I know this may surprise you, but your toddler can do a lot more than you think! Or maybe it is no surprise to you and you’re constantly amazed at how smart your little tot is. I definitely go back and forth between the two. Sometimes I am amazed at what both my kids can figure out, and other times I pretty much expect that they should be able to do a few things for themselves. My toddler is capable of completing a few chores around the house, it doesn’t have to be anything big. Toddlers can manage putting their shoes away, throwing away their trash, picking up their toys with some help, and more. Toddlers really can do chores!

What I find funny, is even as I see my child start to manage a few chores on their own, I don’t ask them. I still run around picking up their socks, picking up their shoes, getting them dressed, putting toys away, and the list goes on. It hit me one day that I was trying to do everything on my own and my kids were starting to get to an age where they could help. I want my kids to be helpers and I want them to learn to take the initiative to help out when they see things that need to be done. Why wouldn’t I encourage my toddler to do chores too?

So, I tried it out. I started asking Jase to make his bed. For all you OCD mamas out there, this is a hard one. A three year old making their bed isn’t like a mama making hers. Just smile, nod your head, tell them they did a great job, and then go make your bed as perfectly as you want. Just don’t touch theirs, they worked hard and you want them to be proud of what they did. Next I started asking Elyse to put her dirty clothes in her basket and her shoes in her closet. Elyse isn’t even two yet and she was excited to help! Right now, both the kids are excited about their tasks and I am sure one day it won’t be as easy to get them to help out. But right now, I am instilling in them a love for helping and a sense of responsibility. While it would be quicker for me to accomplish a few of these chores myself, realizing that my toddler can do chores too and learn responsibility is important.

Not only that, but mama you are taking a lot of pressure off yourself when you ask your kids to help out. Don’t feel bad about enlisting help from your children because it’s important that they learn the importance of doing chores too. It teaches them responsibility! You can make it fun, you can make games out of it, you can teach your kids in a way that doesn’t make chores seem like work, but a privilege and responsibility to be thankful for.

When did you start asking your kids to help out around the house? What kind of tasks do they like to help with?