Choosing Chores: Everyone Can Be a Helper
Children can be helpers too! Talk about ways that your child can help around the house and create a weekly chore chart for your family.
Children feel proud when they can be helpers. When they do things like help set the table or sort laundry or put their toys away, they feel more grown up. What a good feeling it can be for children to know that it’s not only adults who are the “helpers,” but that children can be helpers too. When children know their help is valuable, they feel valued, and they’re likely to do helpful things for their family and others in the future.
Daniel Tiger helps his family by watering the plants and feeding the fish. What jobs can your child do to help at home? Talk together about helpful chore ideas and then create a helper chart with ideas for each member of your family.
Materials
Directions
On a large piece of paper or cardboard, list the names of family members in your home.
Hang the list of names in a place everyone can see it.
On each index card (or small strip of paper), write a job everyone in the family can do. Even a preschooler can help with some household chores, like:
- Wipe the table
- Put out napkins or spoons for a meal
- Water plants
- Pick up toys
- Help wash the car
- Hold the dustpan
Mix up the cards and place them face down. Take turns choosing cards and then assign each job to someone in the family for the week.
Tape the chore cards next to the corresponding person on your list of names.
Switch who does a specific job each week so that everyone gets a turn trying something new.
Emotions & Self-Awareness
Social Skills
Character
- Activity Type
- Craft
- Topics