My 1.5-year-old son is already super keen on helping out around the house. Though I use the term "helping" quite loosely.
If he sees us with a laundry basket en route to the basement, for instance, he'll come a-toddlin' to join in the fun.
And I'm putting this in writing so that, down the road, I can remember that such a time existed.
At his age, the easy route would be to encourage him to go play with his toys for a few minutes so we can finish up more quickly. Part of me, though, want to encourage him to participate-- take advantage of his enthusiasm!-- whether his efforts are actually of help or making the work take ten times longer to finish (hint: It's always the latter).
In his defense, he's just mimicking what he sees us do. Plus, I do encourage him when he's helping me unload clean spoons from the dishwasher. So won't it be just as fantastic if, next time, he unloaded all the dirty spoons and put them back in the drawer? The applause he gives himself afterward suggests he thinks so. Yayyy! Helping....!
I'm hoping that, if I let him stick around, he'll be used to being part of our routines from the start. We can continue to fine-tune what actually needs to be done as time goes on. Check in with me in 10 years and see how that panned out! In the meantime, it is fun to see him so enthused.
Note: Yes, I had him in the room with me while filing. I don't know what I was thinking. Sometimes you just ask for it.
