Ideas for Chores for a 16 Month Old?

Picking up toys, dirty clothes and more is perfect for her to learn at this age. She might also be able to help put clean clothes in their places as well, with a bit of helping her. My girls LOVE to help out, so yes, finding things for her to do and help throughout the day pays off nicely for you both! Good luck!

At this age, "chores" are a shared experience. She should pick up her toys (and other things she's strewn about). Sing the "Clean Up, Clean Up" song with her as you both tidy her room or play area. Laundry sorting is a fun thing to do (this can help her learn her colors too); darks and lights. She's a bit young for kitchen help, but you could have her help you select which foods to prepare (give her choices between 2 items). She can hand you lids and containers, towels and pot holders. As you "work" with her and increase her familiarity with household items and her communication skills she will develop into a wonderful little helper. Just don't expect too much yet.

When my son was young he used to love to help me "iron". I would set up the real ironing board down low so he could reach and give him a toy iron and a load of dish towels or face cloths. I showed him how to fold them and while he was doing his laundry I would fold the rest of mine!

S.,

Rest assured that your daughter is doing something extremely contructive as she's playing: she's learning. It is easy to have the expectation that our little one's should be "helping", and the tasks you ask her to do, such as picking up her dropped food, wiping her spills, putting away toys (with your help, of course!) and following adult directions in general is an incredible amount of learning and work.

Play is the work of the child. Time and time again, those who study early childhood education (including Maria Montessori, Rudolph Steiner and the popular Reggio-Emilia practice) see that, as long as adults help children have a sense of order in their surroundings and rhythm to their days, children construct their own work in learning about things that present themselves at the right time. For example, as your daughter plays with containers, she learns about sizes and space-- how little containers can fit in big containers, but not the reverse.

If you would like to give her some other playingly helpful/learning things to do, consider the purchase of a learning tower. This is a safe platform where your child can stand at the counter at a reasonable height. Here, she can "rinse" a few dishes at the sink while you are doing in the washing up ( expect her to pull a few out of the rack to rewash!), or have her explore a chunk of raw vegetable while you are preparing dinner. She can help tear lettuce, stir eggs (my son likes to poke the yolks of the eggs at breakfast time when we scramble them) and be prepared for some mess. Kids love to explore our world, and when we keep our expectations low, they will have fun doing "grown up" tasks. Just give her the tools/material and have no 'goal' in mind for her. Let her play her way through the task, instead of giving lots of instruction. In this way, she learns that helping is fun instead of a chore keeping her away from her real job: play.

Based on the posts I have read, I have come to the conclusion that your children are much more efficient than the six I raised. At 16 mo old my children could barely walk, let alone do chores like the ones listed here. I think maybe she could hand you toys, but beyond that, she's a baby. I can't imagine her doing safely half the suggestions listed here. Let her help with a few toys and the rest of the time she can be a kid. Save the setting the table and sorting utensils until she's at least three. I couldn't even communicate with my children efficiently at that age, let alone help them understand sorting.

My daughter is 16 months old and she helps me put damp laundry into the dryer and pull out dry laundry. We also made a bottom drawer in the kitchen a kid drawer so all kid plates and cups go in the drawer. When I unload the dishwasher, she is able to take her plates and cups and put them in the drawer (I go back and straighten it up later). She also helps me feed the dogs and cat by putting the food in their dishes. I give her the scoop full of food and she puts it in their dish or carrys the cat food bowl to the front porch. She helps pick up toys if we have a bin to put them in. My son who is four has also been doing the same since he was one.

