Teaching a 9-Year-Old to Help With Laundry
Teaching your child household skills helps your family run smoothly and gives him independent living skills, according to Patricia Sprinkle, author of ̶0;Children Who Do Too Little,̶1; in a LifeWay article. Laundry is a simple skill for most 9-year-olds. Teach the task in incremental steps to prevent overwhelming your child, suggests child and teen development specialist Dr. Robyn Silverman in ̶0;Self Reliance: 10 Parts of Teaching Your Children How to Do the Laundry.̶1;
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Folding and Putting Clothes Away
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Very young children can help you when clothes and other items come out of the dryer. By the time your child is 9 years old, she should feel comfortable folding her clothes, and hanging up items to prevent wrinkles. Give her a basket that contains her clothes and assign her the responsibility of properly putting things away. If she neglects the clothes and they wrinkle, then she must either wear them wrinkled or help you deal with wrinkles by re-drying them or using a product that helps the get the wrinkles out. When she̵7;s a little older, you can teach her how to use a steamer or iron when her clothes are too wrinkled to wear.
Reading Labels
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Your child needs to know that most commercially produce clothing contain care labels to make laundry easy and preserve the clothes. Sit down with your child and a basket of dirty clothes and have him pick up each item and read the label. Once he has read the label, ask him whether the item should be washed in the washer, washed by hand or sent to the dry cleaners. Next have him determine how to dry clothing that can be machine-washed. Once your tutorial is completed, require your child to place each item in the appropriate spot to get it cleaned.
Sorting Skills
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Sorting is an easy skill for your 9-year-old to take over. Use multiple baskets or a multi-sorter to help make the task easier. You might have one location for clothes that go to the cleaners, another location for delicates and separate baskets for colors, lights and darks. Resist the impulse to double check your child̵7;s sorting skills, says Melissa Gaskill in a Woman̵7;s Day article titled, ̶0;6 Skills Every Teen Should Learn.̶1; Gaskill believes that a few damaged items of clothing are the most effective reinforcement for this skill. Remind your child to remove items from pockets before placing them in the sorter, advises Silverman.
Using the Washer and Dryer
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Perhaps the most challenging skill for your 9-year-old will be operating the washer and dryer. Explain carefully how your equipment works or how to use equipment at the laundromat. Demonstrate how to load the washer, add laundry detergent and choose the appropriate water temperature and wash cycle. Next, explain how to use the dryer, choosing the appropriate setting for the clothes she is drying. Once your child has a good understanding of how to use the equipment, she can assume full responsibility for the care of her clothing.
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