Snow shoveling with a toddler

It is probably more work to have her outside "helping", but it is good, fun  exercise for her and she is learning early that everyone in the family helps out.

Big enough to help

This Mom and Dad are teaching this little guy to help out.  It is hard work for him to lift the milk, but he can do it.  They show him where to put the milk, but don't help him.  They are very patient, as they could have done it themselves in half the time.  Their patience and coaching will pay off as the little guy learns to stick with his chores or a job.

Good clean fun for two's

   Teaming with an older brother or sister to help clean up is another way that little kids learn to help out. Just be sure to use kid-safe products.

Is she really helping Mom?

This girl wants to help out by bringing in the garbage can from the street. There are times when this doesn't feel like "help" because it takes soooooo long to let them do the project. If we can wait while they "work", kids learn a lot about both "helping" and get a sense of accomplishment that makes them want to try again.

Too young to learn to help out?

This 2 year old knows exactly how to help out. He can get the laundry out and put in the basket. Dad encourages him but doesn't give him a lot of directions. Really young kids like to help out with these basic sorts of chores.

NYR:: Only do things ourselves that we want our kids to copy

This little girl is copying someone. She shows that she has watched a lot of things that go on in the house. She is too little to totally understand cleaning, but she has a lot of the basic ideas. It is important for us to be aware of what we are doing so we are happy with our kids choose to copy.

Learning to do dishes at 3

She's too small to be doing the family dishes any time soon, but this little girl sure gets the idea of how it's done. She has been taught how to be careful and keep the water in the sink. Mom stays close to make sure all is OK.

Helping Mom?

Is he really helping Mom with the laundry? It looks like it might be more work for Mom but she lets him do it his way. Her good attitude about it helps him learn that helping with laundery is a good thing!