Getting your child to help with chores around the house is a great way to teach responsibility and discipline. It also has a slew of other benefits for your child, including helping them develop fine and gross motor skills and developing problem solving skills. There's also the added benefit of having some extra help around the house!
If you want to get your child to start helping with household chores, but you also want to make sure you assign age appropriate chores, check out the chart of chores by age below. Together with your child, pick a task that your child is ready for, then assign it to them using a chore chart for kids so that they can start contributing (and learning!) regularly at home.
Chores for Kids by Age
Chores for Ages 2-4
- Assisting with regularly cleaning their room and picking up dirty clothes
- Assisting with making their bed
- Assisting with picking up toys and putting them away after playing
- Helping to feed pets and give them water
- Helping to clean up spills and dirt on the floor
- Wiping off baseboards
- Folding dishrags and towels
- Putting folded clothes away into drawers and proper storage places
- Putting away silverware
Chores for Ages 5-8
- All of the previous chores, and...
- Making their bed
- Matching socks to their pairs
- Putting their dirty clothes in the hamper
- Clearing their dishes when they are done eating
- Putting clean laundry away
- Unloading the dishwasher and putting away dishes they can reach
- Helping to take out recycling and small trash
- Watering plants and garden
- Bringing in the mail
- Helping to make their lunches
- Raking leaves outside
- Dusting
- Helping to clean windows and wipe off surfaces in kitchen and bathroom
- Walking pets when and where it is safe to
- Getting the newspaper and bringing it inside
Chores for Ages 9-12
- All of the previous chores, and...
- Making easy meals for themselves
- Rolling garbage and recycling bins out to the curb if they're not too heavy
- Sweeping and mopping floors
- Vacuuming
- Learning to do the laundry
- Weeding garden/bringing in vegetables and fruits from the garden
- Supervising younger children when parents are also home
Chores for Teens Ages 13+
- All of the previous chores, and...
- Cleaning the bathroom (toilet, tub, shower, etc.)
- Making their meals and even meals for the rest of the family
- Mowing the lawn with a lawn mower
- Helping younger siblings who are also learning to do age appropriate chores
- Washing the car
- Cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer
- Babysitting younger siblings or friends
- Helping to clean out the pool or maintain a pool
Getting your child to help with chores can benefit everyone in the family. To learn more about childhood development and what tasks are appropriate at what age, contact your local Brain Balance Achievement Center. If your child seems behind in terms of what they can handle, we can help work with you to pinpoint any issues and help them develop the skills they need to reach the same level of development as their peers.