Since the kitchen is often consi

		Homemaking for Little Ones
Basic Principles Kitchen Bathroom Family Room Bedroom Daily Routine Sewing Buttons Sewing a Hem Cooking Basics		Teaching children the principles of taking care of a home and themselves so that they will be self-sufficient in the future.
	Basic Principles Before I start with any specifics on teaching homemaking skills to your children I decided my first post should cover principles on working with children. First, keep it simple, especially with the really young children. The simpler the instruction, the easier the job is to do. Children need to learn to do chores in stages. Start with the first step of a job; when they are done, show them the next step. As the children get older give them more responsibilities. This is where knowing your child will be important. Some children will easily take on more responsibilities and others will struggle. Do not overload them to where they become resentful or just want to give up. Second, do not expect or demand perfection. It is important to know that children will not do a job perfectly but in most cases they will do their best. Expecting perfection is setting the child up for failure and yourself up for disappointment. Third, do not criticize the child’s work as they will become easily discouraged and less likely to want to help. Instead, compliment them (and thank them) as they complete each step. Also, show interest in their work because it lets them know what they are doing is important even if it is small. Fourth, make it enjoyable and never act like it is drudgery. Children pick up on your attitude and if they see you complaining or dreading chores they will take on this same attitude as their own. On the other hand if you present the chores as a normal part of everyday life and encourage them to work as part of the family they will be more willing to participate. You do not have to turn cleaning projects into games, but it can be made less tedious by the addition of singing, chatting with each other, telling stories, etc. Also, show the children the Biblical view of being productive. (For example: Proverbs 10:4 and 15:19). Remember, you will be teaching children a lifelong habit of diligence and self-reliance. Consider your thoughts and actions so that they motivate your child instead of discourage them. Work children up gradually, do not suddenly dump several chores all at once. This is a marathon, not a sprint.		Simple Suggestions: Have an apron or special shirt for the child to wear during cleaning time. Make an easy to follow list for the tasks which need to be done and check them off as the child is finished. Let the child have his or her own 'cleaning' container filled with cleaning supplies such as rags, a spritzer bottle with water, a duster, etc. If you allow your child to use cleaning products please make sure that you are using ones with safe ingredients. One of my favorite lines is Mrs. Meyers which is child, pet, and earth friendly.
	Kitchen Since the kitchen is often considered to be the heart of the home let's start our Homemaking for Little Ones here. Each child should be responsible for removing their own dishes from the table. The older ones should also be responsible for rinsing and stacking the dishes neatly. Most younger children use plastic dishes so there should not be a worry about broken dishes; although there may be the occasional dropped dish and food mess. To avoid this, teach the child to carry one dish at a time with both hands. Also, have them walk the path which is easier to clean (tile floor as opposed to carpet). If a dish and food gets dropped - don't get upset. Remember, the time spent cleaning up the mess will be minimal in light of the daily routine you are teaching. Children should also help clean the dishes. If you use a dishwasher have the very young children place the utensils (no knives) and plastic dishes/cups into the dishwasher. If you wash by hand have them wash their own dishes plus utensils. (Side note: young children love to play in water and with bubbles so this should be very easy!) When the dishes are clean and dry they should also help in putting away dishes. If it is possible for your children to have their own 'area' in which their dishes are kept at an easily assessable height this also helps. (My girls started out with a small one foot by one foot section of the pots and pans cupboard. It was perfect for plastic plates and bowls.) When the girls were as young as 2 years old they stood at the sink washing their dishes. I had quickly pre-scrubbed the dishes as I rinsed (good reason for rinsing while the food is still fresh) and placed the dishes in a sink of lukewarm water. They were given a dish rag and shown how to wash dishes. They washed while I put away clean dishes and the food. Now that they are 7 and 5 1/2 they both know how to properly wash, rinse, dry, and put away their own dishes. (They now have their own 1/2 cabinet for their dishes, cups, and personal cooking/baking accessories.) Have children help put away the food. Young children can help put away items stored in baggies and/or plastic bowls. Older children can manage putting glass bowls into refrigerators or medium-sized items into the pantry. Here is a general idea of our nightly kitchen routine: I wash pots and pans and fill sink with warm water and soap. The girls remove their dishes from the table, rinse them and place them in the sink. One girl washes dishes and the other rinses. The one who rinses also dries the dishes and the one washes puts the dishes away. (The girls swap duties each week.) If you have one child help them out from time to time. They wash, you rinse and dry, they put away. While the girls are washing dishes I put away the clean pots and pans; put leftovers into storage containers and then into the refrigerator/pantry; and wipe down counters. When the girls are done, I wash the rest of the dishes while one of the girls wipes down the table. After dishes are washed, dried, and put away I sweep the floor. As with everything you should be flexible. If you are having a rushed evening - at least clear the table, rinse and stack the dishes neatly for washing later. Put away food, too! One final thought, if you are starting with children who are older (about 10 and up) you need to remember to start slowly. Tell them you would like them to help you in the kitchen. Have them clear and rinse their dishes and then help put the food away the first week. The next week add washing down the table and helping put away the clean dishes. In the following week add cleaning the dishes, etc. Your child will most likely be easier to teach if you incorporate cleaning routines in stages. Let me know if you have any questions or comments!		Helpful Kitchen Hints: Rinse pots, pans, and mixing bowls as you go. Clean table and counters and stack dirty dishes before beginning to wash. Keep a couple of dry and clean dish towels within reach. Sing favorite family songs while you clean the kitchen.
