Should Toddlers Do Chores?

I believe in assigning small chores to toddlers as a way of not only teaching them responsibility, but increasing their sense of self esteem. One of the most important jobs a toddler has is to have fun. They are learning and growing right in front of our eyes. We need to let them be toddlers. By assigning small chores we are not hindering their childhood, we are teaching them that with playtime comes some responsibility.

Now I am not saying you need to tell a two year old to go out make their bed after they do a load of the family laundry. What I am saying is that you should ask your child to help you clean up their toys. I do this by singing little songs to my toddler about how much fun it is to "clean up your toys." I make chore time fun and in turn something my child wants to do.

My daughter loves to clean up her toys after play time. I always make sure to praise her for a job well done. I give her plenty of hugs and kisses and let her know how proud of her I am. She beams with pride when she is accomplishing this task and I beam with pride when she is grinning from ear to ear.

I like to not only have her clean up her toys when she is in her playroom, but when she is in the bath tub as well. When I start to drain her tub after taking a bath she immediately reaches for her toys and helps me put them into her bathtub toy bin. I tell her what her good girl she is and how proud of her I am. I get my favorite look from her, a grin of pride from ear to ear when she smiles with pride.

She loves being praised and I love praising her. Having her do simple tasks or chores as one might call them is a good thing. It allows me to praise her and to teach her how to clean.

By teaching your child at a young age that chores can be fun she will be more willing to clean up as she grows. She will learn that she can be proud of herself when she accomplished these tasks. This will increase her sense of self-esteem for years to come.

Teaching your child to do simple chores and praising her for this will build her self-esteem for years to come.