Scrub-a-Dub-Dollies!

One morning at playgroup, the dolls and soft toys were looking a little too loved (read: grubby), so we declared it doll washing day!
We started by undressing all the dolls, leaving one little blanket for warmth and modesty - and collected all their clothes into a pile for the machine. Their tiny sleeves and pant legs were a bit tricky for little fingers, but with a bit of teamwork and patience, the children managed to wriggle them off. It was great practice for their fine motor skills.

Little hands undressing dolly, getting ready to wash the clothes

To make the activity a bit more engaging, we selected a few outfits to handwash in a bucket with warm soapy water. If you are playing at home you can use laundry liquid, dish soap, soap flakes or even bubble bath, anything that will make bubbles will do.

We encouraged the children to scrub and slosh to get the clothes nice and clean. Then we rinsed off the bubbles, squeezed out the excess water and hung the clothes to dry.

Tucking the dollies in to bed for a nap

When everything was dry, it was time to redress the dolls and tuck them into bed... or you could pop them in the pram and head out for a stroll.

This is a really gentle playful way for children to take part in the household work.

Other playful ideas you can try at home:

Once the laundry is complete, tip all the socks on the floor and play a round of Sock Hunt.
Older kids can race to match pairs in 10 seconds, younger ones can call out colours, and babies… how about a sock puppet show.

Once they’re all balled up, you’ve got yourself a pile of soft “snowballs” to toss into the laundry basket. 

Toy truck washing delivery

Next time you have a pile of dry clothes in the basket it’s time to turn your child into the proud driver of the household’s new laundry delivery truck.

Sort the laundry into piles and invite them to load up their clean clothes into a toy truck, laundry basket or box and “deliver” them to their room.

Giving your child the opportunity to join in on daily tasks sets them up for a life long appreciation for the work that needs doing around the house. Is there a task at your house you can add a sprinkle of playful fun to? Give it a go.

If you’d like to consider more ideas around household work Household jobs, lifelong habits, and caring for each other is a great post to read.