Activities That Are Both Safe and Fun

The Preschoolers Busy Book by Trish Kuffner has some really great ideas for keeping little ones busy :) One thing my 3 yr. old enjoys doing while I clean, is to clean his toys too. I'll give him some WetOnes and he wipes down his toys. Also, he'll use a wet sponge and clean the kitchen cabinets.....who's cabinets don't need cleaning? This way he feels like he's 'really' helping mommy, yet he's not getting in the way.

thanks for asking the question... I appreciated all the responses... my kids are 4 and 2 and they want to wash dishes... I guess I will let them. ; )

How sweet that your daughter wants to help. First of all, let me say it's normal for you to feel impatient or like your DD is making more work for you. If everyone here were honest, she would admit that we have all thought that--at least occasionally.

I do think that this helpfullness should be encouraged. Not just for good citizenship and character reasons, but for the self confidence that comes from mastering skills. You can make things easier on yourself with a little creativity.

Floors- My daughter loved to sweep so I found a short broom and dustpan at the dollar store. If she can't sweep into piles, have her sweep the porch or do the swiffering (or microfiber towels if you use those) afterword.
A play vacuum or carpet sweeper is great for this age. Failing that you can teach her to vacuum the baseboards. I don't have a super easy vacuum so I often had my daughter help pick up before vacuuming. She would then vacuum -mostly the center of the room. I would give her another job while I finish up (dusting or picking up the next room).

Laundry- I can't remember when my daughter started sorting laundry properly but she did like to load and unload laundry very early. I remember her matching up socks and folding washcloths from a very early age. She became a good laundry sorter around age 5. Now she brings her hamper and sorts it into the family laundry sorter. I just wash the clothes of the fullest bin. (love that!)

Dusting- Yes. Microfiber towel or swiffer duster. This can keep her busy for a long time.

Pick up- Dollar store has kid size laundry basket. Can have her go around the house picking up her toys or things that don't belong and putting them back where they belong.

Dishes- I have had a low cabinet with things that are OK for her to play with for a while. At our current house there is an awkward cabinet under the wall mount oven... it became the kid cabinet. My daughter and nephews know where to get cups, plates and bowls. Even my 2 year old nephew will put away the kid stuff from the dishwasher. (I can put away knives and pointy things while they are distracted) If that's not enough, my Mom used to have a bin that she would put some soapy water in. My "job" was to wash dishes and give them to her for rinsing. Really she was keeping me busy, but I felt like a big girl for "helping" mommy.

Cooking- I try to have at least one thing that I need a helper during the day--Especially if there are veggies involved. My DD loves to cook, but if she preps the veggies or salad she will almost always eat it. If nothing else I can get her to eat 2-3 bites. Sometimes we will do a project like baking bread, cookies or cupcakes. If I really just want to cook for my own stress relief, then I would do it during nap time or right after bed time. But now the effort has definitely paid off...

Making the beds- Sheets are in the linen closet. I started putting the whole set in the pillowcase so my DD can grab everything in one shot. Usually she will put on two corners and I'll do the last corner or two (because that's the hard part). We got a duvet cover once DD got a big girl bed. The top sheet became a huge pain in the butt. So I gave up. Why stress? I can wash the duvet cover. Now DD likes to "make her own bed" because she just smooths up her bed cover and arranges her pillows. Voila!

Sometimes I lose my cool, but for the most part it is so satisfying to see my daughter gain confidence. Those proud smiles when she has something mastered are priceless. I know the extra creativity and sometimes the extra work are worth it when I remember that my daughter is learning to be helpful, follow directions, and mastering a skill. It helps me thinks of my little shadow as the highest compliment rather than a hassle.

If you have other situations, I would be happy to brainstorm some other ideas with you. I've had to do some other things to keep my nephews busy so we should be able to come up with more ideas. I know the other moms had a variety of ideas, too.

