Disclaimer: This post Disclosure might contain Amazon affiliate links. Any purchase made through such links will award me a small commission (or referral fee), at no extra cost for you. Regardless of whether or not I receive a commission, I only recommend products that I personally use and/or genuinely love (I would never promote any products or services that I wouldn’t pay for myself), and I always have my readers’ best interest at heart.
Do you want your kids to help out with chores? Are you wondering what kid chores by age that you can assign to your family? Picture coming home from a busy day of work just thinking about all of the housework that you will have to do when you get home just to keep some order. Your stress levels are rising just as you are sitting in traffic thinking about it. Once you open the door you take a look around and you see that most of the housework is done. Your kids cleaned their room. The living room that was once filled with toys and your kid’s shoes is now clean with everything put away.
Your stress levels instantly lower and you know feel a sense of relief that you are now home from your busy workday and your house is clean enough for you to just sit down and relax. I bet you are wishing that you could experience this scenario. You might even ask how this can be. This is all possible when every member of the family carries their share of the household responsibilities. Yes, even kids as young as 2 years of age can learn responsibilities.
Read: How to Keep a Clean House with Kids?
Benefits of Kids doing Chores
Kids doing chores will make things much easier for you. It will help save time and help keep the house in order. I let my kids have fun around the house and play with their toys as long as they clean up after themselves. There are many benefits for kids doing chores which includes:
- Chores boost their confidence.
- Chores empower them to contribute to the family unit
- Chores teach kids life skills.
- Chores help kids to learn responsibility and self-reliance.
- Chores teach teamwork.
- Chores teach kids respect.
- Chores help build a strong work ethic.
- Chores help improve planning and time management skills.
How many Kid chores by age should a child have?
There is no rule or recommendation in regard to the number of chores a child should have. It is typical for a young child to do chores for approximately 20 minutes per day focusing on small tasks and for older children to do approximately 30 – 40 minutes a day which may include more difficult tasks. Focus on having your kid complete age-appropriate chores.
Divide and conquer chores
Utilize a family chore chart or a kid’s chore chart and create a list of every job it takes to keep a family going. To make it fun, you can have your kids pick out the chores that they like the most and assign them to them. Make sure that everyone is assigned an age-appropriate chore.
- Be specific with instructions.
- Explain the purpose
- Ease into chores for children.
- Go easy with reminders and deadlines.
- Be generous with praise
- Follow up with appropriate consequences
What to Avoid When it comes to Chores
- Don’t insist on perfection
- Don’t delay
- Don’t be inconsistent
How do you get your toddler to do chores?
Change YOUR mindset of doing chores. If they see you upset or complaining over chores then they will develop a negative mindset and would not want to do chores. Lead by example and expose them to chores. Household chores are important and necessary so it is equally important for kids to be included in this. If they see you completing household chores your toddler will begin to imitate you in completing chores.
Don’t pressure them or force them to complete chores faster than they can. If it feels forced then they will push back. Don’t force them to complete a task faster than they can and resist the urge to do it for them, but you can and should assist them when needed. This teamwork will be a great bonding experience for your toddler. Make it fun for them. Sing a clean-up song and make a game out of it. If you make it fun for them then they will want to do chores. The easiest way to get your toddler to do chores is to make them want to do chores.
What chores can a toddler do?
You may think that your toddler is too young to do chores but think again. This is actually the perfect age to teach responsibilities. At this stage, your toddler has a budding sense of independence and willingness to learn and help. Toddlers may slow you down in doing chores and it may be hard to resist the urge to jump in and do it for them but give them opportunities to carry out small tasks by themselves. This will give them the confidence they need to continue to strive for independence.
Here is a list of chores for toddlers:
- Pick up toys
- Set the table (no heavy glass)
- Dust furniture
- Put clothes in the hamper
- Help transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer
- Push the button to start the washer/dryer
- Sweeping with a small hand broom
- Watering plants with a spray bottle
What chores should a 5-year-old do?
I took psychology in college and according to the stages of psychosocial development in children, at this age, it is important for kids to feel confident in their abilities and need encouragement with plenty of opportunities for them to succeed. If your child is encouraged and reinforced for their initiative, then they will begin to feel industrious (competent) and feel confident in their ability to achieve their goals. If their initiative is not encouraged or is restricted, then the child may begin to feel inferior, doubting his own abilities and therefore may not reach his or her potential.
- Make their bed
- Empty wastebaskets
- Bring in mail or newspaper
- Clear table
- Pull weeds, if you have a garden
- Use a hand-held vacuum to pick up crumbs
- Water flowers
- Unload utensils from the dishwasher
- Wash plastic dishes at the sink
- Make a bowl of cereal
- Sort laundry
- Sweep floors
- Set and clear table
- Help make and pack lunch
- Weed and rake leaves
- Keep bedroom tidy
What chores should a 9-year-old do?
An age appropriate list of chores for ages 9-12 are as follows:
- Make their beds
- Get themselves dressed in the morning
- Brush their own teeth and hair
- Learn to tie their shoes
- Water plants
- Clean up after bath (hang towel, put dirty clothes in the hamper)
- Help pack lunch (get lunch box; put napkin, water bottle, and fruit inside)
- Empty bedroom/bathroom trash cans
- Clear place at the table
- Dry non-breakable dishes
- Sort clean socks
- Fold clean clothes and return them to drawers and closets
- Clean up bedroom daily
- Bring in mail or newspaper
- Remove articles from car
- Strip bed linens
- Set alarm clock (with adult supervision) and be responsible for waking up on time
- Help dress a younger sibling
- Keep a younger sibling occupied if mom or dad is busy
- Dust furniture with a damp cloth
- Be totally responsible for getting themselves ready in the morning (including wardrobe selection)
- Take care of pets: Brush and feed and walk the dog as long as the dog is not too large, change a hamster cage; feed fish; clean cat litter box.
- Straighten family and playrooms
- Put away laundry that isn’t theirs
- Set the table
- Shine mirrors in bathroom/hallway
- Clean sinks and toilets
- Load the dishwasher
- Bring in groceries
- Vacuum a room
What chores should a 12-year old have?
Children at this age are learning to become more independent and so they are able to complete more complex chores.
Age appropriate chores for a 12 year old includes:
- Cleaning the garage
- Being assigned a bathroom to take care of
- Clean & detail vehicles inside & out
- Mowing the lawn (to be honest, our sons love to cut the grass)
- Clean glass items that may be too fragile for younger children
- Take the dog on a walk
- Scrubbing windows or floors
- Washing the car
- