Kids and Chores, Part 1

Have you ever noticed that a big stumbling block to your home organization is those little darling children of yours? They leave messes in their wake wherever they go, and they do it right from birth. But they can also be little organization helpers. Taught to participate, they can actually ENJOY (at certain ages) helping to clean and organize their space. And, once taught, most children feel more comfortable in an orderly environment than in a chaotic one.

While YOU are not your children's maid, and they are not your servants, keeping a house of order is a joint venture. Little ones love to help and have quite a capacity for doing many chores. The next few posts we'll talk about what they can do.

Even toddlers are capable of doing some jobs and between the ages of 2 and 4, kids are eager to help. Include them in the daily chores before playtime. My daughter, Gen, does a cute thing with her kids: she wrote simple jobs on craft sticks and put them in a jar. Each day her little boys pick two "stick jobs" to complete. Here are some jobs that 2-4 year olds can complete:

1. Feed pets
2. Wipe up spots or messes
3. Clean fingerprints off doors, light switches, appliances
4. Wipe baseboards
5. Dust
6. Water plants and garden
7. Put dirty clothes in hamper
8. Take hamper to laundry room
9. Put away folded clothes
10. Help make the bed (especially bunk beds!)
11. Take dirty dishes from the table to the counter
12. Pick up toys and books