I went through this too - at the time, I thought I was suffering through it. My five year old can now change his sheets (handy for when he has 'accidents'), he can load the dishwasher (they get clean, even if it's not quite the way I load it - I don't undo/redo what he has done), he can fold washrags and hang shirts (towels and pants are still a little beyond him), he can physically clean a floor (putting up toys, picking up big trash) in less than 10 minutes, and he can vacuum as long as it's carpet - the broom and mop thing seem to be a little more difficult for him, but he can mop up a spill - also handy for different accidents. It probably still takes longer than if I did it myself - but I'm not doing it. He is, and he feels so GOOD about himself when he is helping out.

I'm going to recommend a few things - 1. Switch to plastic plates. She's going to drop stuff at first. Sit her on the counter or stand her on a chair beside you and let her help you with the dishes. Plan to mop after you do the dishes. Little kids wet the floor when they do the dishes. 2. Give her a few pieces of clothes to fold while you do laundry. Washrags or underwear are a good place to start. Matching socks gives her a leg up on math - color identification, same/different - but that can be hair pulling at first.

Finally - sit back and enjoy, because your baby is going to be 13 tomorrow, and she's not going to want to help. She's not going to want anything to do with you, really, at all. Then the next day she'll be 18, going off to college - but bringing home the laundry for you to do. A couple of weeks after that, she'll be 25 and married and not know how to run a house. On the other hand, if you teach her now, a little housework is just a part of every day life and she'll know how to take care of herself long before it's necessary - it will also be a matter of fact habit to work with mom instead of a chore that she has to do by herself. At least, that's how it is for me - and just about every one of the girls I grew up with. I was the one who did housework with my mama (how I must have tried her patience), and I was the only one in my group who could do laundry when we went away for college. I still think about her when I'm stain sticking and doing the dishes.
www.nogreaterjoy.org

S.

My son, now 3, has been helping me do chores for a long time now. He started out just helping by putting silverware away or picking up toys, but now we have a washer and dryer (both front loading) and I let him do the laundry (I sort and make sure the nobs are in the right place) and he can put laundry in the washer, push the button to start and then move it to the dryer when it's done. I'm also starting to work on helping him learn to fold his own clothes. I don't worry to much about if it's completely right (I guide him through it, but don't redo it if it's wrong) because it usually gets messed up when he digs through his drawer for what he wants to do.

He still helps with putting silverware away, and he can put away many of the pots, pans, cutting boards, and any of the plastic dishes that he can reach (I have a "tupperware" cabinet that is at the kids level).

He loves to vacuum, so unless I'm having company, I'll let him vaccuum, and he gets about a third of the floor done, and when I want to make sure it gets done well, I vaccuum what I need to, then let him vaccuum his bedroom (He'll pick up anything if he thinks he'll get to vaccuum when he's done!)

My next step is to start having him clean his toilet and around it for when he misses. I have a friend who started this with her twin boys that are 6 months older than him, and they've done much better at making it in the toilet since then. Of course, hopefully you won't have the same problem with your girl. The basic thing is to let them help while they are young and enjoy it in hopes that they will enjoy it longer. My mom started me young, and I was a big help to her when she had the next 5 kids after me and later on when she was starting to get leukemia and I was in HS. I ended up (with my siblings) being able to take care of the house because we knew how to clean. She told me (when I was feeling like you) that it wasn't easy, and it took longer to get things done, but she never regretted letting us help because it taught us how to work well.

Good luck.

Hey don't dampen the enthusium of being a little helper. You might have her mainly do things that don't hurt like fold clothes (they don't have to be perfect), and a toy vacume, (that doesn't make noise,) she could use. Have her wipe the front of the fridge while you do something you don't want help with, & that can't hurt anything that you'd have to do over.

