What Are The Chores Kids Can Help You With

Age-appropriate Chores

Little kids are always curious and happy to help with whatever tasks and chores we are doing even from very early ages 😊

For me what was hard to learn is how to let my Little One help me... at the beginning, this "help" definitely means a huge mess, and sometimes even can raise questions about safety and security. So it is a never-ending but really important learning process for us, to find out with what tasks and how she can support me that leads to either great time spent together or some real help 😅

I collected a few hints that you can start with when developing your own family routine about chores!

Get Your Kids Involved In The Meal Prep Process

It’s important to get your children involved in the meal prep process so they can learn how to cook - and that the meals are not just "appearing"... If you have young kids, this is especially important because it will help them develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as well. 

The key to getting your kids involved in the meal prep process is to make it fun. And do not take it seriously regarding the mess and the result! 😆 I remember when during Covid lockdowns I was working from home and kindergartens were also closed, so my Daughter was with me, and I had the brilliant idea to just "put together" some Schnitzel for lunch. Ooooh, you can imagine the huge mess we made, and I was also so afraid that she gets burnt by the hot oil, or whatever other issue might happen... Well, this was not the best food choice we made in that hurry 😅

So a great hint: if you do not have a lot of time, try more simple meals, like baking some muffins that even the younger ones can do by themselves with a little help!

If you want to get your kids more involved in meal prep, especially if they’re young and not yet able to cook their own food, then let them help! Give them simple tasks like chopping vegetables or measuring ingredients. You can also involve them with the cooking process by letting them stir things while they cook or add ingredients before serving.

You might also involve the kids in planning, and shopping, besides cooking meals. My one loves planning (a bit like her Mom😅)... This also helps the children feel more connected to what they eat and will also get them excited about eating healthy foods. 

Get Them Involved In Cleaning

Another great way to get your kids involved in meal prep is to let them help clean up. 

This will not only make cleanup easier, but it will also teach your children how important it is to keep things tidy. You can also try getting them involved with dishwashing by letting them run water, rinse off dishes and utensils, or put away leftovers. 

Cleaning is a great way to get kids involved in meal prep, but it’s also important for them to be responsible for their own messes. Make sure they know how to clean up after themselves and encourage them to do so by giving them easy tasks like wiping down counters or putting away dishes.

Besides cleaning up after preparing meals or having a family dinner, you can also involve your kids in more general cleaning and decluttering tasks and other chores around the house!

Photo: pexels.com

Teach Your Kids The Laundry Process

Getting your children involved in the laundry process will teach them how to take care of their own clothes. 

It will also help them develop good habits, such as folding their clothes neatly and putting them away when they are done. 

One of the best ways to get your children involved in doing chores around the house is by teaching them how to do laundry. It may sound like a daunting task at first, but it’s actually very easy and can be broken down into several different steps. 

First, you will want to separate whites from darks (if you don’t already have color-specific clothes). Next, sort through each pile and put together loads of similar types of clothing (i.e., shirts or pants only), making sure that there are no more than five pieces of clothing in each load.

If you have children who are old enough to be responsible for their own laundry, then the next step is to get them involved in the process. You can do this by having them sort their clothes into piles—one for each family member—so that when you start washing, they can put their own clothes in with yours. This way, they will learn how to use a washing machine and dryer without your assistance.

Pro tip: if your kids learn that it will be their task to take care of their laundry, your chances of having their clothes in the hamper separately and not in one piece as they took it off... are highly increasing!😅

Involve Them in Daily Chores, and have a Family Chore Chart

There are many ways you can get your kids involved in daily chores. 

For example, if they’re old enough to hold a broom or mop handle, let them sweep and mop the floor after dinner. If they’re old enough to use a dishwasher (or if you have one), let them load it with dishes while you rinse off more dishes in the sink. 

You can also ask them to put away leftovers from dinner or put away groceries as soon as they come home from the store. It’s important for kids to learn how to do chores at home. 

Not only does it teach them responsibility, but it also helps them develop good work habits that will be useful later in life. Make sure you set aside time each week for your children to help out around the house with chores such as cleaning up after meals, doing laundry, and folding clothes. 

If you want your children to be responsible, then they need to know what it means to be responsible. One way of teaching them this is by getting them involved in daily chores around the house. This will not only help them develop good habits, but it will also teach them how important it is for all members of a family to pitch in with whatever needs doing.

You can find below a short list of age-appropriate chores! Obviously, each kid is different, so do not forget to tailor the tasks to the abilities of your children - but this is still something to start with!😉

And I would also suggest setting up your own family chore chart! It is great for the kids to see everybody is taking his own part, and getting stickers, smiley faces, or whatever daily when they fulfilled their chores can keep them motivated! You can also have a weekly chore chart for each family member, and even break it down into daily tasks to make it easier for the Little Ones to follow what is done and what is still missing.

Takeaway: Getting your kids involved in daily chores is a great way to teach them responsibility. It also helps them learn to be more independent!