Toddler Chore Idea (+ Tips!) :: Helping With Dishes

I’m a big believer in having kids help out around the house as much as possible and it’s never too early to start!  Not only does it teach responsibility, but it doubles up as opportunities to work on motor skills as well as learn practical living skills.  Now that Dylan is 2 years old, he’s pretty capable of learning basic tasks and I’ve discovered that the kitchen is a great place for him to help out on a daily basis.  There is a constant stream of dirty dishes in our house so there are usually multiple opportunities throughout the day for Dylan to help me with the task of putting away the dishes.

Once the dishes are finished cleaning, I’ll usually have Dylan come and help me sort through and take out some of the similar dishes to put back in our shelf.  He almost always will go first for his own plates and I created a little space for his dishes on the bottom shelf for him to organize his own plates and bowls so that he can have easy access to them.  Placing his dishware so that it’s easily within his reach has also been ideal for having Dylan grab his own table settings whenever we need to prepare for mealtime (another “chore” that Dylan has been a great helper at)!

These days, once Dylan gets going with the dishes he actually insists on doing it all himself (he’ll even shoo me away if he sees that I try to help!).  I usually will just stand back and supervise — he’ll take dishes on his own from the dishwasher and start putting them back in the cupboard!  Sometimes he’ll ask me where something goes and what’s funny is that he’ll actually tell me “no” if I have him stack the bowls with the plates (he knows it doesn’t belong!).  While emptying the dishwasher does take a bit longer with his help, it’s actually become a fun activity for us to do together and I’m glad that he doesn’t really even consider it a chore!

As for me, I’ve also recently discovered a little trick that has really cut down on the time that I spend doing dishes.  Before, I was always pre-washing my dishes before loading them in the dishwasher, spraying off leftover food and scrubbing down really greasy pots and pans.  Then, I stumbled across the Finish Quantum dishwasher detergent while shopping at Walmart (on rollback right now through the end of October) and it has been such a timesaver!

My days of pre-washing have officially ended and I love that I can put my dirty dishes straight from the table into the dishwasher.  The Finish Quantum packets are packaged individually and super easy to just pop into the dishwasher and go!  Note that if children are handling the product themselves, adult supervision is advised.

Be sure to pair the Walmart rollback savings with the following coupon (now through October) for additional savings!

I hope you found these tips helpful!  For any of you with kids out there, I’d love to hear your tips on how you have your kids help out around the house.  What other chores do you have your kids help with?

P.S. In case you missed it:

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