How to get your toddler to help around the house!
bay First of all I just want to say I have 3 little ones and I’m not a pro at the moment but I feel like I’m getting closer and closer every day. I’d like to share a few tips I found that might help with the toy chaos that might be going on in your home.
rotate toys-I have found this to be really useful to do about 4 times a year. Every season, I like to put away a box full of toys that aren’t really played with and take them out for the next season when I’ll be packing another load of toys and so on. I like this idea, because when you pull out the box that’s been sitting in the closet for a couple of months, it’s like Christmas all over again. They play with toys like they have never seen them before. Also, this minimizes the number of toys in the toy box, which can turn into a mess. 🙂
donate or sell-Make sure to check the toys at least once a year and donate old unused toys or sell them. Have a garage sale with all the kids’ old toys and/or of course all their unwanted items. I’ve also found that eBay is a great place to dispose of old toys. When selling on Ebay, know that it’s a lot of work. But it can pay off in the end if you sell enough items. When selling on Ebay, make sure these items are in working order and clean. If you need to replace the batteries, please do so. This isn’t like a garage sale where people are going to knock you off for a quarter and you’re okay with them not dusting it off before putting it out in the yard. People on eBay are bidding on your items and they want things that are in great condition. When listing your items, be honest. Feedback is everything and if you stretch the truth they will know when it shows up at their doorstep.
graphics systemNow for me this is the big one. I bought a reward chart on the internet, but you can find it anywhere these days and I use it every day. I chose tasks for each of the children and at the end of the night they get stars for each task completed. At the end of the week they get a monetary reward for reaching the goal. At this point, my kids are still young and have simple chores like setting the table and putting away toys before bed and brushing their teeth. But these types of charts can be used until adolescence, simply by changing the tasks. Every kid loves money, mostly because you can’t do anything without money these days, so it’s a great incentive for that weekend trip to the mall or movie outing.
Whether you’re a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, household chores can be overwhelming and never-ending. Applying these small steps may take some of the stress off of you, but at the same time you are teaching your children responsibility. You’ll feel good because you’ll be keeping your house tidy and they’ll feel good just helping you out and of course shaking their piggy bank. Keep them accountable and they will grow up with these things as second nature.
Like I said, these are just a few little ideas that work really well in my house for my little ones and I intend to use them through their teenage years.