	Bathroom Although the bathroom may seem like a rather small portion of our homes, it is a very important one. Next to the kitchen it is one of the rooms that should be kept clean as much as possible. There are several jobs that young children can easily accomplish in a bathroom and most without assistance: Trash - if you line your trash bin with plastic grocery bags all they have to do is pull up the handles and lift the bag out. (If you empty your bathroom at least twice a week there should not be an trash overflow problem for the children.) If you do not line your bins (or you leave the liner in) you can either hold open a large trash bag so the child can empty the trash or have them hold the large bag while you empty the trash. (Older siblings can help with this as well.) Toilets - the very young can wipe down the top of the toilet tank. For older kids you can start the cleaning process for them and let them finish it. When the girls were young I would put the cleaner in the bowl, do a quick scrub and then let the girls take turns 'cleaning' the bowl. Just like pre-washing the dishes - they really aren't cleaning but rather getting used to the routine. Countertops - have the child remove all the countertop items and wipe down the counter and then replace the items. I use a rag with alcohol on it - it cleans well and dries quickly. (For younger children you can give them a slightly damp cloth to use.) You can also have the younger children wipe down the side of the tub where everyone gets in and out. Rugs - children can usually take the bathroom rugs outside and lay them on the patio/grass. As they get older they can be taught how to shake or sweep the rugs. Mirrors/faucets - most mirrors are too tall for children to reach but you can still have them wipe the lower portion as well as the faucets. (These should be the last items cleaned.) A way that I make bathroom cleaning fun for the girls is that when we are done I let them choose the pretty handtowels we set out. We do use matched handtowels for drying our hands; however, from time to time I have picked up pretty decorative handtowels on clearance and we use these as part of our bathroom decor. The girls get to choose which handtowels we will display for the week. It's a lot of fun and they feel very grown-up by being allowed to choose. A few notes on being sanitary while cleaning the bathroom: Children should be wearing gloves. Since no one makes rubber gloves in children's sizes I have found that garden gloves offer a wonderful substitution. (I usually pick up a few pair for the girls at the end of the garden season. I've found them for less than a dollar at several places beginning in September.) The cotton gloves are great because they can be washed and dried with other cleaning rags. If you use disposable cleaning wipes instead of washable rags, you can still easily wash the gloves. Just place them in a small bowl of sudsy water with a drop or two of bleach added and let them sit for about ten minutes. Rinse well and dry. Do not let children handle bathroom cleaning chemicals - especially the pre-doused cleaning wipes. It is too easy for them to get these chemicals into their eyes and on their skin. If you want to help them feel bigger - give them a squirt bottle with water in it. (Ginger used to call it the magic cleaner.) Have them wash their hands with soap and water when they are done. This may sound odd since you've just cleaned but it's a step worth taking with your wee ones!
