preschoolers [3–5 years]

Work, errands, cooking, cleaning, laundry…girl, you need some help. How about getting those cute little people that are always nipping at your heels to pitch in? And of course you will also be teaching them valuable life lessons in the process…right?

Off To Work You Go

Best thing ever for a preschooler? Pretending to be a grownup, of course! So if you can give him some grownup tasks [that don’t create more work for you] while teaching him responsibility, independence and the importance of contributing to his family unit…perfect! Here are some preschooler appropriate household chores to start with:

• folding pheno Towels, washcloths, blankets and those other easy to fold laundry items are perfect for your preschooler. And when you are done folding the other items, have your preschooler help you put them away.

• dish duty Let your preschooler set the table for meals [minus sharp knives, of course] and when he’s done eating make sure he clears his plate before darting off.

• dusting devil Give a preschooler a Swiffer with dusting duties and you have made his day! No Swiffer? Put some socks on those preschooler mitts and away he can go.

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• fido’s friend Let your preschooler be in charge of feeding the family pet. And don’t forget the water. Having a stepstool handy so he can reach the faucet allows him to do it all on his own.

• pickup pesto You play with the toys…you can help pick up the toys.

As you assign chores for your preschooler to tackle, don’t expect perfection. There are going to be mistakes and know your preschooler’s limit. An hour of chores probably isn’t going to happen. And lastly, don’t forget to dish out the praise as your preschooler completes his responsibilities. We all want to feel appreciated and your preschooler is no different. And making household chores a part of their routine early makes it more likely you won’t get the dreaded eye roll when he’s a teen.

We mamas have lots on our plate. Kiddos, work, junior’s science project, clean the kiddos room, talk to Jonny’s mom about the tiff the boys had and a million other things we have going on, the to-do list gets loooong. But could we be adding unneeded tasks that our big kid could [and should] be doing? Are you doing too much for your big kid?

Of course you aren’t trying to create a dependent, only mama can do it big kid. You might not even realize you’re doing it, but stepping in and doing too much for our big kids can be a role your big kid is all too happy to have you in and a hard habit to break. And who wants to be responsible for creating people that are incapable of taking care of themselves? No One! Watch out for these pitfalls and ensure your big kid is doing what he is capable of:

• tic toc Time…there never seems to be enough of it. Hectic schedules can create a mama doing everything because we can go at the speed of light. Brushing teeth, tying shoes, packing backpacks and lunches are examples of tasks your big kid can do, so plan ahead accordingly so your schedule allows for the extra time they may need to get their deeds done.

• my way Sure you do things right and there are specific ways you like things done, but these are kids and they aren’t going to be perfect. Don’t step in because it has to be an exact way when your big kid is more than capable of doing the task, even if it’s at a slightly lower standard. Or you can keep making his bed, putting his clothes away and picking up his property for, well forever!

• here i come Guess what? Your big kid is going to have times when things don’t go his way. There are going to be conflicts and challenges, but you