Involving Your Kids In Your Homestead

No matter where your homestead is - in the country, city, apartment, house, or somewhere in between - you can participate in many 'homesteading' tasks that your kids can also help in.

It's my personal belief that when children are involved in housework and helping at an early age, when they are able to have their own chores, they take to them much easier.  As soon as kids can make a mess, I feel they're ready to learn how to clean it up!  I also feel that a child can be involved in almost any household task (except those in which the child could get hurt) at an early age and grow into their chores.  When they take responsibility for certain household tasks, it isn't a job but more of a honor to be trusted with a task that keeps the home running.

Involving your kids should be fun!

When gardening, your kids can help you plant the seeds and help with watering.  My kids were so involved in my garden this year (2007), and because they were a part of what was going on, they ate a ton of vegetables from it.  My daughter wouldn't touch peas from a can (I can't say that I blame her!), but she devoured the sweet peas from our garden.  Each day the kids would go out and eat cherry tomatoes until their hearts were content.  Green beans were also yummy and fun to eat right from the garden.  As I experience pride and joy in being able to grow my family healthy produce, my kids took pride and joy in what they've helped to create also.  Gardening also opened its self up to many other lessons!

I've spoken of housework, and how I feel kids should be involved in it early. My children (the oldest are currently two and almost four) have been responsible for little things - clearing the table (except for knives), rinsing dishes, cleaning up all of their toys from the floor and putting them in proper containers, loading laundry into the washing machine, assisting with folding clothes, vacuuming and sweeping (more or less hit and miss, but having fun all the while), spraying nontoxic cleaner on surfaces and rubbing clean and dry, taking simple direction to help me put things away (folded clothes in the right drawer, for example), putting trash in the trash bin, helping pick up dog poo (my two year old finds it for me in our yard, my almost four year old helps me pick it up), etc.  As you are doing a household task, ask yourself "how can my child help?"  Even if a task they do may take much longer than you, or not get done up to your standards, it may very well be worth the lesson you are teaching your child, and the happy feeling they get to be involved in an 'adult' task. One thing I've learned as a mom is that nothing will ever get done up to 'my' standards, so I've just lowered them to accommodate my learning children!  Older women have often told me that by the time my kids are older, I should be out a job.  Either way I want to be sure that my children grow up knowing responsibility and how to properly run a home so that when they are out on their own or when they marry, they'll know how to properly take care of their home!

Kids love to help cook.  I've actually found that when I let my children have a part in cooking, they're much more willing to try the food they've helped make!  Cooking also lends its self to many other lessons including that of science, vocabulary, math, etc.  Young children can help dump pre-measured amounts into bowls, help stir, gather kitchen utensils,  read instructions (or listen to mommy read them and remind her if she asks them what comes next), gather ingredients, point out items that are needed on a shelf, work the mixer, etc.  The list can go on and on depending upon what you're making and the age of your children.

Children are also captivated by the sight and hum of a sewing machine, delighted to watch a pen write, mystified over making cleaners and soaps, and excited to watch and help out with other homesteading tasks.  Take this and run with it.  Don't ignore your kids, otherwise they will loose this wonder and you'll find yourself having a hard time getting them to help around the house. They'll miss out on important lessons to be learned and special time to bond.

Let them help feed the animals, milk the goats and cows, gather the eggs, give them a pet that they are responsible for taking care of and teach them how to properly maintain that animal, teach them handyman skills.  Create tasks that they can do to help you, but if they show interest find some way to involve them.  Kids want to help, they want to feel involved and like an important member of the family.  Let them!  You are not turning your children into 'slaves' unless you constantly ask them to do things for you instead of help you or having them 'pull their weight.' Don't force them into helping you with everything.  Burning them out and teaching them everything in a day isn't the goal.  Gradual, daily, repetitive learning is the goal  Sooner or later, that little child, the one that took so long to do a simple task or made a much bigger mess than what he started out with as he learned to do something, will be a well-rounded and HELPFUL member of your household.  You'll be able to call upon that child to do something and know he's doing it right, because you taught him so many times and stood by his side teaching him how to do the job right the first time.  And by the time your children are older, you may very well find yourself out of a job, reminding you of YOUR job well done!