household responsibilities and chores for a 3 year old

[DeChRi]

I need some input. My dd just turned 3 in April. I would really like to give her some "chores" or daily helper things to do around the house. I am not looking to be a slave driver, but i believe a couple simple daily tasks would help her feel like a productive member of the family. She dumps her blocks, I pick em up, anything she gets out, I put away. Of course 3 year olds are messy, and i'll do the majority of the cleaning, but what are reasonable tasks to ask of a three year old? Should I be having her pick up anything she drags out? Or just the occasional cleanup time? I really would like some imput on what the responsibilities should be for a 3 year old.

[Shannon210]

I think this would be a perfect time to get her to pick up her toys once she is finished with them. I believe if you constantly enforce that when she is done playing she should put her toys away it will become a habit.

[khrisday]

I try to implement the onr toy at a time rule so cleanup isn't a huge ordeal, but I do think a 3 year old can pick up after themselves with help. My 3 year old also likes to help set the table and help put away laundry.

[rsps]

Picking up toys is a good start (which I'm still working on!!) DS is four now and he enjoys doing "big boy jobs" like just this week I've started having him warm the water for the baby's diaper change for me. He puts a little water in the cup, puts it in the microwave, and knows to push 3-0-start. For now at least he's very happy to do it, since unitl recently he wasn't allowed to touch the microwave.

[fullcirclesb]

My ds loves to cut up mushrooms and other soft stuff with a butter knife when I cook dinner. He also likes to feed the worms in our compost. I have been trying to get him to do more for himself because I take care of other kids and can't always do everything for him. He know where his clothes are I ask him to go pick shirt and pants in the morning, etc.....Now he wants to do EVERYTHING for himself.

[lorrielink]

ive been having my ds help with chores since he could WALK!

lol always in fun, i knew i would not wanna be the kinda mom who picks up after everyone, so that they never learn how to take care of themsleves

we dont do nething really structured and the house sure does get messy sometimes, its more like what is gonna fit with the mood, my energy and my ds's interest.

hes loved helping put away the dishes since he was 15 months old, he does all the plastic stuff witch we now keep in a bottom cupbaord so he can do it all himself.

we pick up the toys together most days at varieing intervals, and definatly after a craft project noone goes nowhere untill its all cleaned up.

now i let him do the spraying on the counters and tables and such, he wanted to so much that even though i had to pick him up to do the kitchen counters i knew that if i made it a fun experiance for him now that when hes big enough to do it without my help hell be real darn handy around the house

i try to keep i simple and if it gets into a tug of war i just let it go and sometimes i get his attention again and again just to pick up one block as i think it will help him remember in the future when hes ready for more.

privalidge goes hand in hand with responsibity

i try to emphasize that cleaning up isnt something "extra" to do but part of the whole thing, what ever thing that might be

i figure if he gets to learn from daddy how to use cool tools and fix things that he sure can learn how to clean up after the mess it all made lol

[Rennie]

We clean up the toys together most days, but he's starting to do it on his own more & more. He loves to dress himself (still lets me pick out what he'll wear) & brush his teeth & hair. Enjoys helping w/dinner - stirring the pasta so it doesn't stick, tossing the salad, washing fruits & veggies... An of course he LOVES to help dh with any & all work that requires tools!

Kids get such a sense of accomplishment from helping - and a natural boost to their self esteem (without us telling them how great they are)!!!!

Renate

[EnviroBecca]

When I was 3, my mom made placemats depicting plate, glass, napkin, and utensils in their proper positions. Then she could say, "Please put the forks on the table," etc. She also wrote the words on the placemat, which helped me learn to read them.

Other things I did at that age: rinsing salad greens, watering outdoor plants with watering can, and cleaning the outside of the toilet! (I liked being small enough to easily reach around the base of the toilet, and it wasn't until years later that I began to think of that job as gross or demeaning!)

[Ms. Mom]

I agree, there are many 'jobs' a 3 yr. old can do around the house. Helping them clean up toys after they're done is helpfull "I'll grab the coloring books and put them on the shelf - why don't you put the crayons in the bin", or "you grab the dolls, I'll put their clothing away". Eventually, they learn 'how' to put things away and you can start giving them more of the responsibility.

As for around the house - nothing gives a child more pride than helping out with daily taskes. It WILL take longer to complete simple taskes with them, but, eventually, they will learn and your job as a parent will be much easier.

[Kaya's Mama]

Kaya turned 3 in April too. We dont do this daily but she loves to help us cook dinner & bake. She will mix things and measure & pour flour etc. She LOVES to do it. She has always cleaned up after herself for which I can thank myself cause I helped her learn that at around 15 mos. It stuck! She also likes to use the dustbuster. If she spills anything she will clean it up without my asking. She also likes to help vaccum and dust. Basically I initiate the chores cause I have to do them anyway and she steps in and helps. I have a little cleaning lady on my hands!

[Mallory]

I clean twice a day for about 30 min. We turn on the radio loud and they help with whatever I am doing. We have a good time!! They are 1 and almost 3. If I am folding clothes they pick out the socks and fold the napkins and hand towels and we use them however they get put away (I think that redoing thier helping makes them feel unimportant). They have water bottles and rags, they have little brooms or use sponges to mop.
I don't make them do anything- I want them to take care of our house and things because they want to. There are somedays that they just play but there are also days that I am to into a book or just want to go to the pool and I don't clean either.

Picking things up when we get out something else doesn't work so well for us. I do keep only a few toys out so it is not so terrible even if everything gets dumped on the floor. We try to do a quick pickup of toys before we go outside.