Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere

Your toddler is now entering what Montessori calls the “sensitive period” of wanting to help. You may see them putting passion and zest into household work like throwing away rubbish, wiping up spills, and helping with the laundry.

Giving your toddler opportunities to help around the house makes them feel independent and valuable. They have an innate drive to contribute and find a lot of confidence and joy in having their role and responsibilities.

Research shows that children who are exposed early to household work without rewards are more likely to be helpful and involved later in life. Child development experts consistently say happy children are the ones who are given responsibilities around the house, for which they don’t get a prize or money. Talk to your toddler about being an important part of your household community.

Try to let go of needing their early work to be productive (or even complete) and think about it as an investment in making a habit of helping.

Here are some ways to let your toddler help out around the home

Encourage them to:

• Help with siblings
• Bring in the mail
• Water plants 

• Prep snacks (by peeling eggs or cutting soft foods like bananas or avocados)
• Put place mats on the table 
• Sort silverware from the dishwasher to the silverware tray 

• Feed pets
• Open and close doors
• Clean up/wipe up spills

• Throw away pieces of rubbish
• Take small bags of rubbish to the outside bins
• Transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer 

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