As your kids start to get older, you may be excited that they can finally start pulling their weight around the house. But, with kids that are different ages or have different skill sets, it can be challenging to know what chores your kids can do. And, it is easy to get frustrated trying to teach them how to do a task, only to find it was easier to complete it yourself. Today, we are going to go through some chores that are appropriate for toddlers. I hope that you will be able to start implementing these with your family soon!
Clean Up Their Toys
We have all dreaded going into our children’s rooms from time to time, or even worse, the family playroom. If you are anything like me, I know that I can get irrationally angry when I step into that playroom and it looks like a bomb went off. With toys littering the floor, paint on the walls, and piles of who knows what throughout it all, it can be hard not to get angry fast.
So, start having your kids help with the cleanup. After all, these are their toys, and they may not make quite as big of a mess if they realize they have to clean it up later. Try to play certain songs as you clean up your playroom, and have your kids race to clean up by the time the song ends.
Mommy’s Helper
Many kids at these ages are very willing to help out and learn. They are curious about most things and are always asking you questions. This is why it is great to have them help you as they learn. For example, if you are making dinner and they are wondering what is in it, ask them to bring you ingredients.
That way they can feel like they helped to make dinner too, and you have a fun bonding experience. It helps if you lay out the ingredients before dinner so that they don’t have to travel very far to hunt things down in the kitchen. Likewise, if they are watching you clean the house or plant flowers outside, they can still bring you the tools you need to do the job, themselves. They will be so proud of themselves for helping you, and you will get your jobs done much more quickly.
Dusting
After you clear items off of a table or common area, ask your child to help you dust. You can give them a prepared cloth sprayed with lemon oil or whatever you use on your furniture, and tell them to scrub as hard as they can.
Putting Things Back
Once they are toddlers, they are old enough to be able to put things back where they came from. This will take a little prompting and time, but soon enough they will learn that if they take a cookie from the plate, that they need to put the covering back on the plate, and etc. Thus, you will not go crazy with all their food, toys, and clothes everywhere around your house. They will learn that everything has a proper place and they need to return things to that proper place.
Make Their Beds
When I was younger, my mother didn’t have me sleep with a top sheet because I couldn’t tuck it in again as a child. But, I was able to cover my bed with my blanket and put my pillow on top. Teach your kids the routine of making their bed, right after they wake up. And, because you are teaching them to put things away, you can have them place their pajamas behind their pillow as well.
Put Their Plate In The Sink
After dinner, it isn’t your responsibility to clear your child’s area completely. Tell your child to bring their plate to the sink when you finish. Together you can try to wash the plate off and scrape the excess food into the trash together.
As you can see, there are so many opportunities for you to use your toddler to help you and your family around the house. Try some of these chores this week and start instilling a great work ethic in your child!
For even more chore tips, check out our article here.
