a little jingle that you both sing when you鈥檙e cleaning? This will help your child attach the words of the song to the actions.
Give them the chance to take the lead on a particular task. For example, if you鈥檙e washing the dishes, let them wash a few plastic ones and while they鈥檙e doing it and talk through what they're doing using action words.
When your little one does or says something right, encourage them.
Housework jobs children can help with
- Loading the washing machine and sorting laundry
- Washing plastic dishes
- Sweeping with a plastic dustpan and brush
