I will be completely honest and say that my very own three-year-old doesn’t do a whole lot to help his mama out with the workload around our house.
In fact, I will go as far as saying he mostly just adds to it, be it by emptying the Lego box all over the floor (for the 16th time that day) or leaving his usual trail of raisins or crumbs wherever he goes…
And other than (sometimes) helping to (reluctantly) tidy up his own toys before bedtime, I haven’t really put a lot of pressure on his toddler little self to help out with other things, but according to Popsugar’s parenting experts, it seems I should have been. Whoops.
According to this chart of age-appropriate chore suggestions, it seems the following chores are recommended for the 2- 3-year-old age group:
- Put laundry in the hamper/washer
- Put their toys away
- Put books on the bookshelf
- Help feed the family pet
- Throw diapers in the trash
The reason for making your little ones help out with the chores, Popsugar’s Alessia Santoro argues, is that there is a valuable lesson in helping out to be thought in the process, and that toddlers aren’t too young to share in the household workload.
And while three-year-olds are admittedly incapable of washing dishes or running the vacuum, the above chores can be used as “a kind of code for being held accountable in the smallest ways,” says Santoro.
Many mums (myself included) may feel guilty about making their little ones help out around the house while others (also me) may think it easier and less of a hassle to just do the work themselves. But it seems we are actually doing our toddlers a disservice by not giving them chores.
What do YOU think, mamas? Does your toddler help out with chores? And if so, which ones? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @Herfamilydotie