M., I have 4 kids, this is something all of them do at one point or another. Instead of getting upset, I found cleaning toys eg. play vaccum, mop, brooms, and little wash tubs. They love it. So while I am cleaning one bathroom I put them in the kitchen and showed them how to sweep the floor using their clean up toys. If you get the really good one they actually work. They love helping and I can get them to do stuff that I really do not like doing, like washing the floor boards. You can clean it with just regular landry detergent and water. And it took a couple of weeks, but I finally taught them how to fold clothes, the easier stuff like wash rags and underwear. Separate their stuff from the harder stuff and it does make it easier. The really great thing is your teaching them a great leason at an early age. Just remember it may not be perfect, but it is better then getting upset!!! And you will know when they are finally ready to leave your home they will at least know how to clean up and do their landry. Good luck!!

As a mother of grown chidren my advise is WHO CARES! SHE IS LEARNING TO CLEAN AND FOLD AND BE A HELPER. Sorry for yelling, but in a few (very few) years you are going to look back and say where is my helper? Where is that little girl who used to clean? You think the work is bad now? Think of when she is 7 and you are constantly cleaning up after her because you didn't take the time to do it now. I look back with fond memories because I taught my boys to clean, wash clothes, vacuum - your job is to teach her to leave home a capable young woman; and one came back and said Thank you. :)

my 13 month old does the same thing. I gave her a play broom and mop so she cleans along side of me. Laundry is trickier- I try to do that while she is sleeping or playing in the tuperware cabinet I keep for her in the kitchen. I wish I had a toy vacumm but can't afford one now 9they aren't as cheap as the broom and mop)so I usually have to hold her while I vaccuum- that's a pain! Also, baby Einstein gives me a few minutes when I am desperate (our house is on the market and sometimes I MUST have a moment to clean by myself!)

I agree with most of the posts, but wanted to add, that I got my son's vaccuum cleaner at a garage sale for $3. He loves it and uses it when I vaccuum, too. Cheaper than Wal-Mart, and it works, too! Don't know if you have time to garage sale or not...but worth a shot. Also, Big Lots, did have the Dirt Devil vacuums, too, cheaper than Wal-Mart, at one time, if you happen to have a Big Lots store near you.

Like someone else mentioned, we, too, have a front loading washer and dryer, although we have them stacked. My son loves to help do laundry, and put the laundry in the washer, and then I put the soap in the trays, and he starts the washer. He also likes to help take the laundry out and see if he can throw the clothes into the top (the dryer). That is somewhat of a challenge unless it's white stuff, and not heavy clothes, since they are wet. I don't always let him to that part, but he likes to help with laundry.

He likes to help take sheets off the bed, and wad them up in a pile, and then put them in the special hamper in our bathroom closet, for towels and sheets.

He likes to hand me the towels when I am folding them, and see if I can fold them as fast as he's handing them to me (a race).

He likes to sweep outside when I am working outside around the flowerbeds, yard, etc. He has a broom that is his side. Maybe this can be found at a dollar store as well? It is actually a broom that was my 14 year old stepdaughter's, so it's been around for while.

That's about all I can think of, but I do other house cleaning duties when he's asleep (bathrooms, kitchen, dishwasher, etc.).

Best of luck with your daughter!

When my granddaughter comes to visit, she also wants to "help". She's a little older (5) but I've been letting her help by giving her part of the chores to do that are age appropriate. She learns, feels like she is helping, I praise her work, and it turns into a positive experience for both of us.

For a two-year-old, give her the washcloths to fold. They are her size and she will feel that she is working with you. Let her "fluff" the pillows while you make the bed, then lift her to place them. Just little parts of the chores that make her feel part of the action and give her some busy work while you get the big parts of the job done.

My daughter is 13. Just wait til your daughter wants to cook from scratch all the time, LOL!! Although she has come up with some tasty things, there is more mess than I care for...

When she was little, I had 1 cabinet dedicated to her in my kitchen full of tupperware, etc so she could have at it while I was working in the kitchen. Sadly, the kitchen is the only thing my dd has ever been interested in as far as helping me, LOL. I would love for her to help with the other chores more often. She is getting better at it.

