Sara Gable, Ph.D., State Specialist and Associate Professor, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri Extension
Spring is the time of year for cleaning. Your young children can help with cleaning tasks, especially when they are members of a team that works together. Such activities help children focus on a task, talk about what needs to be done and follow through until completion. These experiences can promote a sense of competence and show children that everyone benefits from teamwork.
In the publication Young Children, Nancy Jones writes that she uses big jobs in her early childhood program. She defines a big job as “a useful, helpful task that requires several people to work together.” Such tasks typically involve physical activity, problem solving and communication for planning and directing.
During her 30 years as an early childhood professional, Jones says she has observed that children benefit from completing big jobs…
For specific ideas of indoor and outdoor tasks for children at home and in early childhood settings, see the full version of this article at http://missourifamilies.org/
