| |

Chores for a 1 year old

Toddler sitting on a blanket holding his hands in front of his face

This post may contain affiliate links to products we love and use. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Letting your kids do chores is extremely beneficial for both mom and the kids. And it doesn’t start when they are teenagers. You can actually have your kids do chores from the age of 1 years old. Curious what they can do?

Why let your kids do chores?

There are many reasons for letting your kids do chores. It is not only extremely helpful for you as a mother, it also teaches your children a lot.

  • Chores teaches them responsibility
  • Chores teaches good work ethic
  • Chores teaches important life skills
  • Chores teaches the importance of helping others
  • Chores teaches kids to manage their time well
  • Chores teaches them discipline and self-control

Want to read more in depth what the benefits are to having your children do chores? Read this blogpost all about the benefits of doing household chores.

Chores for 1 year olds

Now that we know the benefits of doing chores, let’s dive into what chores a 1 year old can actually do. Because they can do a lot more than people think!

Informative picture with the 5 chores for one year olds listed
  • Putting toys/books away. One of the best things to start teaching your children is, cleaning up their toys. I mean, nobody wants to pick up toys all day every day. So the sooner the kids do this themselves, the better. My 18 month old has been doing this for a while now and even starts cleaning up by himself.
  • Putting clothes in hamper. When you get your 1 year old dressed in the morning, try letting him put away his clothes himself. It’s an easy chore, but a great thing to learn from an early age.
  • Dusting. Now don’t expect your 1 year old to do a great job at this, but I love implementing this at an early age. It teaches him that we all help (including him) keeping the home clean. It’s an easy chore for them to do and they love helping. Let them dust the coffee table or bottom shelves of the bookcase or anything else that is easy for them to reach.
  • Help sweep the floor. Whenever I sweep or vacuum the floor, I give my 1 year old a broom and dustpan for him to help. Does anything end on the dustpan? No, usually it doesn’t. But like dusting, it’s a great way to teach him to do chores and help around the house.
  • Feeding animals. Now this is a fun way to give a small child a little bit of responsibility. Let them feed the animals every day and they will feel great being responsible (although that realization will happen at a later age of course). Start by doing the chores together with them at an early age. As soon as you feel your child is ready, try letting him or her do it alone.

Some notes

  • Some of these chores are easier they get older. But I started involving my 1 year old very early. They obviously cannot do all the chores listed above as soon as they hit the age of one. But start teaching them the importance of doing chores.
  • Don’t expect the chores to be done perfectly yet. Again; they are only 1 so it won’t be perfect.
  • Focus on teaching them to DO chores instead of how well the chores are done. It’s about having them involved in the daily chores and slowly giving them more responsibilities once they get older.

Pin it for later

Similar Posts

2 Comments

  1. Some chores we got our littles to help with were stocking the toilet paper in the bathroom, emptying the little kitchen hamper of dirty towels into the laundry room hamper, changing out the garbage bags in the small trash cans around the house, and matching the shoes in the coat closet when it got to be a crazy mess. Even as a 5 year old it’s great to see the joy he gets from feeling accomplished and helpful!

Comments are closed.