Enjoy!
TF

Get your daughter the "toy" vacuum cleaner from Wal-Mart. It really works. LEt you daughter vacuum her room. Give her some of her clothes to fold - so what if they aren't perfect. Let her fold hand towels and washcloths and kitchen towels. It is a learning experience for her. Also let her dust her furniture. The following wek you do all her roomand let her do some other part of the house. Why discourage something at such an early age.

I agree with most of the posts. The toy vacuum cleaner is great, but you know what? She would be happy just giving her a wash cloth or paper towel and telling her to clean something in the room. she's out of your way and she thinks that she is being such a big help! Spray glass cleaner on the window of whatever room your in and she'll spend forever on it. Also remember more than anything that when it's all said and done, your daughter...your husband...your friends aren't going to remember you for how clean your house was! :)

Hi M.,
I read many of the other responses (and sent many flowers) and basically agree with almost all of the suggestions. I would just add that many of the cleaning toys can be bought at thrift stores and sanitized (check a recall website to make sure used toys don't fall into unsafe category) and I just mention that because I don't know where you are financially.
Another thought: Try to think about what long term goals do you have as a parent; i.e. what do you ultimately want for each of your children? My guess is that you want your children to grow up emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually whole and healthy, confident and capable in many areas. When you can keep that thought "out in front of you", that will help to guide you to grab all those "teachable moments" that all the moms have so kindly written about. They had many creative ideas of how to engage your daughter, even at 2 years old. The object here is for us to help our children grow appropriately, not that they are here to make our life easier. My mom, God rest her soul, didn't understand that and often said to me as a small child, "No I can do it faster myself". I grew up and later as a teen didn't want to do chores, and only wanted to bake, hated to cook. Married young and could not cook well or stay organized enough to keep a consistently neat house. I tried to do better at encouraging my girls when they wanted to help, but still made mistakes, as I had not come to grips with all of that myself. I resented my mother's lack of ability to encourage me for many years and only in my midlife did I come to realize how it hard was for my mom: Being a mom in the 1940's way out in the boonies, no running water, no electricty, no conveniences of any kind, cooking over a wood stove in hot, humid weather. I'm at peace with her efforts now, but for many years I felt she should have taken more time with me. Another thought that might help you keep some healthy perspective is: "In 2 wks time will it matter that I didn't finish a certain task, or didn't do it perfectly?" Some things will matter and some won't. Give yourself permission to discern the difference and not to stress over imperfections. As the other mothers noted, you really only have them as children such a short time. My prayer for you is that you can find a way to make some fun in learning all those day to day activities. Believe me when you are my age (old) you'll prefer to be remembered as a wonderfully effective mom rather than an excellent housekeeper. Of course, none of us want to be remembered as a slob either, so I guess that means we want "balance". Maybe some friend or family member can give you some respite time so that you can just pamper yourself, rejuvenate, thereby giving you the energy to find the patience it takes to creatively use our children's energy.

Get an ostrich feather duster and let her go at it - those things won't hurt a flea. My two-year-old loved using a swiffer too - also limited liability. Get her to do things WITH you,like move clothes from the washer to the dryer or sort clothes or empty the clean dishes from the dishwasher. Just think - teach her to LOVE these chores and in a year or so, you'll really have a great helper!!

You have had alot of great advice, I do alot of the things mentioned with my 2 yr old. Here are some other ideas, my daughter loves looking at magazines. I give her ones that I don't read anymore, so if the pages get torn it's alright. She also likes looking at pictures books.
In the kitchen she loves playing with magnets on the fridge. I also give her my plastic spice jars to play with. She loves setting them up in rows.
When I am folding laundry I let her carry all the clothes from the dryer and put them on my bed so I can fold them. Since she can only carry a few items at a time, it gives me a chance to fold things while she is busy "helping". LOL!
Also, something that has been handy in our house is gates. Whenever I am doing something that I do not want her to get into, like sweeping/mopping, I set up gates in our living room so she is confined to that area. It works great, I can still see and hear her, but she cannot get into things.
Good Luck!

