It is currently winter school holidays here in Victoria. A break from the school run and daily routine is nice. It’s also a time to reconnect with your kids, slow down and to stop and see how much they have grown and developed over the past school term. This to me has felt like a fleeting rush and blur of car rides and yelling out “Get dressed”, “put your shoes on”, “brush your teeth”. Can you relate?
My daughter is six and a half and now, clever and independent. She loves reading chapter books and is quiet capable of getting herself ready and helping her little brother, who is three and a half.
There are four of us in our immediate family and to keep the wheels turning we need to work together as a team, respect one another and all contribute to the daily running of the house. By doing this children learn to be responsible and that is an important life skill to develop.
Recently I upgraded my Dyson vacuum to the amazing Cinetic Big Ball model. It is simple to use, super tough and it self-rights when toppled and won’t snag on furniture, making vacuuming the most kid-friendly task in the home. Plus the bin is really easy to empty and clean, which makes the whole vacuuming experience much more pleasurable. Both of my children love using it and treat it like a fun game to play. I think the key is to find things that your kids enjoy doing, that can also help with the smooth running of the household. My three year old loves doing the dishes, but its painful to watch him spend five minutes rinsing a single cup. Some things are better just done yourself! He is however, really good at using the Dyson. So I delegate that task to him.
The Raising Children Network recommends the following guidelines for children and chores they should be able to do:
2-3 year-olds:
- Pick up toys and books.
- Put clothes on clothes hooks.
- Set placemats on the dinner table.
4-5 year-olds:
- Set the table for meals.
- Help with preparing meals, under supervision.
- Help put clean clothes into piles for each family member, ready to fold.
- Help with grocery shopping and putting away groceries.
- Hand you wet clothes to be hung out to dry.
6-8 year-olds:
- Water the garden and indoor plants.
- Take care of food and clean water for pets.
- Help carry garden refuse, under supervision.
- Clean bathroom sink.
- Wipe down kitchen benches.
- Help wash and hang out clothes.
- Help fold dry washing.
- Mop floors.
- Put away crockery and cutlery.
- Do some dusting.
- Take out rubbish.
- Help with meal preparation and serving, under supervision.
You know your child’s ability; so don’t be too strict with the above recommendations, do what suits your individual family needs.
I highly recommend the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball for a number of reasons however, the top reasons are that the advanced ball technology provides easier steering for the whole family and the muscle head floor tool automatically seals in suction. For more information on the Cinetic Big Ball Vacuum Cleaner head to this link.
Note. I was gifted a Dyson. All words expressed are 100 percent true.
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