	Family Room In our house we have two "living" areas - one we call the family room (where we spend most of our time) and the other we call the parlor (this is where we sing and the girls dance). In your home, the Family room is the room(s) where you spend the most time together outside of meals and, generally, where you entertain your guests. The family room is one of the easiest places to have children help and a great place to start with really young ones. If a routine is established where there is a light clean-up in the family room every day then this will not become a tedious job. Here are some chores for this area: Dusting - children LOVE to dust! I have no idea why except that maybe they feel like they have a magical wand or something similar. Since she was two years old, my younger daughter has called dusting, "tickling the furniture," so this may be another way in how they view it. (This would be a once a week task.) Fluffing pillows - easy job for little ones. To make it more fun have them throw all the pillows in a pile in the middle of the room first and then have them place each pillow where it belongs. (Everyday task.) Collecting things that don't belong in the room - when my girls were younger their job was to collect books, toys, blankets, and anything else that didn't belong in the family room and place it in a basket. After we cleaned the room we would then empty the basket, returning everything where it belongs. The basket works for younger children because if you tell them to pick up an item and go put it where it belongs right then, chances are they will become distracted and you'll lose them to playtime! It's better to have them continue to concentrate on the task at hand and then put away other things later. Now that the girls are older they just pick up what doesn't belong and return it to its proper place immediately. (Everyday task.) Wiping down tables - depending on type of furniture you have, a lightly damp rag can be used by children to wipe down coffee tables and end tables. Have them remove any objects sitting on the tables and carefully set them to the side before the wipe. (One a week task unless a lot of food/drink items have been set on the tables; in this case a quick wipe down of the used areas is good.) Cleaning windows and television screens - this is a job that older children can accomplish. We use a squirt bottle filled with isopropyl alchohol. A couple of squirts and a good rag is all that is needed to brighten the windows. For the television screen, the alchohol should be squirted on the rag and not directly on the television. Also, after washing the windows, the window sills should be wiped down or swept with a hand broom. (One a week task.) Almost all of these jobs can be accomplished in just a few minutes. Our family room can be completely cleaned in about thirty minutes and this includes dusting and cleaning windows as well as the time it takes me to vacuum the floor. The key here is to make most of these tasks a part of your everyday living. It doesn't take long and it makes the major weekly cleanup so much easier!		Simple Suggestions: Let your child browse through books and magazines which have nice pictures of family rooms. Discuss what makes the room look nice and how to keep it that way. (The library is a good source for free books and magazines.)
	Bedroom The bedroom - it seems like such a small room for little ones to keep clean; after all, the room is entirely theirs! However, this is the one room that manages to get messy the easiest. There are four keys to keeping a child's bedroom clean: 1. Every thing should have a place whether its boxes, bins, baskets, etc. The sorting should be obvious to a young child. This means that storage should be generalities such as: Legos, trucks/cars, dolls, dishes, etc. It is easy as parents to want to be detailed, having Kelli dolls in one box and plastic figure dolls in another. However, small children are too young to understand those types of details. While they are young just have all the small dolls and figurines together. Help the child sort the toys once storage has been set up; this will help them get used to what goes where. 2. Never leave young children alone to clean up - they get distracted too easily and the tasks will take longer than they should. Guidance in what to do and where to put things is essential! Also, don't give them a list of five things to do. Instead, start with one task like, "Johnny, you pick up the books and put them back on the shelves." When the task is finished, give the child a new task. 3. Have frequent cleanups throughout the day. This is very important, especially if the child spends lots of time playing in his room. Take five to ten minutes at various times throughout the day to put away things that have been strewn about the room. 4. Be patient and kind. Children need patience from their parents, especially when they are cleaning their rooms. Instead of yelling at a child who has become distracted by toy; gently redirect them by helping them put away the toy they are enjoying and getting them started on a new task. As the children get older they can be left to clean a room without supervision. Their ability to clean a room well at older ages depends a lot on the guidance and training you give them when they are young. If your children are older these are some good guidelines: 1. Have at least one daily cleanup. How many you have will depend on the age of your child(ren) and how much of a mess they make during the day. My girls usually have three cleanups during the day - they are 5 1/2 and 7. 2. Visually check the cleaniness of their room on a regular basis. We usually do a quick scan of the room every night and once a week we look under beds, in the closet and behind furniture to make sure there are no items hidden and not where they belong. 3. Have a penalty for things consistently left out. Our penalty is that the item left out is taken away for at least a week. If the item continues to be left out once it has been returned then it is generally put in the donation box. The point being that if the item is important to the child, they should take care of it. We've had this rule for a couple of years and seldom has anything ever had to be given away. Hopefully these ideas will help the chore of keeping a bedroom clean much easier!		Ideas for Helping a Child be Interested in Cleaning Their Room: Make simple but nice throw pillows for their beds. Embroider pillowcases or make 'special' pillowcases that can be seen. Use pillow shams. Display special treasures throughout their room. Allow your child to help decide how some of the room's items are placed or stored. For example, let your child arrange toys on a shelf, or place books the way he or she likes. Let your child help pick out what type of storage containers to use. Your child should feel like he or she has some say in how his very own room is put together and looks. This helps them have more interest and motivation in keeping it clean!
