My 2.5 year old son is putting his own dishes and clothes away. Not only is he putting them away completely independently, but he’s doing it without even being asked! As a mom of 2, this has been such a huge help for me to have one less thing to do, and he absolutely loves that he’s able to help complete a task that he sees us do every day.
Here’s how I did it:
- Role model: You are putting dishes away likely every day. Don’t always do this during nap time. Give him opportunities to watch you complete this task
- Be inviting: If there are dishes he can put away in a drawer or cupboard at his level, invite him to do so while you’re unloading the dishwasher or putting dry dishes away
- Be consistent: Pick a spot in your kitchen to place clean dishes for him to put away. Make sure it’s a spot that convenient for you and he can reach on his own. Bring his attention to it and ask for his help to put them away.
This is exactly what we did with my son for several months and then one day he just grabbed the dishes and did it himself! The same thing happened with his clean clothes. I left them in the same spot on top of his dresser and one day he just put them away. Consistency creates habits!
Have you tried this with your toddler yet?