Home projects are something that everyone is familiar with.

Most parents will feel that it is not safe to allow kids around the house when it is under routine maintenance. The usual solution for this is to either let them go to a friend’s place for play, or hire a baby sitter to take care of them.

This is not really necessary a lot of times.

Kids can in fact be an integral part of the home projects, if done right. Much of the work is actually family friendly, as opposed to being dangerous. They will not only learn the value of working, but also get to spend quality time with the family.

Given in the list below are some excellent ways you can get your children involved with home projects.

1.) House Painting

Painting the house is one of the most fun home projects that you could take up with your kids. It is one of the most family friendly projects that you could ever take up.

Most kids love to paint. This is the reason they are all artists when they are small. Any kid will become an artist if you just give them a piece of paper and some stationery.

You can use this innate enthusiasm to let them become part of a house painting project.

The way you do it is by dividing up the task between you and your child, with you taking care of everything that the child cannot.  This advice holds true for all of the subsequent points as well.

You can paint the upper reaches that they aren’t able to reach, while they can take care of the lower ones. Just make sure that they don’t inhale into the paint or consume it, as it can be unsafe.

2.) Housekeeping & Routine Maintenance 

Another way in which you can get kids involved with house projects is with housekeeping and routine maintenance.

There will always be a great deal of housework around each day. It is a given, since there is a lot of work to be done, day in and day out.

You can encourage kids to become involved with the housework, in one way or another. Among them include activities such as sweeping the floor, mopping the floor, wiping surfaces, etc.

Once again, don’t let them handle any household chemicals or come into contact with anything dangerous, such as heavy objects. Let them take care of the lighter stuff while you handle the more difficult activities of routine maintenance.

This is family friendly as well, as long as you manage to keep the kids away from chemicals and other potential hazards.

3.) Taking Care of a Pet  

Pets are another way in which you can get your kids involved.

It is fairly common for parents to have pets at home, whether it is a fish, dog, cat or anything else.

You can get your children to become part of taking care of the pets. Some of the ways in which it can be done are given below.

If it is a dog or cat, you can wash up the dog and take care of any sanitation issues it has. Your kids on the other can help with brushing its hair; bring your pet food and water, etc.

In the case of fish, you can work on cleaning up the fish tank and other such difficult activities. The lighter activities, such as arranging the decorations, feeding the fish, choosing the fish at the pet store, can be done by your kid.

This same principle can be used for just about any other pet you may have.

Do note here that some pets, such as pitbulls, are dangerous and known to attack others, including children. And this is doubly true if you are having exotic pets such as pythons, etc, in which case you are to ensure that your child doesn’t get near them. You will need to figure out the nature and temperament of your pet before you let your children near it.

4.) Creating a Kitchen Garden  

If you have a dirt patch in the front or back yard, you can work on creating a kitchen garden.

This is a great way to get in touch with nature, while at the same time spending time with your kids. You will find this to be especially fun, since children love to play in the mud.

Growing daily vegetables, rather than depending on the store is one of the most fulfilling activities that you could ever engage in. Eating the food that you’ve grown, rather than purchased from the supermarket, has a charm unto itself.

You can work on cultivating the garden, handling fertilizer, using any dangerous implements, etc. The kids on the other hand can take care of the safer tasks, such as planting the crops, harvesting them, watering the plants, labeling the vegetables, etc.

If there is one family friendly activity that you could engage in, this would be it.

5.) Clearing up the Yard  

If you happen to have a yard, you know how messy it can get.

From overgrown grass to weeds, the place can become a mess if untended. This is especially true when you have trees in the yard, as they shed leaves on a routine basis.

This is a family friendly activity that you could get your child involved in. Getting them to help around with yard work will prove to be a fun filled time for everyone.

With regard to overgrown grass, you can have them mow the lawn if it’s a safety mower, while you can take care of the issue if you are dealing with a mechanized one. As for the clippings generated by the mowing, you can have your kids sweep them into a compost heap.

As for the leaves, it is rather dangerous to let kids around rakes. They can either poke themselves with the sharp tips, or step on it in the wrong way and have the handle hit their heads. Don’t allow for the kids to rake the yard of its fallen leaves .But you can give them a broom and tell them to sweep the leaves into a corner. 

As for any weeds and other excess growth, you will need to deal with it yourself. Given that you may have to use chemicals such as weed killers, ensure that you take care of the issue rather than letting your children near them.

And then there is the work involving painting the fence. Often a part of the larger yard work, you can give kids the chance to paint the lower reaches of the fence, or even the entirety of it if they can reach the top. If they can’t, you can just take care of the upper reaches and let them do the rest.

Then there are the drains that need to be unclogged from all the accumulated waste. A mixture of baking soda and tartar paste for example, is safe for kids to handle and can be given to them for clearing the drains. Once the mixture has been poured down the pipe, a bit of warm or hot water can be added to clear the blockage. It would be a good idea to pour the hot water yourself, rather than permitting your kid to handle it.

In all, know that you don’t have to avoid children when you engage in housework.

On the contrary, you can get them involved with the work as well, which will prove to be very useful when done right. The kids will be able to gain a great deal of benefit when this is done, and which will possibly help them out even in the future.

So don’t worry about your kids if you are having some house maintenance work coming up. Instead, get your children involved in any and all family friendly work. Ask them to help you around the house and be a part of the activity. And last but not the least; ensure that you take the necessary safety precautions before you allow your child to engage in any activity around the house.

-family friendly tips by Nannies And Kids United

family friendly tips for you and your family

>>> https://nanniesandkidsunited.com/substance-abuse-prevention/