Folding a Washcloth

Sweet Pea is 26 months old.

From: This was another activity from the book  Teach Me To Do It Myself by Maja Pitamic.  Sweet Pea likes to unfold everything help me fold the laundry so when I saw this activity I thought it would be great for her.

Materials:

• Sharpie Pen
• 3 Washcloths
• Basket

Procedure

• Use the sharpie to draw a line all the way across the center of one washcloth.  Turn the washcloth 90-degrees and draw another line so it has a big plus sign across it.  Turn the washcloth over and draw another large plus sign on the back.  Repeat with the remaining washcloths.
• Put the washcloths in the basket and sit down next to your tot.
• Tell your tot that you are going to fold washclothes and pick a wash cloth out of the basket.
• Lay the washcloth square in front of you.

• Use both of your hands to pick up the 2 corners closest to you and fold along the horizontal line as you bring them to meet the top 2 corners.  Say, “I am matching up the corners.”

• Next turn the washcloth so the fold is on your left.  Say, “Turn the washcloth.”
• Again, use both of your hands to pick up the 2 corners closest to you and fold along the drawn line as you bring them up to meet the top 2 corners.   Say, “I am matching up these corners.”
• Carefully pat the washcloth smooth and then pick it up and place it to your right, a little out of the way.
• Ask your tot if they want to try with the next cloth.  Give them a chance, and repeat the lesson if necessary.

Observations: The first time I tried this activity, I didn’t draw the lines on the washcloth and Sweet Pea had a much harder time with it.  She really had no idea what I wanted her to do despite showing her several times.

Drawing the lines on the washcloth really is key (although it did cause Sweet Pea to want me to draw on all of the laundry.  She keeps saying, “Mommy draw on it!”  now.)

Sweet Pea’s first attempt:

Eventually, Sweet Pea got a little better at it.  She never really got the second fold down though. And I wouldn’t say that this activity held her attention very long…  I think  it was just a tad  too difficult.  I will probably try it again soon, though.  (I am never short of laundry to fold.)

In the end Sweet Pea had more fun taking the things I had folded from the living room and running them piece by piece to the room where they went.   I would say, “Take these socks to mommy’s bedroom,” and off she would go.

From the Trenches: I should mention that I found quite a bit of clean, semi-folded laundry in my hamper before I went to bed that night.

And this in no way helped me get the laundry folded any faster.

Also, we almost had a meltdown.

I tried to help her too much and she wanted to do things on her own.  It’s hard to be 2-years-old.  🙂

Rating: 2 Stars * (Easy,  Frugal)