20 Essential Tasks to Assign Your Au Pair in the First Month
Starting off with your au pair on the right foot means establishing clear responsibilities from day one. During the first month, it's crucial to assign tasks that help your au pair understand their role while building confidence and routine. This guide breaks down 20 essential tasks into three categories: childcare, household duties, and errands.
Why Clear Task Assignment Matters
Clear task assignment in the first month sets the foundation for a successful au pair relationship. When your au pair knows exactly what's expected, they can:
- Build confidence in their role
- Establish productive routines
- Understand family priorities
- Feel valued and trusted
- Avoid confusion and miscommunication
Using AuPairSync to document these tasks ensures nothing gets lost in translation. Each task includes details, due dates, and context—making it easy for your au pair to succeed. For more on building this foundation, see our guide on setting up your au pair for success in the first week.
Childcare Tasks (8 Essential Responsibilities)
1. School and Activity Pickups
What it involves: Picking up children from school, daycare, or after-school activities on time.
Why it's essential: This is often the primary responsibility for au pairs. It establishes routine and ensures children feel secure knowing who's picking them up.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Create a recurring task with specific pickup times, location details, and any special instructions (which door to use, where to wait, parking information).
2. Homework Supervision
What it involves: Sitting with children during homework time, helping them stay focused, and providing age-appropriate assistance.
Why it's essential: Homework time can be challenging. Your au pair's presence creates structure and accountability.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Set up a daily task for homework time (typically 30-60 minutes after school). Include subject-specific notes or resources if helpful.
3. Mealtime Supervision
What it involves: Supervising breakfast, lunch, or after-school snacks. Ensuring children eat balanced meals and clean up afterward.
Why it's essential: Mealtimes are opportunities for conversation, routine, and nutrition. Your au pair helps maintain healthy eating habits.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Create tasks for specific meals. Include dietary restrictions, favorite foods, and cleanup expectations.
4. Bedtime Routine
What it involves: Guiding children through their evening routine—bath time, brushing teeth, pajamas, bedtime story, and lights out.
Why it's essential: Consistent bedtime routines help children wind down and sleep better. Your au pair becomes a trusted part of this comforting ritual.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Document the complete bedtime sequence with timing. Link to the child's profile where you've detailed their specific routine preferences. Learn more about creating effective daily routines for children of all ages.
5. Playtime and Outdoor Activities
What it involves: Engaging children in age-appropriate play, taking them to the park, or organizing outdoor activities.
Why it's essential: Active play supports development and burns energy. Structured playtime prevents boredom and screen time overload.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Suggest specific activities or locations. Include safety guidelines and emergency contacts for outdoor excursions.
6. Reading Time
What it involves: Daily reading sessions with children, either reading to them or listening to them read.
Why it's essential: Reading builds language skills and creates bonding moments. It's a calm, educational activity perfect for au pairs.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Set a daily 20-30 minute reading task. Note the child's current reading level and favorite books.
7. Getting Children Ready in the Morning
What it involves: Helping children wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and prepare for school.
Why it's essential: Morning routines set the tone for the day. Your au pair ensures children leave on time and prepared.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Create a morning checklist task with time milestones (wake up by 7:00, breakfast by 7:30, out the door by 8:00).
8. Monitoring Screen Time
What it involves: Managing when and how long children use devices, ensuring age-appropriate content.
Why it's essential: Screen time limits are crucial for development. Your au pair enforces family rules consistently.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Create a task with your family's screen time policy clearly documented. Include daily limits and approved apps/shows.
Household Tasks (8 Important Duties)
9. Children's Laundry
What it involves: Washing, drying, folding, and putting away children's clothing and bedding.
Why it's essential: This task directly relates to childcare and keeps children's spaces organized. It's a natural fit for au pair responsibilities.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Create a weekly task specifying which days to do laundry, sorting instructions, and where clean clothes belong.
10. Children's Meal Preparation
What it involves: Preparing simple, healthy meals for children—breakfast, lunch, or snacks.
Why it's essential: Au pairs often handle feeding children while parents work. Basic cooking skills keep kids well-fed.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Share favorite recipes, dietary needs, and kitchen rules. Start with simple meals and build complexity over time.
11. Tidying Play Areas
What it involves: Organizing toys, books, and craft supplies. Teaching children to clean up after playtime.
Why it's essential: Maintaining organized spaces reduces chaos and teaches children responsibility.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Create an end-of-day task for tidying the playroom, living room, or children's bedrooms. Include photos of how spaces should look when organized.
