For Great Toddler Activities
Make Chores Simple and Fun

Do you need some fun toddler activities to not only entertain your kids, but teach them valuable life lessons? Then start assigning them age appropriate chores early.

Toddlers love chores. They love and need to help out around the house and chores fit beautifully with this need.

Everyone needs to feel like they belong, are accepted by others, and are doing a good job. Chores are the perfect toddler activity for these needs. Chores for kids gives them not only a sense of belonging like they're part of a team, but a sense of being accepted when you praise them, and also a sense of pride in a job well done.

Don't expect too much of your toddler when assigning chores, but don't underestimate their abilities either. If you see your toddler struggling with something, don't jump in right away to save them. Let them try to do it themselves and you'll make them self-sufficient.

Your primary goal at this point is to not utilize your child to help you get things done, but rather to teach them age appropriate chores, get them in the habit of doing chores, give them a sense of belonging, give them a feeling of being accepted, and build their self esteem.

So, all that being said, by assigning chores early and not doing things for your child, you are setting the foundation for a confident, functional, and self sufficient young person.

Start out small with age appropriate basic stuff like using the toilet, wiping themselves, and washing their own hands. Move onto brushing teeth and dressing themselves. Then move onto age appropriate chores around the house such as cleaning up after themselves, helping you put dirty clothes in the washer, getting you a diaper for the baby, etc.

Never underestimate your child. See below for some basic age appropriate toddler activities or chores you can assign to your toddler.

A two year old can perform simple tasks like…

Throw things in the trash for you

Help you put dirty clothes in the washer

Start to pick up their toys after playing

Hand you something if you ask for it

Take something to someone if you tell them to

Pick stuff up if you tell them to

Brush their teeth with your help

My favorite, go to the other bathroom to get you some toilet paper when you're sitting there and discover there's none on the roll!

At three there seems to be a light that really clicks on and your child can do a lot more like…

Clean up messes like spilled juice

Dress themselves

Get themselves a snack

Throw out a dirty diaper

Get you a clean diaper

Put their dirty clothes in the hamper

Start to dress themselves

Set the table

Remove their plate and silverware from the table when they are done

Dust floor boards with old socks on their hands

Wipe down a table with a baby wipe

Moving on up, at four your kid can help…

Make their own bed

Continue to dust

Sweep the floor after a meal

Help you cook, like stir cake batter, crack an egg, simple stuff not around the stove or oven

Sweep or use a "dustbuster vacuum"

Just remember when teaching and assigning chores for kids to be patient and take your time because it's going to take more time when you include your kids. But, eventually, time invested now will pay big dividends later. You won't have to spend so much time showing and teaching your child how to do chores. Your child will spend more time doing chores and will be a great help to you.

So, remember chores are fantastic toddler activities if you keep it all fun, take your time, and teach them how to do chores correctly.

If you take the time to do these simple tasks, you not only benefit yourself in the future, but your kids too. You will be laying the ground work for excellent helpers for you. Your kids will benefit from a sense of belonging, pride in a job well done which gives them a feeling of acceptance and boosts self-esteem, and they will become functional contributing members to society.

Very Important… and always remember to praise for a job well done.

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