For example, this morning one of my students was trying to put together a light system for his presentation board. He asked if I knew how to do it because he was having trouble. I told him I didn't in fact know how, but that I would be glad to help if a bit more time and effort on his part was unsuccessful. Sure enough, a few minutes later he had figured it out. Could I have completed it faster? Maybe. In this case the student is a VERY strong kinesthetic learner, so I can't guarantee I'd have gotten it sooner, but regardless of the speed, he learned more by doing it himself.
Another example is chores at home. I started training my kiddos how to do chores (not just picking up their things and putting them away) around age 2. Things like folding laundry, wiping the kitchen table, and doing dishes. My 4-year-old folds and puts away her own laundry. She doesn't wash it yet, but her 8- and 9-year-old siblings do. That's part of what they are expected to do weekly along with unloading and reloading the dishwasher, vacuuming the living room, sweeping and mopping the kitchen, and more. They have daily "chores" like brushing their teeth, packing their lunch, and taking care of the dogs that are done daily, but the household chores are one per day. It's not overwhelming, but it does help out the family and the sanity of my husband and me because it takes part of the adult load and spreads it out. Some might say, "Well, if you didn't want to do all those extra things, why did you have so many kids (3 kids, folks, it's not that many)?" But I don't feel like I'm mistreating my kids by having them do those things. Rather, I'm training them how to adult one day. Their future college roommates and future spouses will thank me, I'm sure of it, because they won't be reliant on others to do everything for them. No siree.
 |
| Evelyn folding her laundry this past weekend. |
Preach, lady! I remember looking in some dorm rooms on my floor and thinking, "Wow! I'm glad they aren't mine!" My college room and now my apartment are cleaner than my bedroom growing up, but it's largely due to the fact my mom and dad made my sister and I do chores around the house. I'm also thankful I never got an allowance for it. My allowance was a roof over my head, food on the table, and being overly loved. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! That's funny.
DeleteMy kids do get "allowance," but it's small amounts for the extra things they do, and it's for the purpose of teaching them how to tithe 10% and save 10%, then they get 80% to spend or save for a future purchase.
We always had to do chores when I was a child...and never had an allowance. My house was spotless before I had kids...now, not so much, but I have tried to train my kids to be responsible adults too...and they so want to learn to cook...that is a plus! Hannah called me at school the other day and asked how to make tuna salad!!! LOL Baby steps...
ReplyDeleteCooking is a big one, too! My kids have helped with cooking off and on, but we aren't yet at a stage where they can really help tackle that job. One day!
DeleteWe didn't get an allowance growing up, but we also weren't taught how to handle money. Some chores are because they're part of the family, and some are to earn money, but it's not free and clear. We teach them how to tithe 10%, save 10%, and spend the rest. The "spend" part can be saved for a large purchase, but that's not the same as their "savings." I'm hoping to head off some of the learning pains early by instilling the principle of saving at a young age. *fingers crossed*