Dear Reader,
When we decided to come up with one purposeful activity per day with our preschoolers, it caused me to look at daily tasks in a whole new light. Suddenly, berry picking isn’t just a task to be done, it’s a chance to teach my preschooler a new skill; and instead of approaching it as a chore, it’s a time to spend in the wonder that is the preschooler mind.
When my friend invited me to come pick berries with her, I used that new paradigm and got excited about the chance to take my preschooler. Not only is it outside (her favorite place in the whole world), and involving food (she actually did pretty well at not eating all of the berries she picked. But toward the end, she did eat quite a bit and shared the wealth with her little sisters), but its also a chance to step out of our normal routine. And, as I said before, it’s a chance to teach a life skill to a preschooler. She caught on pretty quickly as to which berries to pick, reaching for less and less unripe berries as we went.
I think she had a pretty fun time! And I am a firm believer in the happy chemical boosts involved in working together. Not to mention the boost in Vitamin D by being outside in the sunlight.
I mean, I guess I should have been worried that my wild child would have ravaged my friend’s patch, but I decided that a little trust an expectation would go a long way. And it worked. She didn’t get bored before her sisters were just plain done. She actually worked really hard! and when she didn’t work, she thoroughly enjoyed herself talking the ears off of a new audience. And then there were butterflies, and that was fascinating. All in all, I’m soooo happy we went. If you’re ever on the fence as to whether your kid would be a benefit or a hindrance to the work that needs done, take them! Even if they’re a hindrance, they’re learning work ethic! They’re learning that the task can be fun. They’re watching you and learning life skills. And it might just go better than you fear.
