Age-Appropriate Ways to Involve Young Toddlers in Household Chores

It may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to good parenting strategies, but involving your children in household chores is something you should consider incorporating early on. Depending on their mobility, even children as young as 12 months can be involved in simple household tasks. Exposing your toddlers to routine housework not only helps build independence but it can also become a bonding activity.

Laundry

You may despair at the huge, never-ending pile of clothes in the laundry basket, but chances are that your toddler does not! Many young toddlers are willing and able to help you with the laundry from start to finish. Try asking your kid(s) to help sort the clothes into the appropriate piles, or with setting the wash cycle settings or being directed to push the “Start” button.

Older toddlers can typically help with moving clothes from the washer to dryer, and also with folding and sorting the clothes once the drying cycle is done. Try asking your son or daughter to sort socks for a simpler starter task.

Cleaning the Floor

It hardly needs to be said that having a toddler equals having a constant mess around the house, especially on the floor. If you love the great flooring look you have in your home, you're going to want to take good care of it to keep it looking nice.

They may try to fool you, but most toddlers are capable of picking up after themselves in at least some capacity from pretty early on. Very young toddlers can understand the concept of picking toys up off the floor and putting them back into the toybox.

If you don’t already have a toybox, try creating a designated space for your toddler to put back the toys they need to clean up. This will make things much clearer for them.

Dusting

It may surprise you, but many toddlers take a liking to dusting. Whether you dust using an antimicrobial spray or just use an old-fashioned feather duster, toddlers young and old(er) can help out. Many toddlers will have the ability to squirt a spray or two out of a bottle, and most can also rub a cloth along a designated surface. And while you may cringe at the idea of your child getting dust in their hair, it may be fun for them to try and use a dusting wand on their own. They won’t be able to reach most places to dust but you can team up and dust together. Using a Piggyback Rider allows you to help them safely reach while still feeling independent.

Thinking up chores for your toddler can be a bit difficult at first, but start with giving them one simple task and grow it from there. Remember to stick with age-appropriate chores, and pretty soon, both of you will be having a good time!

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