by Keddybay

Created on: January 09, 2010

Toddlers are extremely involved in their own little world. It is easily witnessed when a parent tries to coax his little one into "submission" and creates an upset or angry reaction. Very young children can, and I do believe they should be, encouraged to do a few little things which will help in the household. But they must be extremely simple and easily achievable tasks. Encouraging a one and a half year old to wipe his face after finishing his meal, to pick up an object that he has dropped on the floor, to give a piece of laundry to Mummy or Daddy who is hanging them up, for example, are fun things to do, and contribute to the learning and imitating process. Chores have an element of responsibility in them. A toddler is not ready for any kind of responsibility. It is way too early. This is the age when they should rely on the parents being in charge of everything, and especially dangers, and setting and giving limits.

The frustrating thing which comes with expecting a toddler to perform something on demand is that there is little guaranty that it will be done, when it will be done, and most of all how it will be done. His sense of priorities is so different that I don't think one should insist for him to drop his objective to comply with a grown-up request. The risk is of it becoming completely counteractive in the short and long run alike.

Performing chores are often associated with some kind of a reward system. This in time as the child grows up can lead to paying him doing things from washing the car, doing homework to simply laying the table, or washing a couple of plates. I feel it is more interesting to do a variety of things in front of the very young child, giving him an early notion that everything does not just happen on its own, getting him to understand how things are done. When they are older they will have a sense that every family member has a part to play in the family unit and that each person is responsible within their own ability for certain things.

A crucial point with chores is that they be left entirely to someone’s responsibility. Once again I think it is way too much to expect of a toddler and the one thing that every parent should remember is to let a child grow up with play and games before focusing on education with specific results.

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