It is pretty safe to say that my daughter LOVES to clean (unless it is right before bedtime). Her cleaning fascination started with windows and has escalated to laundry.
I can’t say I mind it much, she just loves folding and has, on several occasions, asked me to stop doing laundry so that she can fold it herself. She even takes folded clothing out of her drawers, unfolds it, and folds it again.
So, what is so great about a three year old and folding? Let me tell you…
Folding clothing, blankets and towels allows a child to meet and cross his/her midline, which is one very important skill that will lead to so many other skills. When a child meets his/her midline, they are engaging in bilateral coordination. Bilateral coordination allows us to move both sides of our body at the same time like when we walk down the street, climb a rock wall, running and even riding a bike. Bilateral coordination also allows for further development in cognitive skills such as reading, and writing.
So what are you waiting for? Get on the folding train and have your child help you with the laundry.
While you’re at it, sing this little ditty:
(Tune of Row, Row, Row, Boat)
Fold, Fold, Fold your clothes
Neatly in a pile
Matching corners and the sides
Folding makes me smile
Do you have any songs or chants that help you and your child do household chores? Leave a comment below and let us know!
BTW, you can read a bit more about crossing midline and its importance over at the Music Therapy Maven.
Laundry vs 3 year old is slightly different with a boy. All laundry dirty, clean, folded all gets tossed on the floor to play “boat” in the basket. Laundry in drawers is removed an discarded in a not so neat pile without another thought to make room for anything else. Neatly folded towels are used as landing mats. The act of folding is beyond us. Not the physical ability but the concept of why fold if it is just going to get unfolded when I put it on. Using the hamper is ok but that is more about basketball than cleanliness. We have no worries about trying to cross the midline though. It takes a lot of coordination to catch and bring down your brother, and we unfortunatly practice that a lot.
HAHAHA! Kharla, you need to write me some blog posts from the “mother of three boys” perspective. I wouldn’t doubt that people would get a kick out of your stories and find them relatable.