We talked about chores and the school age child last week, so today I wanted to back it up a bit and talk about how to get your toddler involved in the daily tasks of home care.
When toddlers see Mom and Dad working around the house, they are often eager to help. They love to try to do the same things their parents are doing. Although it may take longer to get the chores done when trying to teach a toddler how to do them, it can help them learn to enjoy housework and develop good habits that will be an asset later on.
The most important thing to remember when selecting chores for toddlers is to keep it simple. Very young children do not have the cognitive or motor skills to take on complicated tasks. But there are some things they can do that, after some practice, will be helpful to you.
Picking Up Toys
Getting your toddler to pick up after himself can be a great help. But it’s usually too much to expect him to put everything in its exact place. A better approach would be to provide a laundry basket or large box for him to simply throw all of his stuff into. Then you can take it to his room and put it where it belongs.
Refilling Toilet Paper
This is one of those tasks that can easily get forgotten, until you are the one sitting on the – ahem – toilet and find no more toilet paper under the sink. I have this task listed each week on The Confident Mom Weekly Household Planner, so why not allow your toddler to do it? Delegate it to him and you will never be without toilet paper again!
Watering Plants
Small children usually can’t resist the opportunity to water plants. This is another task that could get messy, so make sure your plants aren’t sitting on or near anything that could be easily damaged by water. It’s also smart to make sure they don’t fill the watering can over half full. This will help prevent spilling the water in transit.
Cleaning the Floors
It may seem like an adults-only task, but floor cleaning is something that kids often enjoy. The trick is to let them use tools that they can easily manage. Cordless floor sweepers are ideal for this purpose. There are also small, working vacuum cleaners and brooms available in the toy departments of most stores. While it might be too ambitious to expect a child to sweep all of the dirt into a neat pile, he can help get the dirt out of the corners while you go behind him and sweep it all together.
Empty Trash Cans
The kitchen trash can might be a bit too big, however bathroom and bedroom trash cans are a great place for toddlers to start. You can give them a larger empty trash bag to empty cans into and then help them take it out to the large trash can outside.
Getting your child to help with chores will help him develop a sense of responsibility. And that is something that you will be thankful for when he is older and can do more substantial housework.
