What does a child learn by being involved in activities of daily living?

When a child participates in an activity of daily living, such as making a salad, clearing the table or doing the laundry, she learns much more than a static sequence of steps. She learns about:

basic relatedness skills such as observing others, following visually referenced information, remaining in an interaction, coordinating his actions with another person’s action. She learns about problem solving: finding the right tool, adjusting when a problem occurs, changing when the tool does not work.  She gains knowledge:  understanding the sequence of events for the task, understanding causal factors, understanding basic science knowledge such as the changes that occur when an item becomes wet or which materials can absorb water and which cannot.  She gains self awareness: which tools do I like to use, which tasks are easier/harder for me, which tasks are more fun for me, resulting in the formation episodic memories. Language is facilitated through vocabulary development, understanding and formulation of sentences to describe or report about a situation, formation of language to direct another person and the ability to follow directions given to him.  Fine motor skills are enhanced while sensory issues may be lessened as she becomes involved in the nitty gritty of doing the activity.  Most importantly, the child will learn the skills that will allow her to function in life more independently.  The child will learn that she is a contributing member of a family unit.  Others in the household will make the same observation!  The more time the child spends doing functional tasks, the less time she will have to do self stimulatory behaviors or to focus on obsessive interests. Her interests may grow! There is so much to be gained by involving a child in life!