12. Loading and Unloading Dishwasher (Children's Items)
What it involves: Washing children's dishes, sippy cups, bottles, and lunch containers.
Why it's essential: Keeping feeding supplies clean prevents dish pile-up and maintains hygiene.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Assign as a daily task, specifying which items are the au pair's responsibility versus shared household dishes.
13. Packing School Lunches
What it involves: Preparing and packing nutritious lunches for school the night before or morning of.
Why it's essential: Packed lunches save money and ensure children eat healthy food. It's a daily task that becomes routine.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Create a checklist-style task with lunch components (protein, fruit, veggie, snack, water bottle). Note allergies and preferences.
14. Organizing Children's Belongings
What it involves: Keeping backpacks, shoes, coats, and sports equipment organized and accessible.
Why it's essential: Mornings run smoother when everything has a place. Your au pair maintains this system daily.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Weekly task for deep organizing, plus daily task for putting items back in designated spots.
15. Vacuuming Children's Rooms and Play Areas
What it involves: Weekly vacuuming or sweeping of areas where children spend most time.
Why it's essential: Children's spaces accumulate crumbs, dirt, and debris quickly. Regular cleaning maintains a healthy environment.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Schedule as a weekly task. Include vacuum location and any specific instructions.
16. Changing Children's Bed Linens
What it involves: Removing, washing, and replacing sheets and pillowcases in children's beds.
Why it's essential: Clean bedding promotes better sleep and hygiene. It's a simple weekly task with big impact.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Create a weekly or bi-weekly task. Note where clean linens are stored and how you prefer beds made.
Errands and Shopping (4 Helpful Tasks)
17. Grocery Shopping for Children's Items
What it involves: Picking up milk, snacks, diapers, or other child-specific items as needed.
Why it's essential: Running out of essentials creates stress. Your au pair can handle quick shopping trips during the day.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Use the shopping list feature. Add items as needed and mark them for your au pair to purchase. Include budget guidelines.
18. Library Trips
What it involves: Taking children to the library for story time or to check out new books.
Why it's essential: Libraries offer free entertainment and education. It's a perfect outing for au pairs and children.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Create a weekly or bi-weekly task. Include library card information and program schedules.
19. Activity Coordination
What it involves: Registering children for classes, coordinating playdate schedules, or communicating with activity instructors.
Why it's essential: As your au pair becomes more integrated, they can help manage children's social calendars.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Start with simple coordination tasks. Document login credentials for activity portals and contact information for other parents.
20. Drop-off for Activities
What it involves: Driving children to sports practice, music lessons, or other scheduled activities.
Why it's essential: Working parents need reliable transportation for children's commitments. This is a core au pair responsibility.
How to assign in AuPairSync: Create recurring tasks for each activity with address, start time, required equipment, and coach/instructor contact info.
How to Assign Tasks in AuPairSync
AuPairSync makes task assignment clear and trackable:
- Create the Task: Tap the "+" button and select "New Task"
- Add Details: Include a clear title, description, and any special instructions
- Set Schedule: Choose one-time, daily, weekly, or custom recurrence
- Assign to Your Au Pair: Select your au pair as the assignee
- Add Context: Link related child profiles, attach photos, or include location details
- Set Priority: Mark urgent tasks so they appear at the top of the list
Your au pair receives a notification and can ask questions or mark tasks complete directly in the app.
Tips for First Month Success
Start Gradually: Don't assign all 20 tasks on day one. Introduce 3-5 tasks in week one, then add more as your au pair gains confidence.
Be Specific: Instead of "clean up," try "put all toys in the blue bins, books on the shelf, and vacuum the rug." For more on clarity, check out our guide on communicating expectations clearly.
Provide Tools: Ensure your au pair has access to cleaning supplies, knows where items belong, and has necessary equipment (car keys, library card, grocery budget).
Give Feedback: Use AuPairSync's comment feature to acknowledge well-done tasks and provide constructive guidance when needed.
Adjust as You Go: Some tasks might need modification. Stay flexible and communicate openly about what's working. Remember to track hours carefully—see our work hours management guide for best practices.
Conclusion
These 20 essential tasks create structure for your au pair's first month while covering the most important childcare, household, and errand responsibilities. By using AuPairSync to document and assign each task clearly, you set your au pair up for success from day one.
Remember: the goal isn't to overwhelm your au pair but to build confidence through clear expectations and consistent routines. Start with tasks that align with your family's immediate needs, then expand responsibilities as your au pair settles in.
Ready to streamline your family's task management? Join the AuPairSync beta and experience how clear communication transforms au pair coordination.
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