“Mother’s Little Helper”
Your child will love to help you in simple activities! He will learn skills such as following directions, imitating another’s actions, and gaining satisfaction from completing a task where a difference can be seen!
- Let your child help you with a simple task where you are there to help him (e.g., you wash the table off with a wet sponge and he dries it with a paper towel).
- Make sure that the task is something your child is capable of doing and one you are “Ok” with if not done properly. For example, you don’t want your child to add something to a cookie mix if it will ruin the batch. However, you are OK with him mixing the cookie mix once all the ingredients are added by you.
- Remember to not correct your child if the task is not completed as efficiently or as quickly as when done by you (e.g., helping to make the bed and the blankets are not totally straight; sweeping the floor and not getting everything off the floor; setting the table and the settings are not straight). Constantly correcting may make him lack self-confidence. Your child may not be motivated to help if “feelings of failure” are in his mind from not doing the job perfectly.
- Remember to reinforce your child during the activity with verbal praise (“You are doing a great job”), and also remember to thank him at the end of the task. Helping out makes your child gain self-confidence and feel like he is contributing to something important to you!
