Kitchen Helper and Other Jobs Toddlers Would Love

Does your toddler ask for jobs or chores?

Probably not.  Unless they see older siblings doing jobs.

Leo rarely asks for a job, but he loves when I ask him to help me with something.  And then after a little helping, he can often do the job on his own.

Let me tell you about my newest Kitchen Helper.  

One day I asked Leo if he wanted to help me make his favorite sandwich - a PBJ.  His eyes lit up and he was so excited to help me gather the ingredients.  Wheat bread.  Raspberry jelly and peanut butter.  2 knives and a plate.  I helped him open the containers and talked him through each step.  He was so gentle.  And tried so hard.  He asked for a little help spreading and a little help getting the peanut butter and jelly out of the jars.  Then he seemed to enjoy the most delicious PBJ ever.  He gave himself the title of my Kitchen Helper.  And now he asks to make his own with a tiny bit of help from mom.

This got me wondering what other jobs I could teach him to do around the house.  I tend to like things done a certain way - Kevin might call it The Whitney Way - which may not always be a compliment.  But I'm trying hard to come up with things to delegate and teach the kids around the house to prepare them to run houses of their own one day.  Right now Leo is eager to learn and eager to help mom.  Both of those things are a winning combination for learning to help around the house.

Toddler jobs around the house: 

(For reference, Leo will be 4 in April)

Fill the cat food bowl.

Put wet clothes from the washer to the dryer.

Unload the silverware from the dishwasher.

Help tidy up his toys when he's done with them.

Fold small towels.

Get out the vacuum and plug it in for me to vacuum.

Dust bust up any small messes he makes.

Carry in bags of groceries from the van.

Get the mail and packages on our porch every day.

Go upstairs and get his pjs/underwear on shower nights.

Put his dirty clothes in the dirty basket before his shower.

Bring his dinner plate over to the sink when he's done.

Give him a butter knife and ask him to cut up his own cucumber, banana or strawberries.

Take the compost outside to the compost bin every evening

and now he can make his own PBJ!

Look at that perfect PBJ!!  

What jobs do your kids help with around the house?  Do you have any good toddler job recommendations for me?