Mom explains how even 2-year-olds can do this helpful chore in viral TikTok

A mom on TikTok is sharing how she gets her toddlers to help with chores.

In the video, she discusses how she taught her kids to scrape the uneaten food off their plates and into the garbage can. Then she taught them to put their plates in the sink, too.

“I’ve raised my kids on how to be helpful in the house and do chores,” Melissa Lea Hughes says in the video, which has been liked more than 166,000 times. 

@melissaleahughes Chores are such a GREAT thing for you to train your kids to do in your home from a young age. It teaches reaponsibility, self reliance, confidence & it helps you run your home like a BOSS rather than a stressed out overworked and overwhelmed mama. Keep it fun & positive & your hoke will be a place of peace & not chaos. #choresforkids #summerkidshack #summerroutineforkids #positiveparenting ♬ original sound – Melissa Lea Hughes

“This has been one the best things I’ve ever done, and it was such a positive, happy experience,” she says.

Hughes encourages people to “steal” her idea, which was inspired by an episode of “Daniel Tiger”.

She liked the way that the show uses songs to encourage kids to do things they need to.

Hughes began the practice of toddler chores when her kids were 2 and 3. They are 5 and 6 now and still use the trick, she says (or um, sings) in the video.

She also alludes to more videos on how she gets her kids to do chores. (Hughes notes in another video that she doesn’t use a chore chart, though that’s totally on the table if it works for you, mama.)

How to start chores with your toddler

Not sure why it’s so easy for Hughes to get her kids to get to work? Experts say to start with tasks that are developmentally appropriate—and be specific about what you want done. (Instead of “get ready for bed,” try telling your child to pick out their pajamas and meet you in the bathroom to brush their teeth.) Kids may also need more direction when it comes to cleaning their room—because they likely don’t know where to start. Should they put dirty clothes in the hamper? What’s actually involved in making their beds? 

Center the chores based on life skills that the child will need going forward. Younger kids may be good at putting items in bins and scraping off their plates, while bigger children can start vacuuming or tackling laundry. (Kiddos can always try the age-old Montessori must-do: Wash windows!)

You don’t have to give a tangible reward like money, but the Child Mind Institute advises putting something in place to motivate the child. It’s not a bribe if you set the reward before the child has the opportunity to do the chore, they say.

Hughes may not be an expert, but she does say that you should explain to kids why you do a specific chore and how it helps the household run well—or at least try to.

She’s definitely onto something. Doing chores as a child can be the thing that creates successful adults… even if you have to hum a “Daniel Tiger” song now and then to get things done.