I always knew I wanted a daughter. There is just something so special about a mother-daughter relationship. I dreamed of teaching my daughter things that only a mom can. But I never really gave “training” my daughter much thought. I mean, I figured I would teach her how to do laundry and she would help me clean the house as she aged, and eventually, I would teach her how to cook.

But, I never even thought about training her from the time she was old enough to walk. It wasn’t until after I found out #4 was another girl that I started reading blog after blog about training my girls to be homemakers and what a godly homemaker really looked like.

How could I be the best trainer for them to become the godly women He so wants them to be? Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (KJV) I believe this verse is really talking about training our children in disciplines and careers. In short, I believe this verse directly relates to my calling of training my daughters in the art of homemaking.

How can you train your younger daughters?

Here are a few ideas to help you get started.

• Ask  them what they want to help with. You will be surprised that even your little 2- and 3-year-olds have opinions on what they want to learn how to do.
• Take your cues from them. Learn all about them and watch their personalities develop. Those personalities creep up early and will tell you so much about what and how they will enjoy learning.
• Be gentle. While this might be a given, I think it’s important to remember that they are still so impressionable and we don’t want to squander that eager spark in them!
• Be patient. This can be a tough one when dealing with littles. They get distracted easily and they just need to be reminded (multiple times) to stay on task and finish what they started.

Littles Training Ideas

Cooking – My daughter loves to pour ingredients into the mixing bowl and then watch it “work.” She also loves to help carry the ingredients to the counter.

Sorting laundry – Cloth diapers and socks are a great place to start teaching them about laundry. My oldest daughter absolutely loves helping sort the cloth diapers and inserts. My youngest loves to help put the clothes into the dryer and shut the door.

Picking up around the house – I often ask my children (not just the girls) to help by picking up everyone’s lunch plates or finding the sippie cups to help fill them with water again. When it’s time to pick up toys, we often make it a game and I ask them to bring me toys with specific colors or a certain number of  items (see…you can clean the house and do school at the same time!).

Grocery shopping – Now I  know most women see this as a time to “get away” from the kids and have some time alone (even if it is in a crowded grocery store), but I love when I take my oldest daughter with me. She holds the list for me and helps me “find” items on the shelves that we need. If I have time, I try to make a picture grocery list just for her so she can mark things off, too! She loves it!!!

Repetitive actions – When they are really young (2 and under), I try to do repetitive things with them. For example: picking up blocks, putting the laundry into the dryer (with littles this takes a bit of time), bringing me groceries to put away, etc.

I Cor 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I think this applies to training our daughters as well. Don’t go at it half-way, but full throttle for the glory of God.

How do you train your daughters?

Blessings,
Annette

Annette has been married to her husband and best friend for almost 10 years. They are raising their four children to follow the Lord’s will, no matter what. Annette longs for the day when she will meet her 5 children who have entered heaven before her. She blogs about homeschooling, Biblical parenting, grain-free recipes and maintaining her sanity over at In All You Do. You can keep up with her on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.