You may think your child is too young to help around the house, but it’s easier than you think to come up with age-appropriate chores for kids. Whether your child is still a toddler or a bit older, you’d be surprised at how much they can do. The earlier you start your child doing chores, the easier it is to get them to do chores when they’re older. Let’s take a look at some chore ideas to get your young kids to help around the house. And to keep track of those chores, use our handy Minions chore chart!
Chores for Kids – 6 Easy Ideas
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Helping with Laundry
Did you know that folding laundry can actually be a learning experience and fun game for toddlers? Children around the age of two can match socks, which can help with colors and hand-eye coordination. Kids can also help fold washcloths and other clothing that’s easy for them to fold, such as jeans, leggings, shorts, etc. You can even make a game out of gathering dirty laundry to bring to the laundry room. Whoever finds the most pieces of dirty laundry wins. Just have fun and make chores seem like a game.
Loading the Dishwasher
Young kids can also load the dishwasher with their unbreakable dishes. This is a habit you definitely want to get your kids into at an early age. It’s one of the more beneficial chores for kids, and it saves you time in the kitchen moving their dishes from the sink to the dishwasher.
Putting Away Their Toys
Stop. Seriously, stop it. Stop putting away your kids’ toys. It’s not your job. Yes, you are their parent, but these are their things, and they should be responsible for them. The key to making this work is to have storage containers they can reach. You can also help keep your kids organized by placing pictures on the containers, so they know which toys go where.
Another helpful storage tip: use clear containers. That way kids can easily sort toys by seeing what’s in the container quickly. We really like these clear storage bins for under-the-bed storage in our son’s room.
Feeding Pets
Kids aged 3 to 5 are old enough to feed pets. You want to make sure you’re using a measuring cup or scoop so that your child knows how much to feed the pet. This will ensure that Fluffy doesn’t turn into Chubby.
As far as chore ideas go, this one is the easiest to implement. Kids are always eager to feed their furry pals… you’ll just have to make sure they don’t get into the food container too frequently!
Gathering Small Bags of Trash and Replacing the Bags
Young kids can also help gather trash on trash day. Ask your kids to gather all the small bags in the bathroom, office, etc. A great trick is to have additional bags in the bottom of the cans so that you kids can immediately replace the bag.
Making The Bed
If you haven’t already, get your kids to help you make their beds. After a few times, let them do it themselves. No, it won’t be perfect, but who cares? Praise them for doing a good job. Keep this up and soon you won’t have to remind them to make their beds in the morning.
There are so many things young kids can help with around the house. It might be something as simple as putting their shoes in the container by the door or hanging up their coat. Each little thing they do, is one more thing you don’t have to do. The more you let go and realize that everything doesn’t have to be perfect, the more you’ll be able to spend time on yourself. Best of all, you’ll be instilling good habits into your children at an early age. So don’t be afraid to assign chores for kids. It’s good for them, and it’s good for you, too.