	Daily routine Now that all the major rooms of our homes have been covered the last area of teaching children how to keep a clean home is the daily routine. If a small amount of time is spent in every room, every day, then keeping everything "spit spot" will be easy. Two rules should be followed on setting a daily routine: 1. Do not make all the cleaning have to be done at once - you will be setting your child up for failure and yourself up for disappointment. Instead, spread it throughout the day. 2. Don not save all the work until the evening - it is better to get most of the work done throughout the day (or in the morning and afternoon if your children are in school), before daddy gets home. This allows for time to be spent together as a family in the evening instead of children being shuttled off to clean rooms, pick up trash, etc. Also, tired children find chores more cumbersome and oppressive. Daily routines should not be overwhelming. In fact, they should be just the opposite. They are meant to be a few minutes spent here and there throughout the house that keeps the overall task of housecleaning manageable. Here is an example of the daily routines my daughters have: Morning routine (prayer, make bed, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth) Before lunch they work on their upstairs chores. Ginger's chores: wipe down bathroom mirror and sink counter, sweep bathroom floor, straighten clothes and play closets. Gracelyn's chores: put up anything sitting out in bathroom, straighten playroom, empty trash in bathroom/bedroom. After lunch and before 3 pm they work on their downstairs chores. Ginger's chores: Wipe counter and empty trash in guest bathroom and check to make sure that school cabinet is neat. Gracelyn's chores: Straighten pillows on couches and put all books and puzzles back where the belong. In the evening they help in the kitchen. Also, I have two to three "five-minute spiffs" throughout the day just to cover anything that was missed in the daily routine. Toys and craft items have a tendency to show up everywhere and these spiffs usually help keep this mess to a minimum. We time ourselves on the spiffs and all three of us try to be as fast as we can to put things up. The spiffs can also be used for getting all the clean laundry put away! The total time the girls actually spend on daily cleaning is anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes (depending on how many spiffs we have). The key is to make a DAILY routine where a little bit gets done by everyone in every room.		Keeping up with a Daily Routine: Review the daily chore list the night before. This lets the child know what to expect the next day. Try to get at least a few chores done before lunch. This makes the chore list seem less overwhelming.
	Sewing Buttons One of the things that every girl and boy should be taught, besides how to clean a home, is how to sew a hem and how to sew buttons on an outfit. There will be times in our children's lives where they will be able to use these worthwhile skills. Pick out some colorful buttons with two or four holes. Try to avoid buttons that have the tab for attaching instead of holes in the button itself – these are difficult for little hands to handle while learning to sew. It is helpful to use contrasting thread and fabric. If you use red buttons use a light fabric and white thread. Thread for button sewing should have both ends knotted together. For the first button demonstrate the sewing technique – up through the bottom of one hole... and over, down into the diagonal hole. After you do this step a couple of times have the child repeat the process several times. Remember that it will take your child time to get used to finding the hole of the button for the needle to come through. When the girls first started I taught them to look and see where the hole from the previous stitch was located and use that one. As they practice it will get easier for them to find the hole without flipping the piece of work over. When several stitches have been made on the first pair of holes in the button you can move to the second pair of holes – some older children will be able to do this for themselves, the younger ones may need help. When the second pair of holes has several layers of thread you can knot the thread and clip. For sewing the subsequent buttons see if the child can start without help. If they need a little guidance, offer it to them, but try to see if they can do it themselves first. Encourage them to keep practicing and praise their work. Also, when they are first learning to sew buttons don’t have them try to learn to thread the needle and tie knots – these are manipulations that can more easily be learned when they are older. You can make learning how to sew buttons more fun by using the buttons to outline a smiley face or place two buttons an inch apart on a 9” square of material; when finished, fold the material around a ball or some stuffing and tie – with a marker add a nose and face and even hair. Now you have a puppet or silly character! The girls used to adorn napkins with lots of buttons as well. If you have any questions or would like step in more detail, please let me know!		Simple Suggestions: Keep a tin of fun and brightly colored buttons and allow your child to make a creative wall-hanging on a simple piece of cloth. This will give him or her the chance to practice sewing buttons while creating a piece of art!
