Jack has suddenly turned into an all-star dish washer. This weekend, out of the blue, he said, “I want to help wash dishes.” He even ran to the
Jack has become an all-star dish washer.
bathroom to get his stool so he could reach.
Sure, he doesn’t get the dishes completely cleaned. And he gets easily distracted by playing with the water. But still: My 3-year-old is washing dishes, and I’m not going to stop him!
It got me thinking about chores…how old were you when your parents started giving you chores? Do you make your kids do chores?
Here are a couple of ideas to get toddlers/preschoolers to help around the house — because let’s face it, they’re not always going to offer:
Picking up toys: This is a no-brainer, of course, but it’s easier said than done sometimes. You often need to help them, or sometimes race to see who can pick up the most!
Laundry: No, I don’t mean actually starting the washing machine. But Jack knows when he’s putting on his jammies, his clothes go in the hamper, or straight in the machine if we’re downstairs. He also likes to help transfer clothes to the dryer.
Sweeping/vacuuming: Jack likes to help push the vacuum, and he’s attempted to sweep on his own. This is kind of like dishes, where you’re not going to get the best job, and they’re probably going to quit halfway through. But this at least gets them into the habit of helping.
Feel free to share your own ideas…
I try to put an emphasis on – if you are part of the family then you help the family and that is why you do chores/help each other. I’m finding it harder and harder to do the real work of following through to get them to finish cleaning their room or wash the dishes – just gotta keep telling myself it will pay off. Maybe not for me in getting a clean house but it will help them be a better independent adult/roommate/spouse if they become self-sufficient in those ways and don’t just think someone else will take care of it.