Help Parents Translate Simple Activities into Learning

Parents often pressure their children to name colors, count, and say the alphabet. They worry about whether their child will be ready for school. We know that children learn best through working with materials they can act on. Everyday tasks will help children prepare for school better than worksheets on numbers and letters. Parents do not always understand this. Sometimes, we must show parents what children learn as they help with routine tasks.

Tell parents that their children can learn new words, basic concepts, and problem-solving skills in daily home activities. Help parents see that it is important to include their children in chores at home.
Because children get the chance to do these chores over and over again, they are good learning activities.

Parents know that these skills are complicated because their children cannot do them yet! Having children help with chores takes more time, and it can be frustrating. Help busy parents realize that they are spending "quality time" with their child when they work together. Chores teach children thinking skills that prepare them for school. They also encourage important independence and self-care skills. When parents ask what you've been teaching during child care, tell them what you've done and suggest a related activity at home.

Simple chores such as setting the table teach learning skills. Children learn about math as they master one-to-one relationships, such as one fork for each person. They learn to position items in space and to understand concepts such as next to, beside, and above. They learn to solve problems as they decide if things are the same or if there will be enough of something. While setting the table, they are also comparing sizes and shapes. Finally, learning to look from left to right will help them when they begin to read.

Have children help with the laundry. Sorting the clothes will teach them to group like objects together. They can sort by colors, by textures, and by type of garment. They can sort into wet and dry piles or dirty and really dirty piles. They can learn about measuring by measuring soap.

Bedmaking teaches children the meaning of smooth, soft, hard, and corners. They learn what it is to be over, under, and on top of something. They learn how to fold. Again, they learn to compare sizes, match colors or designs, and differentiate between clean and dirty.

Help parents understand the amount of learning that household chores provide.

Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Smith, R. (1991). Help parents translate simple activities into learning. In Todd, C.M. (Ed.), *Family day care connections*, 1(2), pp. 4­p;5. Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.