Connection & feelings

Choose a helping job

Choose one real, manageable household task together without tying help to being good, lovable or rewarded.

10 minutes

What you'll need

One safe item needed for a real household task

Before you start

Child is comfortable sharing a short play routine with a familiar caregiver

Best fit: either · medium energy · medium caregiver effort · low mess

How to play

  1. Notice a small task someone genuinely needs.
  2. Offer two possible jobs plus no thanks, and accept refusal without persuasion, reward or disappointment.
  3. If the child chooses a job, do it together and describe the specific action.
Make it easier

Choose a ten-second task such as carrying one napkin, or simply watch the adult do it.

Standard

Choose one real, manageable household task together without tying help to being good, lovable or rewarded.

Extend it

Invite the child to notice another possible task and choose whether to plan it.

What you might notice

Notice which parts the child freely chooses without treating help as a measure of character.

Keep it safe

Check that every material is intact, age-appropriate and non-toxic. Stay nearby, keep movement at floor level, and let the child stop, simplify or change the activity.

Why it may be useful

Following your child's lead and responding to their signals may support warm, reciprocal interaction.

strong

Supports responsive interaction as a broad mechanism, not a claim that a single activity changes development.

Jeong et al. (2021) — Parenting interventions to promote early child development in the first three years of life: A global systematic review and meta-analysis

Pitchik et al. (2024) — A meta-analytic review of the implementation characteristics in parenting interventions to promote early child development

Leijten et al. (2021) — Teaching Parents to Be Responsive: A Network Meta-analysis

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The iPhone and iPad app is awaiting App Store approval.

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