Skip to content

Your Bag

There is nothing in your cart. Start shopping to fill it up!

Article: A Montessori Teacher on the Benefits of Chores for Kids

chores for kids, How to Get Kids to Do Chores, Chore Chart for Kids

A Montessori Teacher on the Benefits of Chores for Kids

How to Get Kids to Do Chores and a Montessori Chore Chart for Kids

At Piccalio, our enthusiasm for baby gear drives us to independently curate our favorite products. If you make a purchase through the links on our site, Piccalio may earn a commission.

Updated

When my oldest was about two years old, he'd follow me everywhere. Like most toddlers, he was glued to me. Whether I was washing dishes, cleaning the bathroom, or cooking, he wanted to be involved. The same was true for my younger children, although they also followed their older siblings around.

As a Montessori teacher at the time, I used this as an opportunity to involve my young children in household chores. I didn't force them into it, they wanted to help! I remember my kids happily washing dishes, cleaning toilets, sweeping, and hanging up laundry with an impressive work ethic. Today, they don't share the same enthusiasm for all these tasks, but we still implement age-appropriate chores.

What are the benefits of chores for kids and how can you include your child in household tasks?

Montessori Chores: Why Children Love Helping

From birth, Montessori observed that children begin a lifelong journey toward independence. Children strive to do things "all by myself!"

As Montessori herself said, "Little children, from the moment in which they are weaned, are making their way toward independence."

This natural desire leads children to copy adults from a young age. Noticing this, Montessori created the practical life curriculum. Children learn essential life skills such as sweeping, cleaning up a spill, and feeding and dressing themselves.

Children love these activities because they meet their inner need for activities that help them achieve independence. All parents and caregivers need to do is create the space for this to happen.

How to Include Children in Chores

Parents can set up the home in a way that makes it easy for children to help with simple tasks. A helper tower in the kitchen and bathroom helps children participate in daily routines such as meal prep and hygiene.

Also, provide child-sized furniture and utensils. This way, children can set the table and eat independently. Or, children can work at a table to fold laundry or prepare a snack. Using a child-sized table ensures your little one can complete the task without help.

In my experience, simply involving children when they ask is all it takes. Or, invite them to help. Taking the time to teach your little one to help is well worth the reward. By teaching your toddler, you invest in your child's ability to help as they grow.

Also, keep in mind that by involving your child, you're setting an example that everyone can help. When we chase children out of the kitchen and away from chores, we're saying "chores are for grown-ups." Montessori knew that when we give children responsibility, they grow into it and thrive in it.

As Montessori said, "The great gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”

 

Chores for kids, How to Get Kids to Do Chores and a Montessori Chore Chart for Kids

Montessori Inspired Chore Chart for Kids by Age

This Montessori-aligned chore list includes age-appropriate chores for kids. My own children have done and continue to do many of these chores. I hope you can enjoy these chores for kids in your home, too.

Montessori Chores for Toddlers (18 months through 3 years old)

  1. Putting away toys
  2. Sweeping the floor
  3. Setting and clearing the table
  4. Watering plants
  5. Helping with food prep (chopping soft foods with a wooden knife, stirring, making shapes with bread dough, etc.)
  6. Washing windows
  7. Preparing a snack
  8. Sorting laundry by color or match socks
  9. Feeding pets
  10. Wiping off the table

Montessori Chores for 3 - 6 year olds

  1. Hanging up laundry
  2. Loading or unloading the dishwasher
  3. Cleaning the toilet
  4. Folding and putting laundry away
  5. Gardening (weeding, planting seeds, etc.)
  6. Cleaning their room (putting toys away, putting clothes in the hamper, making the bed)
  7. Vacuum with a handheld vacuum
  8. Dusting furniture
  9. Washing dishes
  10. Preparing more complex snacks and foods such as salads and salads

Montessori Chores for Elementary-Aged Children

  1. Preparing more complex snacks and foods such as scrambled eggs, muffins, boiling pasta, etc.
  2. Sewing and repairing clothes
  3. Help look after younger siblings
  4. Change bed sheets
  5. Vacuum carpets
  6. Wash the car
  7. Caring for pets (giving the dog a bath, walking the dog, etc.)
  8. Cleaning the bathroom
  9. Mopping floors
  10. Doing laundry (running the washing machine)



chores for kids, How to Get Kids to Do Chores and a Montessori Chore Chart for Kids

How to Get Kids to Do Chores with Joy

Involving children in chores from a young age boosts their interest. It can also help to show your children the benefits of chores. For example, you might say, "Thanks for washing the dishes. Now we have clean dishes to use again."

Seeing the benefits of their work helps children achieve joyful obedience. At this stage of obedience, children do what they're asked to do joyfully because they see the benefits of the request.

That said, no one is always in the mood to do chores. As an adult, I'm not always excited about cleaning bathrooms or making dinner. Yet, they are part of my responsibilities, so I do them. Similarly, children won't always be excited about doing chores.

In our house, we put a positive spin on daily chores by putting on upbeat music and working together. We also generally do a big clean together on Saturday mornings. Other daily chores are also part of our routine and happen throughout the day.

How do you handle chores in your house? 

Posted in: 18 Months - 3 Years, 3 - 6 years, elementary age, Montessori



Leave a comment

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

All comments are moderated before being published.

Read more

Toddler snacks, healthy toddler snacks, snack ideas for toddlers
In the kitchen

The Ultimate List of 32 Toddler Snacks

I've raised three toddlers, and they were snack monsters, now graduated to snack beasts. In fact, I'm pretty sure my oldest survived almost exclusively on snacks and indignation until he turned fiv...

Playroom design, Montessori toys, Montessori furniture
Playroom

At Home with Brittany Xavier: An LA Mama Updates her Playroom with Piccalio

Brittany Xavier, an LA mother to three, recently gave her children’s playroom a refresh with Piccalio playroom items. Xavier started out as a fashion blogger and is now widely recognized for her co...

Best Diaper Rash Cream, diaper rash ointment cream, diaper cream, butt cream, best natural diaper cream
0 - 3 Months 12 - 18 months 18 Months - 3 Years

Best Natural Diaper Rash Creams to Cure Diaper Rash Fast

When my daughter was a baby, she got the worst diaper rash. The red, irritated skin made her cry and I felt helpless. No diaper creams seemed to help soothe her sensitive skin. I changed her diaper...

Best pacifier, best pacifier for newborn, best pacifier for breastfed baby, best infant pacifier
0 - 3 Months Our Favorites

The Top 9 Safest Pacifiers for Your Newborn

If you observe a sleeping infant, you may notice them moving their tongue as if sucking while they slumber. Newborns have a natural need to suck, it's part of their instinct to feed. The best pacif...

When do babies sleep through the night, 3 month old sleep schedule, 4 month old sleep schedule, when do breastfed babies sleep through the night
0 - 3 Months 3 - 6 months 6 - 9 months

When Do Babies Start Sleeping Through the Night?

Sleep deprivation for parents in the first year of their baby's life is a nearly universal experience. Among the top concerns for new parents is when their baby will sleep through the night. Not al...

sustainable furniture, non toxic furniture, what materials of furniture are renewable and sustainable
Playroom

How We Create Sustainable Furniture and Toys for Children

One of Piccalio's core values is sustainability. As a company that creates products for children, we believe it’s our responsibility to build a brighter future for the next generation and our plane...