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10 Ways For Toddlers To Help Around The House

10 Ways For Toddlers To Help Around The House

Toddlers can be a help around the house since they have such an eagerness to please and learn life skills but also because they are small enough to get into tight spots!

It’s an opportunity for them to exercise their problem-solving abilities. 

Becoming a helpful member of the family has never been easier! Here are some simple, fun ways to help out with tasks that may not be so exciting for you.

With these tips and tricks your child will be well on their way towards being an important part of the household.

Unload the dishwasher

As your child gets older, he or she can be given more responsibility when it comes to chores.

For instance, a very young toddler may only help you with dishes by handing them over in order for you to put away the item while toddlers of an older age (e.g., 3-4 years old) are able to find where each dish they own should go and place themselves accordingly if they're within reach - as long as sharp objects aren't too close! 

All children need time and instruction on how best to handle fragile items so that there is no incident such as breaking something precious because their hands weren’t strong enough yet but just remember: not everything needs cranking up the difficulty level all at once; keep it gradual before moving onto more difficult tasks.

Load and unload the washing machine

Little girl loading washing machine

Loading and unloading the washing machine is a fun task for your youngest ones to get involved in! You can grab them a basket of (pre-approved!) clothes.

They'll love watching their items go round & round as they wash; when you're done with one load, take that out so little helpers can scoop up another batch without any help from Mum or Dad.

Sweep the floor

Arm your little one with a dustpan and brush, let them sweep up any debris off the floor.

Make it into a fun game by creating some lines on the ground of masking tape that they can't cross over until everything is swept inside.

Put away toys

Your toddler spends half their day playing with toys, so why not give them the opportunity to pick up after themselves? Rather than saying “put away your toys” you can say things like "I need you help me tidy these books" or even pause for a moment while they're still engaged and ask questions such as "what color are those blocks?"

You may be surprised how quickly this will teach kids some basic skills.

It’s never too early to start teaching your child about organisation! Teaching them how to label containers with pictures of what goes in each and where things go will help keep the room from getting cluttered.

Label a box or basket for books, another one for children's toys, etc., then ask your little one questions like "where does this teddy bear belong?"

Letting kids take ownership over their space is always great bonding time as well - they might even want you involved more often once they know it'll be fun!

Water plants

Funny cute toddler girl watering house plant at room

Teach your child about the importance of watering plants by giving them a container, such as an old pot or cup to use.

Make sure they fill it halfway so that there isn’t too much water spilling over onto the ground and causing puddles on their way back inside!

To avoid lots of spills altogether, give them a small plant-sprayer with which they can mist leaves instead.

Match socks

Get those cogs turning in your toddler's brain with this fun game where you match odd socks as they try to create matching pairs from ones that only seem alike at first glance.

Make it easier on yourself by taking out all the different-looking matches so they don't mix things up further if you want some even more puzzling puzzles for later down the line when puzzle skills have improved!

Clean windows

Toddlers love this one and with good reason. It's probably something to do with free rein, they get wet!

Either place some soapy water in a bucket or provide them with non-toxic window spray (or just plain old water from the tap!) along with either cloth - or for even more fun try using a squeegee!

We can't guarantee you'll get that perfect streak-free result but it is guaranteed to keep your toddler busy for hours.

Food prep

Having your little one help with cooking can be a great way to both bond and get helpful hands on deck.

Even the littlest of toddlers will benefit from helping you out in the kitchen by stirring, passing food bowls or measuring ingredients!

Your kids can wash vegetables either with a basin of water on the floor or standing on a suitable helper stool at the sink, add cups of rice to a pan, and stir ingredients in a bowl.

Older toddlers can use an electric mixer to mix cake batter (with supervision), squeeze lemons for lemonade drinks (under close adult supervision), pick herb leaves off the stalk or cut soft items such as mushrooms and cooked potatoes with their own child’s knife set.

Feed pets

If your toddler is fascinated by your cat or dog and likes to show their love in a rather heavy-handed manner, encourage them to offer some gentle TLC in the form of feeding.

Letting children feed cats for example can be an opportunity for petting, stroking hairless kitties (if they're not spooked!), and feeling how soft fur feels against fingers. This will help toddlers learn about empathy too - even if it's really just with fuzzy animals!

Parents should offer their child two options to better meet the need for control.

A small bottle of water, half-filled can be given as a backup plan in case they needs more waters while playing or if they get thirsty and don’t want any food right now.

Giving them dry foods like pouches is also an option because it will not make much mess at all on the table or floor – toddlers are old enough that they could squeeze out some soup from these!

It may seem simple but this little change goes a long way with your toddler so you might consider doing something different tomorrow too.

Put away groceries

It’s important to include your young child in the grocery shopping process and teach them about different food items, as well how they are grouped together on shelves or at a home store. 

You can ask your toddler to group together various fruits, vegetables and other things such as jars which aids their vocabulary skills for example by distinguishing between colors while also developing counting ability through identifying numbers of objects within a category. 

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