A Tisket, a Tasket – What’s in Your Laundry Basket?
(EI-TVI version)

A child might explore their home without ever stopping in the laundry room. They don’t have the benefit of the incidental learning that occurs in one of the busiest rooms in the house. Incidental learning refers to learning that occurs throughout the day as infants and toddlers observe people and activities in their daily routines. Sometimes, young children who are blind and visually impaired can miss out on these important educational opportunities.
This activity gives a child access to a washing machine, a dryer, and all the steps in this familiar chore while developing important sensory, travel, and fine motor skills. It teaches concepts such as cold/hot, wet/dry, in/out, up/down, open/closed, dirty/clean, on/off, and empty/full. Doing laundry is also a very tactile experience, which are important skills a child will develop later for reading braille and recognizing objects.
You don’t need to complete the entire laundry routine because that could take hours. You can choose an activity or more within each step that correlates with the child’s age, developmental level, and interests. And, while you’re waiting for the clothes in the washer or dryer, try the other fun ways you can use a laundry basket for play time.

Objectives

  • Explore where daily routines take place in the home.
  • Learn to navigate independently and safely in the home.
  • Turn everyday chores into opportunities for playtime

Expanded Core Curriculum Areas Supported

  • Independent Living: Learn where daily routines take place in the home, how to take care of clothing, and get dressed.
  • Sensory Efficiency: Use senses to explore, understand and interact with things, especially functional vision, touch, smell, and sound.
  • Social Skills: Bonding and communicating with caregiver during the activity.
  • Self-Determination: Choice making, decision making, and problem solving.
  • Compensatory Skills: Concept development, touch skills for learning and communication modes, sequencing of steps involved in a laundry routine, counting and pairing objects such as socks, and learning about time.
  • Orientation and Mobility: Navigating independently and safely by knowing one’s position relative to other people, objects, and places, and getting from place to place safely and efficiently.
  • Recreation and Leisure: Children need to be exposed to and learn a variety of recreation and leisure activities. The extension activities such as basketball in the laundry basket, the laundry basket puzzle activity, the in-and-out game, sensory place, and pretend play can all be considered recreation and/or leisure activities. Even though most people would consider laundry as a daily living skill, some might think of it as a leisure activity.

Everyday Routines Supported

This activity supports the routine of doing laundry. It also supports playtime.

Suggested Next Steps to Use This Activity With Caregiver and Child

  1. Discuss activity with caregiver to determine appropriateness and relevancy to family.
  2. Forward the caregiver version of the activity to the caregiver.
  3. Remind the primary caregiver one to two days before the home/virtual visit to gather the materials required.
  4. Introduce the activity, discuss the objectives, and provide an overview of the possible steps.
  5. Be prepared to break down the activities into a smaller subset as the child and family may not have the time or tolerance to complete all activities.
  6. After completing this activity, consider extension activities that may be appropriate and relevant to the family.

A Shared Vision: Partners in Pediatric Blindness & Visual Impairment

EIN 81-4227664