16 mos. is somewhat early for "chores", but not too early to teach how to care of her things. When you say chores I envision her being responsible for making her bed and stacking magazines in the living room. Having any child learn to put their toys away in their place is just smart sense. Use the day to day activities around the house as a way of teaching her colors, sizes and shapes... like sorting socks by colors. But understand, that 16 mos. is very young for this. At this age she's still a very young toddler and life should be about exploring and learning, cause and effect. She should be mimicking you, learning by example. So if you're picking up or dusting, then let her imitate you, but it's not her chore to do these things. She learns and does by example. So no to chores at this age, yes to showing her how to do things and doing things with you. Chores equates to responsibility and your reliance on her to complete something, and she's prone to failing more often than not at this age and your disappointment will come across, frustration for the both of you. Play with her, let her play imitate life. That's why they have play kitchens and dishes, little brooms and vaccuums, etc. When she's older, then make the transition from play/imitation to chores/responsibility. Just my thoughts and a survivor of 3 kids who are now 18, 20, and 22.

My daughter likes to hand me dishes from the dishwasher to put away and puts items into the dryer that I hand her and shuts the door. She recently put daddy's socks in the drawer (she is 18 months now). She has her own broom and "sweeps" although I'm not sure that is really so helpful LOL. The start of the bedtime routine is to sing the clean up song and clean up toys in the living room. I usually save one thing for her to do such as put legos in the bin.

Have fun!

C.

my son loves to help me unload the dishwasher. He takes things out one at a time and hands it to me. Sometimes he'll stack a few things on the floor and then hand me the stack. of course, before we start I take out all items that might be dangerous for him. I also let him put all the tupperware type containers away all by himself. He is a little older (22 months) but we've been doing this for some time. he loves it and so do I!

I would just have my daughter clean up her toys.Even if it took a little longer and we had to hand them to her.Also ask that she cleans up her books and movies from the evening that are usually sitting by her tv.
I even ask her to help clean the car since the backseat is generally all her mess anyway.lol
You could also have her help u empty the dryer by putting thngs in a basket.

Can she help with laundry? Maybe give her a dry cloth to wipe the floor with while she's there? Could she sort the tupperware? We've found that our daughter takes a lot of pride in getting things sorted and put away!

My daughter is 20 months and we started asking her to help clean up her toys at about 14 months. We usually only clean up right before bed and for about 2 weeks now, she's told us she's ready for bed by cleaning up her toys. She can make quite a mess, but is really great about cleaning it all up. We have to give her some verbal direction "put the yellow bear in the toy box please", but she also does just do a bit on her own.

It seems like it would be hard to come up with things for her to do since she's really not old enough to understand chores yet. One thing you can do is have her help with laundry maybe- my daughter is 2 and loves to help me load things into the dryer & take things out of the dryer. She's been doing that since about 1 and it's the only thing she really "gets" at this age. I also have her pick up any food she throws down but it hasn't stopped her from doing it, lol.

As far as having her do something that is truly productive not a whole lot she can do. As far as having her do things for the sake of learning to help around the house here is what we have dome starting both are kids on these at around 1.5 to 2 years old. Washing hand prints off windows, washing hand prints off t.v. wiping down the floor with wipes, cleaning up all their toys, pealing potatoes...carrots...kiwi's, setting kitchen table for dinner, the list goes on. Now none of these are done to perfection but they really get the idea and benefit of learning how to help around the house.

I think having little ones help around the house is a wonderful idea--they love feeling like they are part of the team. Here the things we have our 18 month old son "help" with. He feeds the pets, he loves pouring the food, we scoop it, he fills the bowls. There is often a spill, but we just give him little bits at a time until they are full--he LOVES feeding them. We also have him help clear the table, the table clearer hands him salad dressing or butter and then opens the fridge and he puts it away. We also brings the dishes from the table to the disherwasher (the person, not the machine). When I'm cooking I have him take things to the garbage and the recycling for me. He also knows that the signal he wants to get out of the tub is to put his bath toys away. We've recently started working on having him put all his toys away before bedtime. Now, all these things would happen 100x faster if we did them ourselves, but he is learning what it means to be a valuable member of our family--he gets lots of praise, but I think more than that it makes him feel good about himself. It's so cute when we forget to let him help feed the pets (we feed them before bathtime). When he hears the rumbling of the food bag he comes running out of the bathroom naked to do his "chores" before he will get in the tub. He also loves to help sweep, dust, garden, and cook--he loves to stir and roll out cookies--it's messy, but lots of fun!

