15 Household Chores for Toddlers!
Welcome back my beautiful friends, and thank you for all the love I received on my "Raw and Real Mommy Self Care Routine!" I really appreciate you coming back each week to support me. It makes me feel so loved, and I hope you know the feeling is mutual!
Today, we're talking about getting our toddlers involved with household chores! I believe kids thrive on routine, and if they’re given responsibilities at a young age, they’ll be more likely to uphold them as they grow! Household chores teach children life skills, respect, strong work ethic, and help them feel valued by contributing to their family! So, let's start with my list of household chores for toddlers:
1. Feed pets
Although we don't have any pets, (and I'll be holding off as long as possible because my kids are enough work, haha!)...feeding a pet is more than a doable and fun task for a toddler. Let them sprinkle fish food into the tank, scoop some kibble into your cats’ bowl, or give a banana to your monkey...Just kidding! But really, doesn’t our home feel like a Zoo sometimes!?
2. Unload the dishwasher
If my 11 month old is already doing this task, then I’m certain our toddlers are capable of it! My almost 3 year old son loves helping me unload the dishwasher!! (Firstly, I’ll remove ALL breakables and sharp objects to prevent any traumatizing events.) He will then empty the dishwasher onto the counter, and I will put everything away. (It’s not expecting too much from a toddler, but it really does make life easier!)
3. Throw out the garbage
This chore may depend on the status of your living setup, but since we live in a complex, we have a garbage room midway down the hall. Our son will drag our garbage bags to the garbage, and afterwards you can tell he feels so proud of himself! If you live in a house, your toddler can collect all of the garbage bags from the pails in your house, and bring them to you!
4. Pick up toys
I know, Mamas...everyday we think, "Oh it'll just be faster if I do it myself!!" And you know what…it ABSOLUTELY will be! But…as hard as it is…it’s time to let go of our control, grasp onto the little patience we have, and let our children learn to pick up their toys!! It may take constant asking, or imagination, but it really is necessary they learn to clean up when their finished playing with something, or we will likely be cleaning their room until they move out… and we don't want that! :-)
5. Put their bowls and cutlery in the sink
This works best if your child uses non-breakable dishes, bowls, cups, and cutlery! Whenever my son is done eating, he put his dish, utensils, and cup into the sink. If he keeps this up, then he'll have one up on me from when I was his age! ;-)
But if I’m being honest this is how we do it, and we wash hands after!
6. Throw their siblings diapers out
Before some of you get grossed out, hear me out, haha! Keep some plastic bags, or doggy bags with your diapers and wipes, and prior to giving the diaper to your toddler, pop it in the bag and tie it up for extra sanitary purposes!
7. Unload groceries from the bags
Before my son was two years old, he would actually insist on dragging our grocery bags from the complex hallway into our apartment! I was pregnant at the time, and it was super helpful! If your toddler is unable to carry small groceries bags, then you can quickly remove the breakable items, and have him remove the rest!
Loading the dryer with an oven mit?! I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time!
8. Load the washer
We have a front loading washer which makes it extra easy for my son to load all of our stinky clothes into! (Hey, he's not complaining, haha!) This is an easy task that he enjoys! You can even let them “help” you push the machine buttons if you dare!
9. Get dressed
This may not seem like a chore, but for a tiny toddler it’s a lot of work! This chore isn't about creating a power struggle with your child over “what to wear.” It's simply about letting them explore putting on (and offering help when needed) their underwear, pants, socks, and shirt! My son recently did this and he was SO proud of himself!
10. Put clothes away
Once the laundry is folded, I put it in a little basket, and have my son push it to each of our rooms. Then, I'll point to which drawer he should unload the items. He's really starting to get the hang of where things go!
11. Water plants
This is a fun chore for obvious reasons! Letting your toddler water your plants with supervision provides opportunity for many life lessons! You can teach them about care and respect towards living things, responsibility, the anatomy of the plant, and how much is too much water, and vice versa!
12. Hang jacket/put shoes away
My husband recently installed two low command hooks on the wall so that my son can hang his own coat, and place his shoes on the floor beneath it. This is a chore worth enforcing for keeping long term habits in place!
13. Wipe the dining table
One thing we know for sure... Kids LOVE to use a spray bottle!! So, as long as they have some parental supervision, your child can spray that table top down, and go to town with a rag!
14. Hold the dust pan while you sweep
I just lessened my need for sweeping because we finally got our iRobot vacuum out of storage!! However, when I was daily sweeping I'd let my son hold the dust pan and empty it into the garbage. Ps. I couldn't resist sharing this sweet cleaning set from Melissa and Doug that my son was recently gifted. All of it works so that you and your toddler can be twinning as you clean!
15. Carry mail/packages into the house
Everyday my son and my husband will take a walk to get our mail and any packages that we may have received. My son will help carry these back to the house, and it's so nice to have a little helper!
Do your toddlers practice some of these household chores already? Let me know in the comments below what other chores your toddlers do! Our kids don't have to grow up feeling as though "responsibility" is a burden, or an inconvenience to them. They can learn at an early age that giving back to family (even while being a "kid") is fun, and the right thing to do! Happy implementing, Mamas! See you next time!
Cool, Calm, and Collectedly Yours,
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