Chores for toddlers and preschoolers

Very young children doing chores is something which a lot of people sweep under the rug or just don't even realise is a thing these days. In my parenting journey so far I have spent an uncalculatable amount of time just cleaning and cooking and for me, when Willow was a baby it was a lonely feeling. So imagine my surprise when I realised that those mundane everyday tasks that we all dread can actually be a chance to give Willow some of the life skills she will need growing up, teach her about important tasks and actually become a bonding experience between us. Not to mention that helping mummy complete these tasks makes her proud of herself and in turn boosts her confidence. Don't get me wrong sometimes she can actually slow things down if she doesn't understand what we are trying to achieve but once she gets the hang of something seeing the proud look on her little face is a feeling second to none.

So how do you get your toddler started doing chores I hear you ask. Well really it is so easy, at around age two, children start to mirror behaviour in the people they love and see every day, so if your toddler sees you doing the dishes after each meal they will instinctively start to want to display that behaviour too. Your job as a parent or guardian is to model the things you want your children to learn and when they begin to show an interest in helping or trying it out for themselves to encourage them to do just that. You can start as early as you want. When Willow was a baby she would sit in her bouncer chair and watch me clean or tidy things and I would talk to her about what I was doing and why and although she wasn't at the stage of helping yet she was still taking in what was being said and done.

Toddlers are capable of quite a lot more than we give them credit for so here is a few ideas of the kinds of things that are appropriate for a two to three year old to be doing on a daily basis.

• Clean up their own toys in the living room or playroom. If they can take their own toys out then they can also put them away in the same place just as easily.

• Dusting is a great thing for toddlers to do whether it be with a feather duster or cloth it is a very easy action to perform on any surfaces they can reach.

• Make their own bed in the mornings (possibly with help if you want it to look tidy).

• Help with doing laundry, they can separate clothes out into colours, load them into the machine and turn on the switch.

• Help with simple food prep like spreading bread for sandwiches, or washing fruit and vegetables.

• Setting and clearing the table is a great one, give them the cutlery and ask them to place it in the right place and bring you the dirty dishes for washing after.

• Help with emptying the dishwasher, as long as you make sure they cant get hold of anything sharp this is a great little job for them.

Preschoolers can of course do everything on the list above and a lot more. So here is a few ideas of the kinds of things that are appropriate for four to five-year-olds to be doing on a daily basis.

• Everything on the list above

• Feed the pet if you have one

• Help with carrying groceries from the shop (the lighter bags of course)

• Water any plants indoors and outdoors (get them their own watering can and they will love this)

• Spray and wipe down any counters in the kitchen

• They might be able to help with vacuuming if you have a light vacuum cleaner

• Spray and clean windows

If you want to enforce certain chores as something your child should be doing every day then a reward chore chart Is a wise thing to invest in. Not only will they get a sense of achievement when they complete each task and get to pop a sticker on the chart you will also get a little willing helper at your side.

IF you can then keep chores as fun as possible for your children, if they feel like they are being asked to do something boring or something you don't like to do then why would they want to do it? One example of this is that Willow and I like to make sure the lounge is clean before going to bed every night so after her bath I asked her what music she wants to listen to, she picks the song and we clean it up while dancing around and she loves this. She doesn't even realise it's a chore she just thinks it's a fun thing we do together each day.

If you want to raise an independent little person who takes pleasure and pride in what they achieve throughout their lives then chores are a lovely way to start, once a child learns that life skill you can just step back and feel proud that you taught them something that they will use day after day. You never know in a few years they might start teaching us too.