Chores for Two-Year-Olds

Children can learn good habits by age two that will help them to be responsible for the rest of their lives. Using developmentally appropriate games and techniques to teach your child these habits will make it a fun and enjoyable learning experience for both you and your child. Children love to help because they get positive feedback and attention from their parents. This alone teaches your child so many valuable lessons that it is worth taking the time to do it. Turning mundane household chores into fun things for you and your toddler to share will not only help your child to develop and mature, but also helps you to have an easier time keeping up with everything now that you are a parent.

Children and babies produce growth hormones that make them feel good when they receive attention from adults. Providing them learning experiences combined with positive reinforcement gives them the attention that they need to learn and grow. Children who are ignored will either fail to develop and grow or seek out ways to get the attention that they crave. This usually results in the "terrible twos" behavior that I'm sure you've heard about and dreaded. At this age, the demand for attention can be all encompassing for a child and they may give the term "constant attention" a new meaning in your mind! Of course, no matter what you do, your child will find ways to test limits and start to exhibit less than desirable behaviors. However, you can limit the instances of extreme disarray by always focusing on positive attention with your child.

Now, "always" may be nearly impossible. After all, there is a lot to take care of when you have a toddler in the house. This is why it can be extremely beneficial for you and your child if you find ways to involve them in the tasks that you need done. Let them help you open mail. Give them an old check book to help you pay bills. Let them toss dirty laundry into the washer and help to fold clothes. Don't worry about it if things are not folded perfectly. Let your child feel proud of the job that they did. Teaching your child to make you happy will help you out in so many ways over the next few years! Celebrate, cheer, and offer rewards for a job well done. This reward system is a very powerful tool for you to teach your child things that may not be so fun to learn later in life.

Make cleaning up a time for learning. Putting toys away can be a perfect time to learn colors, counting, sorting, and organizing. Make sure that your toddler has a lot of successes and make it fun. Create games so that you and your baby can have fun, bonding experiences instead of constantly being stressed over how much there is to do. Install a low hanging bar in the closet so your two-year-old can reach and hang her own clothing. Children's hangers are easier for your child to handle, so it's easy for them to help out. Infant hangers and baby hangers don't stretch or distort baby clothes either, so it's a win-win for you and your child.

Just try to include your two-year-old in everything that you do all day long and you'll be surprised how much fun you have together.