Mom Hacks: Letting your kids "help" around the house

Posted by Sarah E. Sterk

When my daughter was an only child and still very young, I did housework when she was asleep or able to play solo in the play yard. Once she started to approach two, however, she became much more interested in what I was doing and wanted to help. Different moms had encouraged me to get my children involved in age-appropriate chores ASAP, so that’s what I started to do.

Are there days that I want to do tasks (quickly) on my own, or jobs that are never kid-friendly? Absolutely. But I've found that many tasks around the house can be made kid-friendly and get the kids involved. It usually means that I get the task done more slowly, but letting my kids help me with everyday tasks has a few benefits. Not only do I gradually get tasks done without feeling like I'm ignoring my child, but my child eventually learns to do a chore on their own. My daughter is still only 4, and I can't guarantee she'll grow into a helpful teenager, but I believe that it's important for kids to learn to do their part to help their family in age-appropriate ways!

Here are some ideas for involving your kids in chores. My daughter was about two when she started getting involved in these tasks, and my son (approaching age two) is also starting to take an interest!



1) Food prep: Kids can wash and dry produce, snap asparagus and green beans, mix batter, stir soup, press buttons on appliances, put muffin papers in the tins, shake spices or sprinkles, scoop up and sort chopped vegetables into bowls, and even learn to chop food themselves. We got my daughter a vinyl knife when she turned four that she's been able to use on most produce (not winter squash). Helping me cook also helps my children practice taking turns. Although they can stir a batter pretty well, mom needs a turn too!

2) Cleaning and organizing: Although many children are excellent at making messes, they also seem interested in the cleaning process. I allow my kids to use a spray bottle (filled with just water), microfiber cleaning cloths, a dusting wand, and the mop. My kids can also handle basic sorting (putting away silverware!) and cleaning up toys. Having a specific place for different kinds of toys helps even the young ones get involved in clean up.

3) Laundry: My kids are a few years away from doing laundry solo, but so far they enjoy dumping hampers of clothes onto the floor, sorting laundry by color, helping transfer clothing between the washer and the dryer, and finding and sorting clean socks. My daughter has recently started to carry folded piles of clothing up to the correct bedroom. It's great when the patience I've had while teaching her how to do tasks pays off!

4) Yard Work: So far my kids love watering plants (small watering cans help avoid floods), harvesting the garden, gathering up twigs and clippings, raking, shoveling (kid-sized rakes and shovels are helpful), and "mowing the lawn". If you have a yard to mow and haven't yet gotten your young child a toy lawn mower, I'd highly recommend it. We got ours for $4 at a garage sale, and both my daughter and son love playing with the lawn mower, even if there isn’t an adult mowing the lawn.

How do your kids help around the house? Have you found something that is safe, age-appropriate, and helpful for your toddler or child?

Edited to add - I stumbled across an article that I'd previously read on this topic and wanted to share. The very end of the article talks about how, at about 18 months of age, children are eager to copy what their family members do. Instead of shooing them away from "helping", the article recommends that parents include their children in household tasks. https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/12/allowance-kids-chores-help/578848/