Some of my earliest kitchen memories have to do with cleaning, not cooking. When I was still quite little — perhaps four years old — my mom would put a step stool next to the sink and let me dry the silverware with a fuzzy dishtowel. I would put on an apron and feel very grown-up. I do have cherished memories of cooking while I was a kid, but I have equally fond memories of cleaning up the kitchen. I am curious how our readers approach this with their own kids, from toddlers to teens: Do they help you clean up the kitchen?
Last week we talked quite a bit about getting the kitchen clean, with a roundup of our readers' favorite cleaning tools, and a discussion of the best music for cleaning — and now, this week, on to child labor! OK, just kidding. But seriously, even though I don't have kids yet, I'm already looking forward to when they are around and can lift some of the dishwashing duties off my husband's shoulders!
I have to admit that my earlier enchantment with washing and drying dishes faded quickly with adolescence and higher expectations of household chores. I was the designated dinner dish-washer for years, until siblings grew up enough to take over. To me, though, it seems like a ritual of childhood: Learning how to clean a kitchen properly, and also learning that the faster you go, the faster you'll be done. I'm a pretty quick washer-up and I'm sure it's due to skills I learned when I was thirteen.
What about you? Did you help with kitchen cleanup when you were still at home with your parents? And what about now? If you have kids, do they help out at all?
Related: On Cooking with Kids (With a Few Recommended Books)
(Image: Flickr member clogozm licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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I am one of three daughters so you better believe it that we had to help clean up. Whether it was washing or drying the dishes or sweeping up the kitchen and dining area floor afterwards, there was always something to be done. I didn't mind it so much then and don't now either. I like a neat and tidy home, especially my kitchen so its just part of routine maintenance, IMO.
Insofar as our 3 1/2 yr old goes: she enjoys loading and unloading the dishwasher and clearing the table. My mantra is "use both hands" and so far, nothing has gotten broke on her watch. I wish I could say the same for me as I broke yet another drinking glass yesterday when washing my stainless steel sink and trying to take a shortcut. When will I ever learn???
My parents always had a strict participation rule when it came to the kitchen. If you didn't help cook, you had to clean.
My 3.5 year old likes to dry and put stuff away (all her plates and cups and bowls go into a drawer she can reach) and also she loves to empty the silver ware from the dishwasher. It's a great sorting task and she's been doing it for almost a year. She will also help clear dishes off the table.
We have granite counters which can shatter even an acrylic cup, so I've been reluctant to have the little one do lots of dish work. She does clean the table THOROUGHLY. I have to give her plenty of lead time because once she gets into it she wants to do the table legs and everything.
Alas, enthusiasm and competence are sort of inverted with kids/cleaning. They love to help when they're really too little to be effective and hate it once they've got the height and motor skills!
my 14 month old stands on a box next to me so he can be at counter height, and watches me cook and wash the dishes. he loves it and throws an absolute fit if he isn't allowed up (when i'm at the stove). he's too young to help me clean, but he does snap up any food unwatched from the cutting board. when he was even younger i carried him in a sling while i cooked. I think its never too young to get your kids involved in the kitchen- its educational, occupies them and allows you to get on with life!
I grew up in a family of 6 girls, no boys. After dinner, my mom would roll a dice she kept in the drawer of table linens. Each number meant a kitchen clean up job. 1- sweep 2-clear table 3-load dishwasher 4-wash hand dishes 5-wipe table 6- pack up leftovers. It worked perfectly! With my own three little kids, they are responsible for clearing their own dishes and my 6 year old clears all of the table and helps put away clean dishes from the dishwasher. But now after reading all of this, I am thinking he will be loading the dishwasher tonight!
My two year old is obsessed with the dishwasher so if he's around when it's getting unloaded he "helps" by handing each item to me or my husband to put away. It takes about twice as long but it's very cute.
Growing up my siblings and I were responsible for setting and clearing the table with the bigger kids carrying the breakables like plates and cups and the littler ones responsible for silverware and napkins. I definitely intend to continue that with my kids with the addition of them loading the dishwasher (my parents always had one but never used it).
I broke my arm as a kid helping my mom in the kitchen and have been hot and cold on my daughter helping in the kitchen because I am so afraid of her hurting herself. The real problem is that she needs to stand on a step stool or chair and I just don't feel that any of them are safe enough! If only our kitchen was large enough for one of the Learning Towers. Maybe the next place will be... What do other people use?
My kids (4&7) absolutely DO help clean the kitchen!
I bought my bought a learning tower for my daughter (now almost 3) about a year ago at a second hand store, and I have to say, it's been the best investment. My LO helps with the cooking, stirring cornbread or pancakes and putting lettuce into bowls for salad (it was this activity that actually spurred her to eat salad for the first time). She loves helping with the cooking, but is also content just to watch when things are a little too dangerous loke using the stove or chopping veggies. She's recently gotten really into setting the table as well.
Star biscuits (or cookies in the US - or STARKEYS to my 2 year old) are a favourite to help with: 2 cups of spelt or regular flour, 1 teaspoon of BPowder, rub in 75 gm of butter, pour in enough apple juice to form a soft dough. kneed and roll out. cut with star shape cutters. bake at 180degrees celcius, until they begin to colour. dust with icing sugar. YUM
My small one loves to empty the flatware out of the dishwasher basket. He also loves to go to town on the table with a Magic Eraser. He gets a penny for his troubles. :)