This post was created in partnership with Kleenex Brand.
I think the first thing people say to me when I tell them a bit about myself is “wow, you must be busy!” The answer… yes, I am busy. Occasionally things in my world will get off of balance, either with a messy house or feeling like my daily to-do list is too long. I will remind myself that it might be time to help our kids along with becoming more independent, which helps me out and restores balance in our home.
But I have four kids, four personalities and four ages. Well, two of them are a minute apart, but our twins could not be more different. So how do I encourage each one to become more independent while making it easy, fun and appropriate for their stage?
Here are five tips to help your kids become more independent, and make life a littler easier for you…
1. Use reminders and tools to help. I use routine stickers around our house to help remind my four-year-old twins what to do, like brush their hair, or clean up clothes. We also have a list posted on our fridge to remind all four kids how they can help out. I also use tools to make things a little easier for our youngest like step stools. They will often move the step stools around our house to be able to reach everything just a little bit easier.
2. Create a self-serve snack container. Something I was finding that was a huge time suck was I was constantly getting our kids snacks. So, on days like PA days, I will create a schedule and include what time I have designated for snack time. But sometimes our kids get really hungry before it is snack time, so I decided to have healthy snacks on hand that they can get themselves. In our fridge there is a snack container that our kids can grab snacks to keep them fueled.
3. Keep Kleenex Gentle Clean Wet Wipes handy for cleanup. These have been a game changer for our family. They help with everything from our kids wiping toothpaste from their mouths, hands and sink, (instead of on our towels), to Play-Doh clean-up. I’m not hovering anymore worrying that our kids new found independence is leaving a trail of destruction in our home.
4. Allow your kids to serve themselves at mealtime. This is something that I started doing a few years ago when I was dealing with some very picky eaters. Instead of dishing our kids food out for them, I allow each of our kids dish out their own portions. This in-turn not only increases their independence level, but they also try more foods, and eat larger portions. It all comes down to control and they are happy to have it.
5. Supervise and instruct. Our big kids are starting to tackle some bigger tasks like using the toaster. Our daughter Beau mastered making her own toast when she was seven. But before she could go solo with this big-kid task, I supervised her many times and drilled safety tips into her like to never put a utensil in the toaster. Over time Beau really mastered toast making and even enjoys making toast for all of her siblings.
Watch how our kids are gaining independence…
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Kleenex Brand. While compensation was provided in form of trade, all opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily indicative of the opinions of Kleenex Brand.
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