chores

  • Preschool chores

    Using chores to build responsibility

    Starting a chore routine comes with so many questions – What chores are appropriate? Should I offer a reward for completing them? If so, what? It’s a little overwhelming, because we all want to get it right. Truthfully, it’ll take a bit to figure out, and there will be constant adjusting as your child ages. Here’s a list that I’ve shared previously about some chores that are developmentally appropriate for preschoolers: At home– Gathering dirty laundry– Folding t-shirts and towels– Matching clean socks– Feeding pets– Dusting– Cleaning up play spaces– Cleaning up small messes with a handheld vacuum– Use a damp mop or Swiffer on the floors– Making their own…

  • Household Tasks that promote Kindergarten Readiness Skills

    When parents ask me for things that they can work on with their children at home, I know that they expect me to encourage them to practice number and letter recognition, and writing their names.  So it often comes as a surprise when I encourage them to work on things like responsibility, independence, and self help skills. These are all important kindergarten readiness skills, and can easily be practiced at home by encouraging children to help with simple tasks, like the following: Making their bed Setting the table Helping pack lunches Cleaning their room Picking out clothes for the next day Dusting Feeding pets Watering plants Putting away clean laundry…

  • Age appropriate chores for children

    I saw this list years ago and have been looking for it ever since, I finally stumbled across it again today and knew that I just had to share.  When I taught toddlers and preschoolers I was constantly surprising parents by telling them what their children did during the day at school.  These simple chores teach responsibility, but more importantly, they are self help skills that build fine motor skills, coordination, attention, and listening skills.  This awesome list is from The Montessori Notebook, so make sure to spend some time exploring the other wonderful ideas on their blog after you print this list to share with your families! If you’re…

  • Teaching responsibility with a class pet

    A class pet is a perfect way to help teach responsibility – the children not only have to remember to do all of the tasks associated with taking care of the pet, but they also have to be cautious when handling the pet.  Unfortunately, it’s not exactly easy to have a class pet these days, there are health and safety regulations, allergies, and insurance issues to worry about.  Even if you can’t have a class pet, there are other ways to encourage responsibility in the classroom, here are some ideas: Have a stuffed animal pet like Julie from A First for Everything Grow plant people like the Red Headed Hostess…

  • Classroom jobs that preschoolers can do independently

    I love the idea behind classroom jobs – children are responsible for taking care of the classroom, therefore taking ownership for their room while learning responsibility.  In theory it’s wonderful, in practice it tends to be chaos that takes more time than it’s worth.  I would start classroom jobs every year, and after a couple of weeks they would slowly fade away.  This was usually because the children weren’t able to actually do their jobs on their own, and I didn’t have the time to follow each student around and make sure that they completed their responsibilities. Now I work with teachers, and I have a really hard time recommending…

  • Making chores fun and easy

    Yesterday I shared a list of chores that preschoolers can do at home and in the classroom to build confidence, motor skills, and responsibility.  Today I’ve got some great ideas for making sure that children want to do their chores. First, I suggest incorporating the responsibilities into your daily routine.  When children complete their chores as a part of a regular routine, they are more likely to complete them without whining or complaining.  This is because they know what is expected of them, and their chores become a responsibility and not a task they have to complete before they have fun. It is also fun to have your children or…

  • Age appropriate chores for preschoolers

    Young children love to help, and encouraging this is a great way to ensure that they develop a sense of responsibility, and understanding that when we all work together, things get done faster.  Whether you’re looking to give your children some responsibility at home over the summer, or you could just use a little help keeping the classroom tidy, here are chores that are developmentally appropriate for preschoolers to help with; At home– Gathering dirty laundry– Folding t-shirts and towels– Matching clean socks– Feeding pets– Dusting– Cleaning up play spaces– Cleaning up small messes with a handheld vacuum– Use a damp mop or Swiffer on the floors– Making their own…