Children and Chores – Making Beds

The bed. It is comfy (hopefully!), snuggly, and soft.  It is the focal point in any bedroom, and yet, it can be one of the most neglected chores in our home.

Why make the bed when you are just going to mess it right up again, right?

Weeeelll… not always.

I feel that one of the most important qualities we can teach our children is to take care of their things. I feel that their bed falls into that category.

Making a bed is one of the first and simplest tasks for children to learn. You simply begin by letting them help you with his/her bed, as well as your own (especially if your child sleeps with you!).

After your child learns the basic steps for bed-making, he or she can probably do it on their own… unless it is a large bed, and they are still small.  For example, my daughter had a bit of a time at first with making her full-size bed.  She figured out on her own how to make it “just like she wanted it.”

Another way we make it easier on our girls is to forgo the top sheet. My girls tend to kick their covers off anyway, so we stick with a fitted sheet and comforter.

Of course, on laundry day, your child can remove his sheets and take them to the dirty sheets bin all by himself.

When re-making the bed, the fitted sheet can give, well, fits to anyone!  This may be an area your child will need help with for some time.  {Are you kidding??? I still need help sometimes!}

If you are a Type-A perfectionist like myself, this is where you have to “let go” of some things.

:: The bed will not be made perfectly. Do not look for hotel corners and military creases… even if that is the way you do it.

:: The bed will probably look “messy.” My girls love to set up their stuffed animals and dolls on their beds to make it look pretty.  And, it does look pretty.  A bit haphazard, may-be, but still pretty.

:: Resist the urge to “fix it.” Resist, resist, resist!  I promise, nothing bad will happen if a bed isn’t perfect!

As with everything else, when you choose to teach a child a new skill, you must be a positive encouragement. Tell your child how proud you are and what a good job he/she does.  You should also be a good example.

Which leads me to… make your own bed. Of course the kiddos are welcome to help you, but be sure to keep up your end of the bargain, too.  No slacking off while expecting your children to keep up the slack.

Don’t like to make your bed?  Don’t ask your children to make their beds.  It is a win-win situation: unmade beds all around!

At what age did you teach your child to make her bed?  Does she like being “helpful” or is is just a chore to her?