Ages Kids Can Do Laundry
When living in a house with kids, the dirty clothes hamper fills more and more with each spaghetti spill, soccer scrimmage and painting session. Rather than washing, drying, folding and putting clothes away by yourself each time, consider engaging your kids in the process. Even toddlers can help out—plus, as your kids get older, you can teach them more complex steps until they are able to complete the entire process on their own. Let’s go through the ages at which most kids can get involved in different stages of doing laundry.
Ages 2 to 5 Years Old:
It can be tricky to determine when kids are old enough to start helping out with chores around the house. Once your child is old enough to follow simple instructions, teach them how to pick up dirty laundry and put it in the hamper, then have them help load it into the washing machine. As their skills develop, teach your kiddos how to perform tasks like emptying pockets and clearing the lint trap. Once your children reach preschool age, you can explain that laundry should also be sorted by color to protect clothes from getting damaged, then give them the hampers necessary to do so. Young children can also help pair socks and put clothes away.
Ages 6 to 10 Years Old:
Once your kids hit the elementary school age, they are capable of handling more responsibility in the laundry room. Not only can kiddos between six and 10 years old transfer clothes from the washer to dryer, but they can also add detergent (pods are a great way to start), scent booster and dryer balls or sheets to the machines. Additionally, elementary school kids can fold clothes, put shirts on hangers and sort clean laundry into closets and drawers.
Make sure to go through which temperature and cycle settings work best for each type of load. Then, consider displaying a guide explaining different cycle settings and asking your kids which cycle they would use for each load of clothes. Remember to be thorough in your explanations and answer questions throughout this entire process.
By the time your kids reach junior high school, they should be able to sort laundry, add detergent, select proper cycles, transfer from the washer to dryer, fold and put clothes away on their own.
Ages 11 to 13+ Years Old:
When your kids can participate in the laundry process, it makes your life easier and helps teach them responsibility. If you want to make getting involved in the laundry process more exciting for your kids, consider adding a fun twist. For more laundry tips, read through our blog!