How to Create a Responsibility Chart for Toddlers
- 1). Decide what responsibilities you are willing to give your child. Children up to three can help you feed the pets, dust tables with a sock on their hand, fold rags and dishtowels, and pick up their toys and put them away in designated places. They can also help clean up spills and messes. Begin with one or two jobs; once they're able to accomplish the task(s) with little supervision, add another.
- 2). Create a chart. There are many free printable charts online, or you can create a more personalized one on the computer yourself. If there's no computer available, get a sheet of paper in your child's favorite color. Using a ruler, draw a table listing each day of the week and the number of chores they are expected to do.
- 3). Write or type the days of the week in the first column. Along the top row, list each chore they are responsible for. For children who do not read yet, find pictures or clip art that shows the chore being done instead.
- 4). Add responsibilities other than chores to the chart. Do you need to remind your child to get dressed and brush teeth? Maybe there is a behavior you want to encourage, such as not arguing, or doing what's asked the first time. When your toddler accomplishes a task, put a sticker or draw a happy face in the box for that day.
- 5). Have children collect stickers or check marks for rewards. Incentives encourage children to try harder; when they can turn in their marks for a toy or special outing they gain a sense of accomplishment. At the beginning of the week or month, establish what the reward will be and how many marks it requires. For difficult behaviors, you might need to reward your child daily or weekly until he or she learns the benefit in changing those behaviors.
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