Be happy that she wants to "help" you, even though she may make a little more work for you! These days won't last long . . . in a few years, when you want her to do chores, she'll wine and complain and figure out all sorts of ways to avoid it!

Anyway . . . give her her own vacuum, washing machine and cleaning tools (make them or buy them), and have her do "her" laundry (get some play clothes) and follow along with "her" vacuum as you do your housework. This worked great with my now 9 year old when she was younger. She liked to "clean" side by side with me. She thought it was especially neat to wear the "rubber gloves" that came with the cleaning tools, just like mommy wears!

It does make a bigger mess, but let her clean with you. Encourage it, even. She will do it imperfectly and then gradually it will get better. One of the biggest mistakes I made with my oldest was to not let him do chores when he was 2. I now cannot get him to do anything.

I know that with mine I let her do the things that are at her eye level. I hand her wet clothes and she puts them in the dryer. She hands me dishes from the dishwasher and I put them up. I give her a cleaning wipe and she will wipe down the cabinets that are low. I have found that it really helps to have an extra hand and it's teaching her that we work together as a family to get things done.

Hi M.,

If you go to Wal-mart look in the toy section. There are mini Dirt Devil vacuums dust pans and brooms for children. That may help keep your 2 yr old busy and she can help mommy to.... Also, you can put some watered down soap in a rag & have her help clean the lower half of the fridge, low windows, etc...I do this with my kids and they love to help...

Nathalie

Let her help! You will find if you give her jobs, she will actually be busy and not in your way as much. I give my grandson clothes to fold while I fold, yes, I may have to redo a few, but he is busy which allows me time to get mine done. When I vaccuum, I let him have his turn when I'm done. When I cook, I let him break the eggs in the pan, stir, whatever he can do. Just remember this is all a learning experience for her. She is a little girl who wants to be just like mommy, so that is why she is trying so hard. Love it and her, because they grow up way too fast!

They make play vacuums, brooms and mops and why not let her help you or "clean" her own room while you're working on something else.

I gave our daughter a spray bottle filled with water and when I cleaned the bathrooms would have her go in the shower and spray and wipe the walls (with the shower door or curtain closed). She had a ball.

My daughter has a Swiffer with the middle section removed so it is just her size. When I fold laundry, I give her towels and wash cloths to fold. You could also ask her to sort the clothing by color. I try to encourage mine to help whenever I can.

Buy her a feather duster and let her dust while you do your chores. You can also buy child sized brooms/dust pans and pretend vacuum cleaners that she can use BEFORE you use yours. Tell her she can go first to sweep, vacuum, etc while she's doing that you can be folding clothes or making beds, then when it's your turn to sweep or vacuum she will be out of your way. She will also be learning to take turns while she cleans.

I just have to say that I'm sitting here at my computer because my five year old girl and my eight year old son will not "let" me out of my office. Why? Because they are busy surprising me! I can hear them chattering and working. . .they are vacuuming the floor, wiping the baseboards, sweeping the floor, mopping the floor, wiping the window ledges, "cleaning the wood" (dusting), and more. They are actually doing a fantastic job! Part of the reason they are doing all this is because I have always appreciated and made a big deal when they "help" me. YES, I KNOW THAT WHEN SHE IS 2 IT IS MORE WORK FOR YOU WHEN SHE HELPS! But someday very soon that help will really be helpful. I am enjoying the fruits of that today! My 2 cents! "Dusting" with a moistened paper towel is safe and fun and helpful!!!

Have you given thought to enjoying her help and slowing down your pace so it is something the two of you can share.

Is this such a bad thing when in just a few years your will be screaming because she won't help then you will have to think back about how you discouraged her when she looked up to you so much.

Do what I did. I went out and bought a box of those swiffer dusters and gave one to my son. Every time I went into different room he followed and "dusted."

