Based on the Positive Parenting Methodology, encouraging our toddlers to take pride in "chores" (renamed Family Contributions) is key to raising a happy, and self-sufficient child. By starting at an early age, we can encourage internal motivation to contribute to the household and the family. For more on how Family Contributions work and can help your family, check out my blog post here: https://www.goodnightfox.com/blog/familycontributions
WHAT'S INCLUDED
• 1 Routines Checklist Notepad
• 40 tear off pages
• 5.5" x 6" Notepage
HOW TO USE
Step 1: Rename “Chores” as “Family Contributions” This helps set the right expectation — that everyone in the household is expected to contribute to the family and the household. You can help your toddler grasp this concept by creating a visible Family Contributions chart in a common area of the house. This will help your toddler see that everyone makes contributions to the family and the household to keep it running smoothly. You can download this Family Contributions kit for the Daily Contributions and Weekly Contributions posters.
Step 2: Create a list of age appropriate tasks that your toddler could be doing if taught how. These would be tasks that they’re not already doing on a regular basis but would be capable of doing primarily independently. If you’re not sure where to get started, check out this list of chores by age group for some inspiration. You can also print out this page as mini task cards for your toddler to track their family contributions. It’s not a reward chart — there are no points or treats at the end, but seeing the chart visually will help your toddler feel accomplishment over their contributions to the family.
Step 3: Create the checklist with your toddler. Once you have a list of the possible tasks, sit down with your toddler and create the checklist together. Your toddler will appreciate being involved in the process of planning and creating his or her own family contributions routine. I started with 3 weekly contributions that she could make so that we could nail those before adding more. But this toolkit includes Daily & Weekly routine planners and chore cards so that you can choose a plan that fits your family’s needs.
Step 5: Train your toddler how to do each task by walking them through it step by step. It takes time at first (and lots of patience), but once they get the hang of it, you’ll be so glad you did! I started with the tasks that Sofie had helped us with before but didn’t do on a regular basis so that the training would be a bit easier and she could feel great about her accomplishment right away. You can also start with the tasks you know your toddler will get excited about — for example, Sofie has been so excited about the new leaf blower that we got for Christmas (and is generally excited about all types of machinery) so training on “Gardening” was an easy win.
Step 4: Create When-Then routines to help your toddler understand that sometimes we need to make sure the household is running smoothly before we can get to the fun. For example, “When you’ve done all of your family contributions, then you can go to the park to play.”
Step 5: Provide encouragement for a job-well done. When your toddler has made their family contributions, focus on the outcome and encourage hard work. Instead of giving praise like “you’re a good girl,” positive parenting focuses on encouragement, which reenforces a growth mindset. Try these phrases for offering encouragement:
“We all get to enjoy a clean and tidy house when the toys are picked up".
“When we have clean clothes to wear, we can feel good about how we look.”
“You must be so proud of making such an important contribution to the family.”