Chores For Toddlers {How To Know What Jobs To Give and Ways To Introduce Them}

Does your little one help around the house? We have a few ‘chores’ around the house that our little guy helps with. Recently I sat down to answer your questions about what chores specifically he does.

You can watch the video of Chores For Toddlers online or down below:

Here’s the chores our little guy does to help out:

Laundry

He helps with taking the wet clothes from the washer and puts them in the dryer. Sometimes he misses and we end up picking we clothes up off the floor or from hanging half-way out. There are even times where he’ll take wet socks into the family room to show Daddy what he’s doing. But he tries and that’s all that matters.

Feeding the Dogs

We also have him help with feeding our dogs. J usually helps fill the measuring cup and then Dent puts the food in each dog’s bowl. Some nights it’s a struggle to get him to stop. He loves filling the bowls up and wants to keep doing it after the dogs already have the right amounts.

Putting the Dogs Away

With three dogs we have found it’s best to put the bigger one (he’s also the youngest one) in a kennel before we leave. The other two get a treat as we’re walking out the door. Dent’s job is to take a treat and put Bud in his kennel. Then as I latch the door he gives a treat to the other two dogs. They’re patient with him because sometimes he wants to give it to them in the kitchen other times he wants them to be in the family room.

Putting Away Toys Before Bed

With a little guidance our son can help put away his toys. He’s not perfect at it and sometimes he just gets them near the container, but he’s trying.

Sweeping and Swiffering the Floors

The broom and swiffer are his favorite toys in the whole house. So it’s no surprise that he loves to push the broom around. We prefer if he pushes the Swiffer because at least he can get some dog hair picked up.

How to introduce new chores

This part is always a little tricky for me. It really has two parts and they both have to deal with you as the parent, not the child.

First – be patient

Second – don’t expect perfection

Our little boy surprises me daily with the things he helps with, picks up and brings to us. He really does love helping others, it’s so apparent. So for us, it’s all about being patient to teach him what we want and the outcome. Then it’s about being okay with mistakes.

Do I like having dog food spilled on our kitchen floor? Of course not. But he’s learning. Some days are better than others, but with each spill we teach him patience to make sure the job gets done right.

When we think he’s ready for a new “chore” we contemplate how to break it down. For instance, with feeding the dogs. The first step we did was fill the measuring cup and take it over to the right bowl. As we were over the bowl then we handed the cup to our son to fill, but our hands stayed on it. As he got more stubborn and able to figure it out, we handed the cup to him to fill the bowl once we brought it over. Now, he’s able to take the bowl from the container and fill the bowls (or mostly fill) them all on his own.

It’s all about progression, not perfection.

So if you have something you want your toddler to help with or learn then figure out how to break it down into steps. Start with the easiest step first then work your way backwards. If they make mistakes, then take a deep breath and know it will be okay. Like I said in the video – if the mess is big enough then we’ll sweep or mop afterwards. But for the most part we just let it happen.

What chores does your little one do? Leave a comment letting me know! I would love to add a few more to his list.