I hadn't read all of the responses, but I did get my oldest a spray bottle when he was two, he took it everywhere and would pretend to clean. If an empty one doesn't satisfy her, you can just give her one with water and let her wash windows and things, yeah if the streaks bother you you will have to go along and really wash them, but when I'm trying to wash the stove a kid with a wet rag srubbing my diashwasher is better then a kid under my feet.
Hope you continue to enjoy cleaning together

My son also loves to help, so I bought a little hand held swifter duster just for him to use while I am cleaning. He also likes to use the floor duster as well.

I'd say let her help! You can give her jobs that are doable for her age/size. You'll be happy she knows how to do things around the house when she's older. I didn't let my son help me (he's 10), and it took him forever to learn how to do things properly because he never paid attention. My idea was that I wanted him to have fun instead of cleaning, but I regret it now. The handle on our vacuum can be lowered for easier storage, and a year ago, my 4 yr old wanted to vacuum her room, so I put the handle down and let her have at it! She sometimes helps with dishes, laundry, cooking, sweeping, and dusting. She really seems to enjoy helping (for now!). My 16 month old even tries to put up the silverware (and I let her)!

M.,
I know this is time consuming but this is how your child is learning and please don't discourage her, you will appreciate it when you later need her help. Perhaps you could buy her a kitchen set or childs vacume to use while you do your work. B.

I've also got a 2 year old. She is so active compared to my older two!! Or maybe it's because I'm older now and can't keep up! Have you tried coloring yet? I put my little one in her high chair (so she's contained) and she loves to color (w/ washable crayons) in coloring books with her favorite characters. Keeps her busy about 10 minutes at least. :)

Good luck!
L

Oh, M., you MUST take advantage of her enthusiasim and give her little jobs to do with you. I have 4 children and didn't start my oldest on chores early enough! My other 2 (#4 is only 10 months) are really good helpers & I started them early. They all can sort laundry into a dark or light basket, sort out clean socks, washcloths, etc., use cleaning wipes on placemats, take dishes to the sink, and so on. You can even get a little play cleaning set & let her use her tools while you use yours. Trust me, you won't regret the extra time it takes to clean.

S.

my daughter like to do the same things so i bought her the play vaccum and everything so when i am cleaning the rest of the house she goes in her room and cleans hers like i am cleaning the house. she thinks it is really fun and that she is just such a big girl

What about getting her one of this mini-vacuums & broom and dust pam cleaning sets? My almost 3yr old LOVES playing with it all and he gets so proud of himself thinking he is helping out. Also you could let her "fold" socks and undies or her folded clothes. Letting her help and teaching her about chores around the house are only going to be more beneficial in the long term. Sometimes I'll put the stool by the kitchen sink and put some soap bubbles & water in it and let my son "clean" some of his cups or things that aren't breakable. He would do that for hours if I let him : )

When my daughter was little, I bought her her own play vaccum, broom, and ironing board, and let her fold her baby clothes. It meant an extra load, but I would have her gather all her dolly clothes, and I would wash and dry them (let her put them in). Now that she is older (5), we went to Toys R Us and bought a little art station (two sides come together at an angle). It is stocked with everything she might possibly need, and we keep it in the living room rather than her bedroom or play room most of the time. It is very light weight, and she will drag it into whatever room I am in. she colors all the time...it is in the dining room while I cook, and do laundry, etc. Of course, we now have the problem of running out of wall space for all the art!

Be patient - that is how your daughter learns. And get her doll and let her do for the doll what you are doing for her.

Keep a small basket of small towels and socks to fold. Then prior to the next laundry time, take her "laundry", unfold, and give her the basket to refold. Keep a big box of plastic tubs with lids. Have her put the lids to the appropriate tubs. Again, prior to cleaning house or whatever, remove the lids and put them in a box...

You could also give her a small spraying bottle filled with water for her to spray the shower stall/bathtub. You could follow behind her with the actual cleansers while she's perhaps in another bathroom/area of the house.

Good luck.