When most people think of toddlers, they don’t find them to be very helpful. And they aren’t. But toddlers love to help and for a long time, they won’t be able to tell if what they are doing is actually helping you or not. Sometimes I give Mac a “job” like putting all of the socks in the laundry basket. It isn’t something I actually need done, but it makes her think she is helping. But there are some toddler chores that are helpful. We recently discovered that Mac loves to help feed our dog, Ralph. Here is how she helps us.

(P.S. Everyone wave to Andrew, the Nerd. He doesn’t feature prominently on the blog very often. Also, if you didn’t see my Facebook post, my dryer broke which is why my drying rack is living in the kitchen for the time being.)

Our dog food container is pretty easy to move if it isn’t full because it is on wheels. Mac figured out a week or so ago that she could roll it around the kitchen.

I have seen Mac open this container before, but she swears she can’t. So usually she asks us for help getting it open. We usually try to encourage her to try it first.

We don’t just open it for her; we have her put her hands on it and help us open it.

We keep a scooper in the dog food container, so once it is open she just has to grab it. It is a bit of a challenge for her right now because the dog food is running low.

After that, she pours the food into Ralph’s dish.

Why Is This So Great?

1. Scooping and pouring is a great activity for toddlers. It helps work the muscles in their hand that help prepare the hand for handwriting in the future.
2. Toddlers need to do things in order. Mac doesn’t help fill Ralph’s water dish (yet) but she has to wait to open the food container until Andrew has gotten his water ready.
3. Starting with toddler chores will set up a child to be helpful as they grow up. Who knows? Maybe Mac will be the dog feeder for years to come.
4. Wheeling the dog food container around is a gross motor activity. Not only does it take large muscle strength to push or pull the container, it also takes some concentration to wheel it around any obstacles in her way, like the learning tower.
5. Learning to care for others is important. The world is a better place when we all help each other out.

What toddler chores do you have at your house? I’m always looking for more ideas!