Dust!! My niece LOVED to dust! Especially if you have one of those handy little duster wands, the small light weight ones that you can throw the top duster part away and put a new one on, I dont know what they are called, but those ones are great because you don't have to worry about them being filthy, you can just attach a new one and let her go to town!

You have received some great tips :-).
I have 4 children one of them being 17 months old. The little guy (and the others when they were his age) really learns quickly to imitate what you are doing. When I use the vacuum, he uses his own...so adorable. And if I forget to pull his out he runs over to the closet & makes little grunting sounds until I remember :-). With all of my kids around 14 months...I empty out the garbage from the bathrooms into a small, plastic bag (like from the grocery store or Walmart) and then I tie it off and leave it on the floor. Then I go get my child & say," Come here, you want to help Mommy take out the garbage. Let's go throw it away." And the child picks up the bag & runs to the garage, I open the door, and they have fun putting it in the big can. They always do this with such enthuiasm...I am sure by the time they are teenagers it want be with such smiles & laughter...but, they will have learned that taking out the garbage is something they do as a responsible member of our family. Oh yeah, I tie up the garbage without them seeing me do this...otherwise, b/c they learn from example...you may have your little one dumping out the garbage can when you aren't ready :-)! I also give them a few pieces of clothing and say really enthuastically, "Go put away." And because he has seen me put away said piece of clothing he knows where his pants, shirt, etc. go. So much so that two days ago when I took off his clothes to put him in the bath...he took his dirty clothes and put them AWAY in his dresser...these were stinky clothes...so after I said "Thank you" and put him in the bath...I ran back & took out the stinky clothes :-). My other 3 are almost 11, 7, & 4 & 1/2...they have ALL done these same "chores" when they were younger & I have NO COMPLAINTS from them AT ALL when they do their "chores"...I think mainly b/c THEY started so young...I say they, b/c THEY wanted to do these things...all young kids do...they smile real big & are so excited to copy you! And also, they don't complain b/c it is just part of being a family & I don't say to them, "Time to do your chores." They just know it is what they do b/c they have ALWAYS done it. I have MANY friends who complain about their kids being whinning & complaining when it is time to do their "chores" and I ask them if they had their kids do stuff(laundry putting away is a big example)from an early age & they answer, "no". So, my advice, def. start now letting him do anything that he seems like is fun to him & then add a few things & MAKE them fun by inflicting your voice with excitement, "Thank you so much. What a big helper. Yea!," etc. Good Luck

My daughter is 18m and when we clean up the playroom I have her bring me all of her balls (she has quite a few, big and little) and bring me books, then either she puts them in the bin or I put them away. That's her "chore" for when we clean up. My Mom bought her a child size broom for Christmas and she LOVES to "help" me sweep in the kitchen. She loves to follow me around when I vacuum so I'm thinking of getting her a toy vacuum too, or maybe just a "popper" push toy she can push around and call it a vaccum.

One thing my kids started doing as soon as they could walk is taking their own dishes to the sink. At that small, you will have to help her if her plate or cup are too small, and you will always have to take them from her at the sink since she can't reach.
Cleaning up is not fun, so let her help you prepare instead. For example, she can help you set the table for meals, she can carry things from the fridge to the table, etc. She can also go get her pjs, diapers, etc. My son also carries his own dirty clothes to the hamper and wet diapers to the trash.
Another chore we have for our toddler is dishes. We put all of his dishes in a drawer that he can reach. I unload everything out of the dishwasher except his things (which I move to the bottom so he can reach them. The he takes them out of the dishwasher and puts them in his drawer. We slowly started teaching him to sort them (ie plates in a pile, silverware in a small basket, cups stacked according to kind, etc).
The most important thing is to make her FEEL like she is helping often so when she is older, she is used to the idea that everyone helps out.

