Household Chores that Your Toddler Can Help With

Most parents of toddlers struggle with finding time to complete household chores since toddlers require almost constant supervision and demand personal attention. Although at first it may seem like the solution is to try to accomplish as many chores as possible during your child's naps, this can be difficult as your child's naps shorten. It is a widely recognized fact that toddlers love nothing more than to "help" their parents around the house. Toddlers gain a great sense of pride and accomplishment from completing even the smallest tasks. Here are some great ways to let your child "help" with certain chores.

Laundry - If you have young children you are probably doing laundry several times a week. This is a great one to let your toddler help you with because there is nothing breakable involved! My daughter was always trying to open and close the dryer door and put clothes in or take them out. I found that this was a great way for her to get involved with the laundry and make it an enjoyable activity instead of a frustrating one. I let her hand me clothes from the basket for me to put into the washer and then I pass clothes from the washer to her for her to put into the dryer. She also takes the clothes out of the dryer and puts them into a basket. She now loves laundry time and looks so proud of herself when she completes the task.

One word of warning, I highly recommend putting the clothes from the dryer into a basket which you then put out of reach of your toddler until you are ready to fold them. Toddlers are not likely to understand why it was OK to unload the basket when the clothes were dirty, but it's not OK to empty it now that the clothes are clean. Also, it is usually easier to save folding the clothes for when your child is napping because they are likely to unfold the clothes as quickly as you fold them!

Dusting - This is a great chore for your toddler to help out with because many pieces of furniture are at their level and easy for them to get to. Spray a little bit of furniture spray onto a rag and then let your child go to town rubbing the coffee table and other furniture. You can work on the higher pieces of furniture in the room. Although it might not be perfect your child will make some progress on the furniture and they will learn quickly how to be more effective. In the meantime you can always go back over their work quickly to get any missed areas.

Unloading the dishwasher - This one will vary depending on your child's age and how much you trust their motor skills, but with older toddlers they can help you unload a dishwasher by handing you plates and bowls from the bottom rack. If you encourage them to hand you one item at a time and explain that they have to be careful most toddlers will be up to the challenge. They will also enjoy being responsible for closing the dishwasher door at the end. Most toddlers enjoy opening and closing things anyway and being the one to finish the task makes them feel like they were responsible for it getting done.

Sweeping/Vacuuming - Toy vacuums are sold at many stores and are fun for a young toddler to use while you are vacuuming so that they feel like they are doing it too. Once your child gets a bit older a sweeper style vacuum is great to let them help out. These are typically very lightweight so even a small child can use one and although it doesn't do a deep clean, it will help with surface cleaning. If you have wood or tile floors your child could also use a small broom to try to follow behind you and "pick up anything that you missed". This lets them feel like they are very important because they are checking up on your work!

I hope that these ideas help you to get more accomplished and avoid some of the tantrums that can result from a toddler feeling left out. Feel free to share any other activities that have worked in your household!