Is your preschooler responsible for some simple household chores? If not, now is the perfect time to start! Starting chores when children are young and enthusiastic helps establish the expectation of helping out in the family.
Most preschoolers are not very good at chores but they are often eager to help. Here are some chores that many preschoolers can handle:
- Carrying groceries from the car to the house (not the eggs!)
- Putting clean laundry away (especially easy items like socks and underwear)
- Bringing in the newspaper or mail
- Putting the silverware and napkins on the table
- Tearing up lettuce for a salad
- Picking up leaves and branches from the yard
- Picking ripe fruit
When our daughter was 3 1/2-years-old, we gave her the responsibility of cutting up strawberries to go on pancakes. Using a regular table knife, she was happily occupied for at least 30 minutes getting a bucket of strawberries cut up. She was proud of her contribution to the breakfast and we were thankful too!
What chores does your preschooler have?