Pump the brakes, moms. I know exactly what you’re thinking: teaching responsibility to a toddler? Isn’t that a little too soon?
Well, as premature as you think it may be to teach a valuable life lesson and idea like responsibility to a toddler, the fact of the mater is taht it’s never really too early to teach your toddler!
In fact, the sooner they learn how to take charge and be responsible, the better!
Of course, you can’t just give your toddler an important task and expect them to learn the same way as your preteen or teen. You’ll have to cater to their abilities and traits in order to teach them the fundamentals of responsibility, but that doesn’t mean it’s an impossible task.
The folks over at Fatherly recently shared ways in which parents can teach their toddlers responsibility. It’s all about giving them age appropriate tasks that they can complete and handle without your help. In the end, they’ll feel like they;ve contributed and will develop a sense of responsibility along the way!
Check out the comprehensive list of tasks your toddler should be handling in order to learn responsibility:
Splitting diaper duties
Whenever you need to change your toddler, you can have them toss the diaper in the garbage can!
Bathtime
Have your little one be the responsible for putting their dirty clothes in the laundry basket before bathing, or you can have them be the one to lay out their clean clothes for after their bath.
Getting a drink
If your toddler wants a glass of milk, water, or juice, have them be the one to hold their glass or cup while you pour their beverage.
Bedtime
Teach them at an early age how to prepare their bed for bedtime, and how to make their bed in the morning.
Teach responsibility to your toddlers with these simple tips and tricks! Click next to read more ways to teach your toddlers!
Bedtime stories
Obviously, your kids aren’t ready to read a whole story at 2-years or so. However, they’re more than capable of picking their own story for bedtime. Let them be the one to select what you’ll be reading them.
Dinnertime
They may not be able to prep their own meals, but that doesn’t mean they can’t prep the table. Have them bring their own plastic plates, silverware, and sippy cups to the table all by themselves.
Traveling
Whenever you’re on a vacation, leave your little one in charge of their own personal backpack. They’re more than capable of wearing, keeping track, and holding on to their own personal backpack!
Messes
Toddlers are prone to messes. If you want to teach them to be responsible, let them know at an early age that when there’s a mess, they should feel responsible for cleaning it up. If they spill a cup of milk or something, let them be the one to clean up the mess.
Helping younger siblings
If you’re a parent of multiple children, have your toddler be a handy helper for when you’re taking care of their younger siblings. Have a baby around the house that needs a changing? Have your toddler bring you some extra diapers to help you out! Anything that lets them feel in charge, or as if they’re contributing will help here.
This article was based on a post from Fatherly.
READ: 10 Simple parenting hacks to make toddler care easier
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