Giving your children responsibility around the house will teach them important life skills and help them grow up to be responsible adults. As soon as a child is able to follow a simple command, he can start helping with household chores. Though the younger ones may not really be doing anything too helpful, involving your children in the household duties at a young age will develop great habits.
Toddlers can:
- Pick up their own toys
- Help put away laundry
- Help you dust or wipe down a cabinet*
Preschoolers can:
- Help set the table
- Help you water the lawn or garden
- Make their bed
Grade-schoolers can:
- vacuum
- feed the family pet
- fold laundry
*A dry cloth to dust or a damp cloth to wipe down is all they need, no need for any cleaning products
Of course these lists just scratch the surface, there are many more ways in which a child can help around the house. What does your child do around the house? Head on over the the Blissfully Domestic forums and share with us.
photo by chefranden
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AMEN!!! We babysit a two year old, whom we have taught to pick up his toys, and throw his diapers (wet ones) in the trash, since he was about 15 months old if not before.
Our 14 year old son ROCKS! He takes out the garbage (including putting a new bag in the trash can), vacuums, sweeps and mops the kitchen floor, puts dishes away, dusts, sweeps the patio and front walkway, cleans his bathroom (yes, the toilet too!), cleans his room, and helps with the little one I babysit. (This is not all done in one day…these are just examples of what he does for chores.) And he is disabled on top of all of that, after having had 5 strokes as a toddler!
I think kids doing chores is an AWESOME thing! BTW, my husband does a lot around the house too, so our son has a wonderful example!
Thanks for the encouragement to get our kids more involved in helping. I used to have my 3 yr. old daughter help me unload the dishwasher, but since we moved we don't have one for her to help me with. I do let her put away some of her laundry, and clean her own room. But I realize she could be doing more. It's good for kids to feel a sense of pride when they do their share to help the family home!
[...] For further reading, here's an article that outlines age appropriate chores for children. [...]