Incorporating Language at Home- Laundry
Worst. Chore. Ever. Right?? Our kids don’t have to know that. Let’s talk about ways to make this task language rich and teach some early responsibility.
I know, I know. I don’t have time for my child to “help” me with laundry. It’s never-ending as it is, and they will only make it longer. I have things to do! REMEMBER-start small. Give them a few items, their own basket, or just one step in the routine. Let’s breakdown how:
Is your child working on basic, core communication? Target words “in” or “out” and continually model those words as you take laudry out of the washer and put in in the dryer. Out of the dryer, in the basket. You see where I’m going with this?
Let’s work on matching. Can you find all of the socks that go together??
What about categories? Can you put all of mommy’s shirts in this pile?
These are ways to make the chore fun! Try to focus on modeling the entire time without the pressure for your child to do something immediately. If we are working on their receptive skills (understanding language and following directions), model a few times first. Narrate what you are doing and physically show them. If this is a weekly routine, you can notice how over time they are able to understand quicker and soon use that language you modeled independently!
Now let’s recap all of the language skills this incorporates, because you may be surprised at how much we can get out of it!
identifying/labeling vocabulary- think names of clothing items, but also “button, zipper, hood, detergent, hanger, laundry basket, closet, drawer"
sequencing and following directions- “Can you find 4 socks and then throw them in the hamper?”
object/function- “what do we need to make the clothes clean?” (detergent, soap, water, dryer sheets)
basic concepts- “clean/dirty, wet/dry, big/little, same/different, stinky” After you fold the clothes, where do we put them? Top drawer or bottom?
describing- See if your child can find the clothing item that you are describing, like I Spy.
categories- Sort by size, colors, each family member’s clothes
requesting- “help, open it, put it in”
action words- “pour, wash, clean, dry, fold, hang”
compare/contrast- same/different. This shirt has polka dots, but this one has stripes!
Let me know how it goes!