helping toddlers help

[travelling sheep]

I like to keep DS busy around the house and make him earn his keep, but he doesn't have great fine motor skills so there are a lot of things it's difficult to involve him in. Yesterday I was changing the bedding and realised that if I tied pieces of ribbon to the zips, he'd be able to open and close them much more easily. He could feel he had helped without me feeling frustrated about how long it took. 

Does anyone have any other tips for making 'helping out' go more smoothly?

[curiouscanadian]

How old is your DS? I'm still working on ideas with mine, but a couple that come to mind:

- Spray bottle of water and a microfibre cloth. He can help "wash" the cupboard doors for example, while you clean up the kitchen. Great for baseboards/floor/lower parts of the walls too!

- Have him wipe off the kitchen table after meals/snacks.

- It has become DS's job to feed our cat. At first it was just helping me scoop the food into the bowl but it's expanding as he gets older and more able (ie. he now fills the water dish and helps carry it to where it belongs)

- Help with matching socks. I'm hoping to expand DS's repetoire soon to helping fold small things like washcloths/dishcloths/teatowels.

- Have him stack clothes as you fold them, carry some to put them away.

Okay, the last few I admit aren't the best to avoid feeling frustrated by the extra time it takes but they do get faster at it with practice. (At least that's what I've been telling myself! )

[1blueheron]

love this idea...eager to hear others' suggestions!

[KempsMama]

I taught my LO to use a dust buster, with supervision of course.

[lifeguard]

Ds loves to help unload the dishwasher (he hands everything to me one item at a time - I take the knives out first).

Sometimes I have him put his socks & underwear away but as his favourite part of laundry is grabbing my piles & throwing them on the floor I often avoid having him around.

We do a lot of the things listed above too.

[Skippy918]

DS helps load the washing machine and dryer.  He helps me sweep the floor and vacuums up with the dustbuster.  He sometimes helps set the table and put his dirty plate in the sink. 

[faithrainbow]

Our toddlers love to hold the dustpan, and we got kid-sized brooms so they could help sweep.  I help them carry the dustpan to the trash and pour it in.  They help wipe the table before/after meals, and sometimes help wash the dishes (standing on a chair with a plastic smock).  Unloading the dishwasher.  Helping to find similar types of laundry while I'm folding, and some laundry they can put away after it's folded.  We wash the floor in the diningroom together with rags on our hands and knees.  Put a low kid-table in the kitchen and they can clear the table by putting things on the kid-table if they can't reach the counter, and you can put things on the kid-table for them to carry them into the diningroom.

[dejagerw]

My son can put some laundry away. He knows where his undies go, socks, pjs and where DH's socks and undies go. It's not folded or anything, but it's in the right drawer and it keeps him occupied while I put the rest away.