	Stitching a Hem Learning to hem is a little harder than sewing on buttons but once the pattern has been established it becomes very easy. There are several ways to stitch a hem but I am going to show how to do a catch stitch because it is neater looking (only a tiny bit of thread shows on the "front" side of the material; plus it is less tedious than the other stitches. This will be easier to teach if the child has learned to tie a bow – this will help them understand about taking the needle and thread under another strand of thread. As with the buttons, it is helpful to use a contrasting fabric and thread. Fold your material and press or pin the hem. (If you pin the hem be sure to use safety pins until your child is older and can learn how to avoid being stuck by straight pins.) Using a fabric marker/pencil or regular pencil, mark a series of pairs of dots. One dot will be on the fold of the hem and the second will be off set, slightly to the right, on the piece of fabric to which the folded part will be attached. Start with the pair of dots being approximately an inch from each other. Thread the needle. It is okay to use a double strand (both ends are knotted together) for learning purposes but as the child becomes more adept at handling a needle and thread they should be taught how to use a single strand (only one end is knotted). Begin by showing the child how to use the dots – start with the dot that is on the underneath piece of fabric – go into this dot and come up through the dot on the folded piece... pull thread through until approximately 1 inch is left... Slip the needle and thread through this thread... and pull until no longer loose. You have just “caught” the thread; hence the name – Catch Stitch. Move over to the next pair of dots and proceed. The hardest part will be teaching your child to catch the thread. It helped the girls by telling them to leave a hill (the small bit of thread left when you come through the second dot) and that the needle was going to go under the hill to finish the step. Be patient – if you have to show them a few times it is okay – they will get it! Once they have mastered the catch the stitch then they can work on placing the stitches closer together and then making even stitches without the dots. Older children can also learn to hide the thread by running the needle through the folded crease between each catch. The catch stitch can be practiced on homemade hankies or napkins (my daughters’ favorite), doll dresses, or even hems on their own clothes. If you have any questions or need a step described in more detail please let me know! (Note: For general sewing I place my catch stitches approximately ½ to ¾ of an inch apart.)
	Cooking Basics Let's face it - we will not always be there to cook meals for our children. Whether it is in their teens or later on in life they should be able to know their way around a kitchen and make a few simple dishes. My gramma Ginger is the one who taught us grandkids to cook by the age of ten so I will use her list as a general guideline. Please feel free to adapt it to your own needs/likes/lifestyle. Gramma Ginger's List of Basic Cooking Skills: 1. Know how to fry eggs. 2. Know how to make spaghetti. 3. Know how to make a roast. 4. Know how to make a dessert. 5. Know how to make a pot of tea. 6. Know how to make a quick bread. 7. Know how to make a loaf of regular bread. My gramma felt that with these skills we would at least be able to provide ourselves (and anyone else) with a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea. In order for your child to learn to cook they need to be familiar with your kitchen and have an interest in what you do. When they are very young have them find things in the cupboard that you will need - pots or baking dishes, baking powder, flour, whisk, spoon, measuring cups, etc. As they get older, have them help by measuring out some of the ingredients. If you are using a recipe, show them the recipe and explain what you are doing so they become familiar with the terms. The older your child is the more involvement you should allow them to have even to the point of making something completely by themselves. (Of course, use your judgment as to whether or not they are capable of safely handling appliances and/or the stove.) Involve your children in at least one meal preparation a day. Let them choose a vegetable or side dish to be served for dinner. Have them put the fresh veggies or fruit into serving bowls. Let them watch over how you cook the evening meal. When they are older they can learn to use a knife. I found that a paring knife becomes the perfect "chef's knife" for a child. Teach them the rules of using a knife: Never grab a knife by the blade. Do not point a knife at others. Do not wave a knife around. Put knife down when not using. Keep fingers on hand holding food tucked in. My girls learned these rules and how to hold a knife a few years ago and we've only had one cut - when Ginger decided to take on a stalk of broccoli without my knowledge. (It was a tiny cut, no severed fingers!) The easiest items for a child to cut are potatoes and strawberries. Make sure you cut them in half first so that there is a flat edge and produce doesn't roll. Teach your children food safety and nutrition as you work together. Don't make it a lecture, just explain it in everyday chatter. They will pick up on it quickly. If you plan your weekly meals let your children be involved - ask them for suggestions. Let them look through your recipe books for something they would like to make. If time and space permits get them a few cooking accessories or books of their very own. (You would be surprised what a thrill most kids get over having their own cookware!) You don't need to be Julia Child to teach your child to cook and you don't need to worry about teaching them to cook roasted orange duck. However, teaching them a few basic skills will give them the ability to be self-sufficient in the kitchen and a foundation to learn more advanced skills if they desire. One last note - make cooking time fun. I know some of you ladies don't like to cook but your children will pick that up and not be as interested in learning. Just don't think about whatever you don't like about cooking. Instead, think of the wholesome meal you are preparing for your family, the skills you are teaching your child, and the fun memories you'll have of your time in the kitchen together!		Cooking Essentials for Children: apron kitchen towel and sponge (or dishrag) wooden spoons (or rubber spatulas) mixing bowls measuring cups and spoons recipe cards and box (or album) Fun Extras for Cooking: bakeware serving dishes other utensils paring knife and cutting board (remember that your child needs to know, understand, and practice proper knife safety and you should supervise accordingly)