The When, How, and Why of Children and Chores (With Free Chore List)

Do your children do chores?

I was raised by hard-working honest parents. For as long as I can remember, my siblings and I had chores. We lived in the country with animals and a garden. Our house wasn’t fancy but it was enough, and It was clean.

Everyone pitched in and helped around the house and farm. In fact, I have a scar on my left hand where I cut it gathering okra from the family garden when I was 5! Like most rural families, we raised all the food we could and canned it for the winter.

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Well, I digress. My point is that I believe it is good for children to have chores. Believe me, it might have sometimes been easier for my parents to do the work than to teach (and prod) us. But it taught us the value of hard work and many other life skills.

We learned to clean, make our beds, plant and grow food, cook, do laundry, build a fire in the fireplace, how to change a tire and so many other things! The work was not unreasonable and as part of the family, it was expected.

What can children learn from family chores?

• Having assigned chores and being expected to get them done, teaches them to be responsible adults.
• Doing chores as a family creates children that have a feeling of belonging.
• Chores teach teamwork. One child may have laundry washing and drying and another child folds and put away. The second child cannot complete their task until the first one completes theirs. Teamwork skills are needed throughout a person’s lifetime from employment to marriage.
• Kids learn how it feels to achieve something. They need positive reinforcement.

Family chores are not meant to make your children do all the work! It is a way of including everyone in the work needed to be done to keep a household going.

Of course, the assignments need to be based on a child’s age. I suggest starting with just a couple of chores. If your children are not currently helping, the change may take some time and patience. Remember if your child can master a video game, they can learn a chore!

Age Appropriate Chores

Chores For Children ages 2 and 3

• Put toys away
• Place their dirty clothes in a hamper or basket
• Set their books on the bookshelf
• Pick up couch pillows and throws
• Carry their clean folded clothes to their room

Chores For Children ages 4 and 5

• Any of the chores from the previous age
• Make their bed (maybe with some help)
• Empty wastebaskets into a larger bag
• Bring in the mail
• Feed and water pets
• Take their dishes to the sink
• Brush their teeth
• Get dressed (maybe with some help)
• Help carry in groceries
• Help with yard work, like pulling weeds
• Dust furniture – just no breakables there

Chores For Children ages 6 and 7

• Any of the chores from the previous age
• Sweep
• Mop
• Empty the dishwasher or rinse and dry if you hand wash
• Fold clothes
• Help with meal preparation (supervised)
• Sort laundry to be washed
• Rake leaves
• Set the table
• Make their bed
• Vacuum at least one room
• Put their clothes away

Chores For Children ages 8 to 11

• Any of the chores from the previous age
• Put groceries away
• Sweep outside areas
• Cook simple meals
• Wash laundry
• Dry laundry
• Hang or fold and put away clothes
• Load the dishwasher or hand wash
• Make their  own snacks
• Walk the dog
• Use an alarm clock to get themselves up
• Take out the trash
• Clean the bathroom
• Make sure their room is clean and tidy
• Help clean up the garage and/or basement

Chores For Children ages 12+

• Any of the chores from the previous age
• Wash the car
• Clean inside the car
• Wash windows
• Watch younger siblings
• Mow the yard
• Cook occasional meals
• Iron clothes
• Wash windows
• Help with minor repairs
• Change bed sheets
• Dust
• After getting a driver’s license, help with errands

Remember that having chores is helping to build responsible children and therefore responsible adults. When your children are old enough to help make decisions, include them in your chore list plan.

Many families offer an allowance for chores done. It is a controversial subject and a decision you will need to make based on your family situation. I believe chores are part of being a member of the family. I don’t think children should be paid for something they should be doing anyway.

Learn the when, how, and why of children doing chores. #Chores #ResponsibleAdults #Teamwork Share on X

Children need to learn how to handle money but I prefer to give a small allowance, based on their age and not on chores. They can learn to save and manage their money, maybe saving for something they “want”. Another way to reward them for chores instead of money is to give them other privileges such as computer time.

Once you prepare your chore assignments the hard work starts – getting your children to do them! First, give them time to learn how to do their tasks. Then praise them when it’s complete. You may have to explain multiple times, depending on their age. Let the children, no matter their age, mark off chores when they are done. I am a list maker and there is a lot of satisfaction in checking something as “done”. Your chart can be on a whiteboard or on paper. If you print and laminate the list, it can be checked off and reused.

Starting scheduled chores at a young age will make the idea of a “chore” a fun activity. Doing a “big person” job is something all little ones want to do! If you have older children that don’t help around the house, you may need to work along with them and explain that you need their help. Older children should only get one reminder about their tasks. Just make sure they know the consequence of not doing their chore and be prepared to follow through.

Make the chores a priority for everyone and don’t allow them to put them off. Chores come before TV or games. Set a schedule for when tasks need to be done. “Back in my day” we didn’t have all the entertainment that is available to kids today, so we looked forward to Saturday morning cartoons. If our work was not done – no cartoons. That was an incentive for us!

Children want to feel important and independent. Give them proper instruction, assign chores, and then expect them to be done!

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How do your children benefit from doing chores? (Plus a FREE age-appropriate chore chart!) #Children #Chores #ChoreChart Share on X