15 Chores for Preschoolers

A couple weeks ago when I was getting some housework done, Jay wanted to help out so badly, so I gave him a few chores to do and he thought it was the best thing ever. Since then he has always been asking to help with things, so I thought it was the perfect time to start doing a chore chart and letting him earn a little money. 

Growing up my parents always had my brother and I do chores, and it's something that  I really wanted to start at a young age with our kids. When I was thinking about what chores Jay could do as a three-year-old I realized that there are plenty of things he could help with, and maybe I should have started this a year ago!

I don't make him do any of these things (except brush his teeth #meanmom), but if he wants to do them, he can, and when he does, he can earn a sticker. At the end of each week, he can get 5 cents for every sticker he earned, with the capacity to earn $2.80 each week. I don't know that he has really grasped the concept of the money side of it yet, but it's a work-in-progress. I have a list of 20 chores and then plan on cycling through them each week. Some of these may work better than others for some families, but here are the 20 we're doing!

Get the mail: Jay is just barely tall enough to get the mail now, so it's been fun to watch him get excited about this

Wipe down garbage can: The Garbage can gets gross fast, and he can wipe it down in a minute with a wipe

Unload dishwasher: He can do most of the silverware, and all the plastic things, and I do all the glass and knives. It's a fun team effort. 

Help put away groceries: He can put away everything that goes in the pantry, and most of the things in the fridge. 

Vacuum: I taught him how to vacuum the rug in our living room the other day and he finds it thrilling. This is lucky for me because I do not. 

Wipe down kitchen cabinets: These are all low and on his level so it's easy for him to take a wipe to them and get them clean!

Clean baseboards: Again, these are on his level so he can easily wipe them down and be on his way.

Put shoes away: This is super easy, and he knows right where they all go in the closet by the door. 

Wipe kitchen table and chairs: This is another easy one. It means we're going to be buying a lot more wipes, but I'm thrilled at the prospect of my house being cleaner. 

Brush teeth: This shouldn't have to be a paid chore in our home, but this kid hates brushing his teeth, and I'm not above bribery. 

Make bed: It may not looks like perfection when he gets done, but it's still a good thing for him to practice

Clean up bedroom: We keep all his books and puzzles in his room for him to play with during quiet time, and they get messy fast, so it's nice to let him be in charge of cleaning it

Put toys away: We keep one basket of toys in our living room each week. Right when Derek gets home from work it's time to put all the toys away for the day, and get ready for scriptures, prayers, and family dinner. 

Read 15 minutes: Jay has most of his books memorized and so he'll read them in his room over and over again. If he does this for 15 minutes, I  don't mind giving him a sticker for it, and it develops good reading habits for when he actually knows how to read. 

Water the plants: We have a small little watering can for him to water our small plants when they need it. We don't have any big ones so I'm not worried about a huge mess.