Use the tumble dryer

About this visual support

A tumble dryer looks like a simple machine with a door and a button, yet it has three steps that are easy to skip. The lint filter needs emptying, otherwise the clothes dry poorly and the machine runs hotter than it should. Wool, silk and printed tops have to be taken out, or they come out a size smaller. And a programme has to be chosen, because thick towels and thin T-shirts do not dry in the same time.

Pictures make those three steps concrete. Your child sees the lint filter and knows where it sits, sees which clothes can go in and which should be hung up instead, and finally sees the button that starts the machine. That makes it possible for a child to take charge of part of the laundry without an adult standing beside them and calling out each step.

A practical tip: keep a small basket next to the machine for clothes that must not be tumble dried. That gives your child an obvious place to put them straight away. In the Routined app you can place the dryer after the washing machine in the laundry routine, with a timer that shows when the load is done. You can try the app for 14 days without paying.