Many parents will ask ‘what age is it appropriate to teach children to make their own bed?’ At the age of five, most children will be able to take this task on board; they have both the mental ability to remember the step-by-step guide and the physical ability to complete the task at hand.
Where to start?
You should begin by allowing them to observe the bed making process. After a while they may even wish to help from their own accord. Start by pulling the top sheet, duvet and blanket to the head of the bed, you can then show your child how to tuck in each corner.
Once your child has practiced with you on several occasions, begin renouncing your help. Allow them to complete the last step of the bed making process unaided and then the last two steps and so on until they are fully confident with the whole task.
Growing up
As your child grows, he or she may start to help you change the bed linen. This is another task in itself and as such, your child must be educated from start to finish. Begin by showing them how to pull the fitted sheet from the bed, and also, how to replace it with a new sheet.
Your child will need to know where to put the soiled sheet and where to find a fresh sheet – you may have a linen cupboard or basket in a certain room in the house so make sure this is accessible to your children. Allowing your child to choose the bed linen themselves is a great way to encourage them to make their own beds. You may have several coloured sheets or bed covers featuring their favourite characters.
You may like to put up a calendar detailing when each ‘linen’ day occurs. You could even issue stars, which will be attached to a board every time your child completes this task.
Why is it important?
It is important for children to learn of various household tasks as they will not be able to rely on you forever. They can then put these tasks into action when they stay at friends or relatives homes too – ensuring that they leave rooms clean and tidy during their stay.
At home, a well made bed will instantly make a child’s room look tidier – helping to encourage them to look after their rooms and giving you a home you can be proud of.
This is a guest post, supplied by Feather and Black
