1. Make a bed.

Don't expect bed-making perfection, but most kids (from about 3 years-old on up), can manage to pull a sheet and cover up to the right end of the bed. Or, if that's a bit too much, divide the bed-making responsibility. Mom or Dad can help with the big covers, and your child can place pillows and stuffed animals appropriately.

2. Wipe the bathroom counter.

Unless your bathroom counter is two miles long, that is. Keep some non-toxic cleaning wipes in the bathroom, and have your preschooler do a quick swipe of the bathroom counter in the morning and/or every night after brushing teeth.

From about age 3 up, kids can help carry dishes from the table to the kitchen counter. Watch for breakable glasses or things that will easily slip (trying to balance utensils on a plate may be too much at first) but don't be afraid to let your preschoolers try. Older preschoolers can learn to scrape their scraps into the trash or compost bucket and then place their plates on the counter, in the sink, or even in the dishwasher.

4. Wipe the table.

Don't expect perfection, and do expect that crumbs will end up on the floor. But preschoolers can easily use a clean, wet washcloth to wipe off the table after eating.

5. Feed a pet.

A preschooler can scoop out the appropriate amount of food ...

A new ten-year study from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University shows that children who eat meals with their families frequently (five times per week or more) are half as likely to try marijuana or smoke cigarettes as their friends who rarely get to sit down and dine with the fam.

While this seems like common sense, it may be a much-needed wake up call for parents with busy lives who have not made family mealtime a priority. Only half of Americans say that they eat meals with their families at all; for adults the impact is minimized but children desperately need the routine and structure which not only feeds the body, but the mind and soul as well.

Family meals have many other benefits besides keeping kids on the straight and narrow:

• Dining together helps to develop language and social skills. Children learn how to interact politely and discuss a range of issues during family conversation.
• Children involved in family mealtime will learn how to cook and clean up after themselves, a skill set that many adults today do not have – which leads them to depend on fatty and unhealthy takeout food for their sustenance.
• Eating meals together strengthens the family unit. Families are a micro-culture unto themselves, and the communal experience of mealtime helps to generate a feeling of belonging to the group. This feeling is crucial for children and gives the whole family an opportunity to better share their lives with one another.
• Other studies have also shown a correlation between eating with the family and better performance at school as well as a reduced likelihood of unhealthy weight control practices such as anorexia and bulimia.

Most of all, providing healthy meals together on a regular basis shows children that they are cared for on one of the most basic levels: sustenance. If children are routinely served non-nutritious junk food in the car, bowls of cereal alone by the TV or worse – nothing at all – they will begin to feel that no one ...