3 Ways Your Toddler Can Help Around the House

I remember how when we lived in Arizona years ago, we had a tile entry way and it used to get scuffed up and dirty pretty quickly. My kids used to argue over who got to scrub the floor! I can’t say they still do that, but it was pretty funny at the time.

It’s never too early to start training your children to help you around the house. In fact, teaching your children to be helpful around the house teaches them much more than just how to clean.

By letting your toddler help clean the house he learns that he is a valuable member of the family. That helping each other is what we do. And that it’s important to take care of our possessions.

3 Ways Toddlers Can Help Clean House

You may think your child isn’t ready to help you clean yet, but you’d be surprised at just how helpful toddlers can be! Children often love to help and may even get a kick out of helping you clean.

Here are 3 ways toddlers can help clean house:

1. Decluttering

Encouraging your toddler to clean up clutter is one of the easiest and best ways to get her involved. The key is coming up with a method that works. Consider setting out several bins to store your child’s toys in. Let her know that she should put her toys back in the bins when she is finished playing with them. This can take diligent training, but it’s definitely worth the effort you put in!

Another way to encourage your child to put things away is to play a clean-up game. You could set an egg timer and race to see who an pick up the most toys the fastest.

2. Dusting

Many children love to dust. Spray your furniture with polish and then give your child a cloth to complete the job. Try making it into a game. Encourage your child to make sure that all of the dust in the area is gone.

related: Children and Chores + a Free Printable

3. Scrubbing

Just like with dusting, many children love to scrub. Spray multi-surface cleaner on your windows, bathtub, or kitchen counter tops, and allow your child to go to town! You can even allow him to wear an apron and gloves to make it seem more like a game.

These are just three ways toddlers can help clean house. The key to getting your child to help is using your imagination. Your child will be more excited to help if it feels more like a game than a chore.

related: How to Structure the Day for a Todller

What are some chores you let your toddler help with around the house?