Spray and wipe!

Helping with the window cleaning...
Now, this is what I call a  win-win-win-win situation!

1. He joins in, feeling included in the activity

2. I get clean glass/windows/mirrors 

3. He practises a number of skills which will serve as an investment for handwriting later on:

- upper arm/ shoulder stability; wrist extension/stability; grasping skills and in hand manipulation*

4. His independence is encouraged. It's important to give kids every opportunity to practise doing things for themselves. 

* The squeezing action of a spray pump is an excellent hand activity  - at the moment, the whole hand is involved (often 2 hands one on top of each other) - thumb behind and 4 fingers squeezing, just getting used to how it works (...although I had trouble ensuring good hand position whilst simultaneously photographing! I'm sure you understand!); but as he gets older (and shows readiness - maybe a year or two away!) we will work towards thumb behind, with index & middle fingers squeezing, and ring & little fingers curled up out of the way. This is the ideal position for in-hand manipulation skill development: one side stabilises and the other manipulates. Empty spray pump bottles are cheap, readily available, and can be incorporated into many activities, including: gardening, bath time, car washing, Summer time cooling off, and as we've tried recently - glass/window/mirror cleaning!

Safety note: Supervision required when using the cleaning spray to make sure it's pointed in the right direction/ away from the face!!!