Children, even as young as toddlers, just love to role play. Letting them help out with chores provides valuable life lessons about teamwork, family, responsibility and accountability.
To grown-ups, these are some of the daily tasks that just have to get done. However, to a child, it’s a chance to role-play or imitate grown-ups. Children who participate in family activities at a young age may even feel an added sense of accomplishment, greater self-confidence and greater sense of value within their family.
Here are a few ideas for including your child (while supervised and/or as developmentally appropriate) in daily chores:
- Matching socks—also great for learning colors, comparing, etc.!
- Carrying in the mail (add an occasional letter or postcard for your child for extra fun)
- Setting the dinner table
- Clearing their own plastic dishes and utensils after mealtime
- Helping to pack lunches into lunchboxes
- Dusting
- Watering the plants
- Selecting their outfit for the next day
- Filling a beloved pet’s water bowl
- Vacuuming
How do your children participate in family chores?
As toddlers and preschoolers, children are beginning to notice there are differences between themselves and others. While their observations are very broad at this point—a child may notice another child’s hair is different from his, but not quite know why—they are beginning to form their own ideas about what all these differences mean, and their natural inquisitiveness can lead to many questions.
With your toddler asserting a newly discovered feeling of independence, you may find yourself at your wits’ end. Tasks that were once a piece of cake—from buckling a car seat, brushing teeth and getting dressed to grocery shopping and mealtimes—can be a big production these days. Now that your child is testing the waters of freedom—getting bigger, stronger, faster, and simultaneously discovering the word “No!”—you might wonder how to regain control. Consider these tips for guiding your child toward good behavior.