Home maintenance/repair for petite tween?

[Dmmetler]

DD is a "save the world" sort of kid, and tends to feel that whatever she does isn't good enough. Weekend before last, when she and I were out of town for her to speak at a conference, DH began stripping the wallpaper in the dining/Lego room and preparing to repaint, since I'm chemically sensitive and have trouble with paint fumes. He had hoped to get it done before DD and I came back, but didn't get there.

 

Yesterday, DD and DH finished painting the room together, and DD is SO proud of herself, and obviously has a feeling of accomplishment that she doesn't get from the more ongoing stuff in her life, like school, chores, and her herpetology work.

 

So, what other necessary, useful, yet completable tasks (either at home or as a volunteer) it is reasonable to hand a small for her age tween, either on her own or with the help of a parent? I think she needs more of this in her life.

[eternalsummer]

What else do you need done around the house? ;)  My DD10 (also smallish) has a garden (vaguely successful) and sews (kind of) and of course as we are a larger family and she is the oldest, there's a fair amount of cleaning for which she is responsible, and she likes that.  It's not quite the same as home repair, though :)  With DD10 it has to be real; she is not interested in make=work.

[Garga]

I would suppose whatever comes up. Next time something needs to be repaired tell her how to do it and let her do it. When we replaced the doorknobs to some rooms, the boys read the instructions and did the change (they were 8 and 10 at the time.). I did help get the screws going that were hard to get going. Other than a bit of my muscle, they figured it out for themselves.

 

If a washer needs to be replaced, have her do it. If the toilet handle needs to be adjusted, show her how to do it. Changing lightbulbs, unclogging drains, repainting the metal handrail outside, hanging a picture, replacing the furnace filter are all things someone her age, with the motivation she has, could do with a bit of instruction.

 

I can't think of a huge project to do alone, but those little things are natural tasks (not made-up tasks) and aren't overwhelming. Maybe you could oversee, but still hand it off to her to do the work. You might just have to wait to see what comes up naturally in life.

Edited March 22, 2016 by Garga

[Arcadia]

Does she like bicycles? I can't find my local bike recycling volunteer site so this is copied from one in VA.

 

"Shop Volunteers – This is a chance for you to get your hands greasy, help out the shop, and learn something along the way. Volunteer projects include stripping bikes, sorting parts, cleaning bikes, and fixing up donated bikes. All skill levels are welcome and volunteers are paired together or work independently under the direction of an experienced volunteer or staff person."

http://www.phoenixbikes.org/get-involved/phoenix-bikes-volunteer-handbook/

 

ETA:

I used to help my aunt with manual car maintenance at that age. Not much to tinker with automatic cars.

Edited March 22, 2016 by Arcadia

[alisoncooks]

Is she old enough to do a Habitat for Humanity Saturday? DH has taken college students as a service project and it's been pretty tame.

[wathe]

Rotate the tires for your car (or swap out the snows for summers).  I first learned to do this around age 12 (with direct supervision)  and I loved it.

[Tap]

Do you need a path around your house, or a small landing made with pavers anywhere on your property.  Maybe pavers to go under the garbage cans, or a small path in the garden? It can take some planning and math, but if you do it right, it involves using gravel and sand to make a base and then the pavers/bricks/etc to make the surface.  They aren't cheap to create, but the project can be very rewarding. 

 

If she likes to garden, planning a raised garden can be a lot of fun. A great book to start with is Square Foot Gardening.   

[lllll]

nm

Edited November 15, 2016 by cathey

[MamaBearTeacher]

Sanding and painting small wooden furniture or other wood items, lawn mowing, raking, gardening, vacuuming, or you could look at Pinterest together and choose small do-it-yourself projects.

[Amy in NH]

My kids fought over who got to install a new doorknob yesterday. They both learned how to do it while they took turns.

[SKL]

Assembling furniture when it comes in a box.

 

Gardening and related outdoor work.

 

Helping with car maintenance.

 

Little day to day things - changing light bulbs and such, tightening loose screws, putting up hooks and shelves and door jambs....

[Lucy the Valiant]

Could she build a 1-board birdhouse?

[Renthead Mommy]

By third grade my son was mowing our grass.  We had a reel mower, not a gas powered one.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

By third grade my son was mowing our grass.  We had a reel mower, not a gas powered one.

 

Neither of mine could do that at that point.  My 14 year old finally surpassed me at height though (he is 5ft 2). 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Nothing comes to mind at the moment.  I'd say just anything that comes up.  My DH and I renovated our house pretty much entirely on our own.  I'm short.  The only tasks that are difficult for me are anything that requires being taller or is very heavy.  Although I've gotten pretty creative. 

 

Ohh, maybe she'd like to paint her own bedroom. 

[Cindy in FL.]

I haven't assigned specific tasks, but use whatever opportunity comes up. Changing a light switch, replacing a light fixture, putting a new 3 speed switch on the ceiling fans, assembling things, staining the wood deck, rescreening, etc.

[vonfirmath]

How about putting her in charge of replacing the filters for the heater/air conditioner?

Edited March 22, 2016 by vonfirmath

[rebcoola]

Our's just "built" the table, chairs and benches we got from Ikea.

[Alessandra]

Here's a link to a Boy Scout home repair merit badge. You can buy a helpful book with explanations.

 

http://usscouts.org/mb/mb062.asp

[Anne]

I second the idea of involving her in any kind of  home maintenance that comes up naturally.  Also, the process for figuring out how to do it:  ask someone who knows, google, reference materials, etc.   This will stand her in such great stead as she gets older.  Both of my dds have been appalled at their friends' lack of fix-it skills and their inability to figure out how to fix simple things.

 

One of my dds came back to college after a semester abroad and found that her roommates (5 or 6 of them!) had been living with a large bowl in their fridge to catch a leak.  They hadn't been able to get the landlord to fix it nor had they been able to fix it themselves.  My dd spent some time on the phone with her dad and grandpa, and had it fixed in about an hour.....

 

A "can do" attitude will be a great asset to her all her life!!

 

Anne

[Okra]

Could she build a 1-board birdhouse?

 

My tweens loved doing this.  We built a birdhouse out of a fence post.  Here are the instructions.

 

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-the-2-Birdhouse/

[Nan in Mass]

She could pick up broken chairs and small tables from the trash or a second hand shop or whatever, fix them, and refinish them.  This might involve replacing broken rungs, regluing the rungs or a split seat, or caning or reupholstering a seat, stripping, painting, or varnishing.  If she paints them, she could also decorate them with a pretty design and then either give them away as presents or find some place to sell them.

 

She might also enjoy taking apart old appliances like toasters and seeing if she can get them to work again.

 

Tell her that if something isn't working, she should at least open it up and look in it for obvious problems like a loose connection.

 

Small electronics kits are also fun.  Make magazine's site is a good source.

 

Nan