While this may not seem odd or newsworthy to parents who follow the Montessori method, this mom is going viral for her video about how she gave her 1-year-old child mundane chores around the house, according to Newsweek. Sophie Zee is a mom who also has expertise in child development and she’s focusing on caring for her 1-year-old son full time.
If you follow the Montessori method at home, you know that life skills in the form of play are crucial learning tools for babies and toddler-aged children. At a very young age, they learn to wash windows, arrange flowers, wash dishes, pour their own drinks, make snacks, sweep, mop, and even do laundry—though they obviously don’t always do it perfectly. It’s part of teaching them hand-eye coordination, building their pincer grip and hand strength for learning how to write later on, and they learn about patterns, and doing things in order. But Zee’s video left some parents scratching their heads about why you would make a 1 year old do chores around the house.
Her TikTok video went viral, being viewed more than 500,00 times and sparked several comments on her parenting technique. In the post, Zee shared, “POV, you’re 10-months-old but your mom is trained in child development, so you already know about basic chores and associate them with playtime and fun, and you enjoy helping out and doing them.”
The video shows her son helping wash dishes, turning the knob on the washing machine, putting away silverware in the dishwasher, and arranging books on a shelf.
“Sometimes my 10-month-old son engages in various daily tasks and chores around our home. I made that video to demonstrate how even young children, like babies, are capable of participating in everyday activities,” she told Newsweek in an interview.
“Let your baby & kids watch/help with your daily chores. Even if it takes a bit longer or is a bit messier. It’s so important for their development and they enjoy it!” her caption read.
While some commenters were flabbergasted and suggested she let her kid be a kid, there were many who agreed with her and shared how they do this with their kids, too.
“Yes!! My 5-year-old son begs to run a load of laundry because I did this from a baby. It’s so good for their confidence too,” one mom said.
“My 14 month old loves helping with dishes. She dropped a plate today and it shattered. Thankfully, I snatched her up before she could step in it. Thank you for the reminder that the mess was worth it!” said another mom.
Another thankful mom commented, “My toddler loves doing the laundry. It takes forever but I don’t have to bend to change it over anymore.”
If you don’t feel comfortable with your child handling plates, dishes, and other household items, Zee said that it’s just as effective to let them watch you do them at first. They’re always watching and will eventually model your behavior.
She did note, however, that forcing babies or toddlers to participate is counterproductive to what you’re trying to achieve by giving them household tasks to complete. So what exactly does giving your baby or toddler chores achieve?
Zee believes that involving your child in these activities could foster their “intrinsic motivation” and can ultimately simplify life for parents, Newsweek reported.
