Tips to Help You Teach Kids to Do Laundry

I loathe chores that never end. You know what I’m talking about, right? Things like laundry and dishes…as soon as you get caught up, you turn around and there are more to do. When you add several children to the mix, it’s next to impossible to even get caught up in the first place. There are just too many messes…

That’s why I think it’s important to teach kids to do laundry and other chores early on. It becomes a group effort to keep the house up, and mom doesn’t get burnt out.

So… how do we do it?

Start Them Young

Even the littlest guys and gals in your home can help with the laundry. From the time they’re teeny tots, let them play with wash cloths and doll clothes, role playing how to wash, fold, and put away.

When they’re around two or three, they can help you sort clothes by color. Consider having two bins near your laundry area – one for darks and one for light-colored clothes. Have your toddlers take clothes and sort them into the correct bins.

Preschoolers can help you move wet clothes from the washer to the dryer and deliver folded clothes to the correct person’s bed to be put away.

Make it Child-Friendly

By the time your kiddos are in elementary school, they can start to do one load from beginning to end on their own. But first, you need to make sure that your laundry area is child-friendly.

Have all of the products within easy reach, and keep a step stool nearby to help your kids reach the buttons on the machines.

Make sure you choose products that are effective and easy-to-use. We love method laundry detergent. It’s concentrated 4x, so it’s tough on all the kids’ dirt and stains, and it keeps colors bright and whites white. It works great in cold water, so I don’t have to worry about the kids using hot vs. cold water on the loads that they do, making it easier to teach them this important skill – plus cold water uses less energy, keeping our bills low. It’s biodegradable and hypoallergenic so I know the kids are safe using it themselves. You can get $3 off any online purchase of method laundry detergent by using the code THREEFORME.

Teach your kids that a little bit of method laundry detergent goes a long way. The shape of the bottle and the measuring cap are really easy to use.

Show your kiddos how to start the machine, then how to tell when its cycle is complete. In the beginning work side by side with your little ones so they are comfortable with this responsibility. Show them how to transfer things into the dryer, run its cycle, and then fold the clothes.

Finally, encourage your child through the end of the process. In our home, clean clothes are placed on the bed of their owner. Everyone puts their own laundry away.

Keep Up with a Routine

We do a load of laundry every single day. Minimum. If we didn’t, there would be no way to keep up. Since we’re starting slowly, we give each of the bigger kids one day that they’re responsible for the daily load. They do everything from start to finish on their day.

On days that my husband or I do the laundry, the little ones help. They transfer the clothes with me, or press the button to turn things on. My five year old delivers clean piles to her siblings’ beds for put away.

By getting the kids in on the action when they’re still young, chores like doing the laundry become habits that serve them long into adulthood.

Do your kids do chores? Do they do the laundry? How do you make it easy for them to learn new skills?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.