Hi S.,

My daughter "helps" me match socks when I fold laundry. I put all of the socks in a separate basket, and she reaches in, picks them out one by one, and hands them to me. When she does, I tell her if it's a Daddy sock, a Mommy sock or a Bethany sock.

At the end of a bath, I hand her each tub toy. She puts them on the edge of the tub. The first few times we did it, I told her "Yay! You did it!" after each one. Now she says "Yay!" herself.

I'm looking forward to reading the other responses you receive for more ideas for her. Great question!

Little kids love to sweep (even though they're no good at it) it's good practice for real sweeping. My daughter likes to help clean the craft table. I give her a baby wipe and let her go to town.

You'd be amazed at the things they want to "help" you do. :)

With my daughter, I let her help me push the vacuum, pull clothes out of the washer (we have a front loader), unload the dishwasher, she would grab silverware and bring it to me as I put them away (I always grabbed all the knives and sharp objects first). I had her help put all her books away each evening.

With my husband, she loves to go out and help feed the dog and our horses. She follows him around the backyard with a bag over her arm pretending to pick up dog poo while my husband actually does that. He will put her in a Moby Wrap and she will help trim back the bushes and prune the roses (she basically holds the end of the sheers and thinks she is doing the work).

It goes on and on. You'd be amazed at what they enjoy helping mom or dad do. Another fun thing is helping to sort or organize things.

I also have a Learning Tower in my kitchen and I put her in there when I am cooking. I give her a small bowl and some wooden spoons, spatulas, etc. I let her stir and mix things (it's empty and all pretend) while I actually cook dinner. She gets to imagine and pretend and watch what I am doing while feeling involved. I also hold her hand and have her help me scoop things into bowls or plates, like some yogurt, applesauce, etc. Or she helps me pile stuff on our salads like raisins, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.

It's a real self-confidence booster to children when they feel they are contributing.

A.
www.punkinbutt.com

I would think 16 months is too young for chores but little ones love to help. You can have her put laundry in the washer or dryer or just do anything with you that you are doing. I wouldn't push it though, 16 month is young to really grasp any type of responsibility.

Hi S.,

You've gotten some great ideas so far. There are some wonderful moms on this site who have marvelous ideas...that's why I like coming here!

In addition to the ideas you've already gotten, you could have your daughter help set the table...you know, put on silverware and glasses (especially if you use non breakable items), and when the meal is over you could have her carry her plate and glass to the kitchen. Maybe she could also help put food on the table, like crackers if you're having soup, or fruit or someting that's not easily spilled.

Good luck!

I wouldn't call them chores - I'd call them ''helping'' - she will LOVE to:
1. wipe the front of the drawers, cabinets and appliances with a towel dampened with water and vinegar.
2. 'sweep' the floor with a broom you bought at value
village or a dollar store - and cut the handle so it's
''her size''
3. sort the silverware --- put a stack of clean silverware on a clean towell and show her how to sort the
different pieces-- spoons here -- forks--- knives ( natch-- just table ware nothing sharp)
Aren't babies this age fantastic????

Blessings,
J.

My son is 22 months, now. He loves to "help" me with whatever I'm doing around the house--his favorite is unloading the dishwasher (I'm not too particular about my dishes touching the floor--so that would depend on how you feel about things maybe not being quite as clean). He also hands me clothes when I'm folding the laundry, carries items of folded laundry into his room for me to put away (it's usually not folded by the time it arrives, though!), climbs up on a stool to help pour things into bowls and stir when I'm cooking, holds the dustpan when I'm sweeping, and puts his own dirty clothes in the laundry basket after we take them off. Of course, it all requires a great deal of supervision and would actually be easier to do alone, but it's a learning experience for him! Also, as much as possible, when he spills or makes a mess (especially if it was intentional) I give him a cloth and have him help me clean it up. This way, he learns the results of his actions.