Weekly & Daily Chores for Toddlers

“I just wish my kids would help me around the house.” I hear it all the time as a teacher. What do I do to get them to help? What chores should I even expect them to be able to do?!

 

I’m here today to help you solve this problem with your toddlers. Honestly, a lot of these work with children of all ages.

 

The biggest challenge with any behavioral thing that we want to change (whether it’s our own or our kids) is to be CONSISTENT! You have to make any chore or job for your toddler to do part of their routine.

   

What Chores Should I Expect a Toddler to Do?

 

It is an expectation in our home that our toddlers help throughout the house. Eventually we will start introducing some of these things as their job and they will get paid for them. However, for now we have been slowing introducing different household jobs to them.

 

Please comment down below and let me know what chores your young children do on a daily or weekly basis! 

 

My Toddlers Complete these Chores on a DAILY Basis:

 

• Setting the Table: My 3 year old’s job at each meal is to set the table while we are cooking. We started having him do this task when he was around 2. He puts out the plates, silverware, condiments, and helps get the cups out.

 

In the beginning we would give him very specific directions of what to get and where to put it. Now we can tell him more generic phrases like “everyone will need a fork” or “you and Calvin will both need a bowl”.

 

• Picking up Toys: We pick up toys twice a day, once before nap and again before bedtime. My one year old also helps pick up around these time as well. I do help them with this task which helps them stay focused.
 

• Throw Away Trash: Lucas (3) loves helping me in the kitchen when I’m cooking. We have a kitchen stool for him to help us in the kitchen.

 

One of the first and easiest tasks I gave him in the kitchen, is to throw away the trash that (in-evidently) happens while cooking. He will discard or recycle cans, boxes, unusable parts of produce, and other things while I’m cooking meals.

 

• Take dirty plates to the Sink: It is his job to help clean up the table after a meal. My husband and I decided a LONG time ago that he was going to do the dishes and I would do the laundry in the family. Now that we have children we do have them help take the dishes to the sink after our meals.
 

• Water the Outside Flowers: I was determined to plant flowerbeds at our home this spring. Due to the pandemic we hadn’t left the house in months and our kids hadn’t left (other than neighborhood walks) in even more time.
 

My husband and I decided that taking my son to the flower shop was a pretty safe place especially because its all outdoors (for the most part). He helped me pick out the flowers, plant them, and now he helps water them. It has been nice to see his excitement with our flower garden grow. He loves to show friends and family all of the hard work he has put into them!

 

My Toddlers Complete these Chores on a WEEKLY Basis:

 

• Laundry: They push their baskets to the washer, help load the washer, help load and unload the dryer, and put their dirty clothes in the laundry basket. Our boys love helping me with the laundry!
 

• Groceries: Our kids help put the groceries away when we get home from the grocery store.

 

• Wash and Cut Produce: Each week my family goes through countless amounts of produce including peppers, berries, broccoli, apples, grapes, and carrots. We wash and cut the produce soon after we get home from the store.
 

We usually do this while my youngest is napping. This allows my 3 year old and I can work together to prepare the produce in a quick fashion! He is able to put the produce in the bowl to be washed, take it out to be rinsed and has recently been learning to cut it as well (with guidance).

 

• Pack our Bag: This summer we haven’t been going many places but the pool is one place I haven’t given up! We all NEED it! He is great at helping me get anything we need to leave. Some of things he does to help us get ready to go are getting the beach towels out, putting snacks in the pool bag, and filling up water bottles.

 

• Helping In the Kitchen: I plan to write a whole blog post dedicated to this topic. It became clear to me that moms are searching for ideas on what to do with their kids in the kitchen, when my husband and I went to small church group of young couples. We heard it over and over “How do I get anything done when my kids always want to help?”. I get it!

 

The thing to remember is that helping you in the kitchen is teaching young children life skills. It can help them with learning so many language skills! They will learn about what is hot, cold, sticky, gooey, and more! When young child can help in the kitchen it supports academics like reading (a recipe), counting (tablespoons, cups, etc.), and science (mixing, melting, etc.). It is so important!

 

But it can also be a headache and seem to take more time. I know and I get it that you are tired after a long day. I get that way too, I just want to get dinner done and on the table. My suggestion is that on those days you “close the kitchen”. Those 3 words help me a lot when I don’t want them involved in the kitchen.

 

However if its Saturday morning or lunch time on a Sunday and they can help I say go for it! If you keep clear expectation and boundaries with them. The benefits outweigh the stress!

 

In the end it’s important that we keep children as involved in the daily housework as much as possible. It’s so important for their own self-confidence to feel apart of the family. If we start this process when they are young (when they are excited to be around mom and dad) we can hope to build lifelong workers!

 

What chores do your kids help with around the house? I’d love to hear in the comments below! Don’t forget to share this with a friend or relative with young ones at home!

   

Love, Ashley E

 

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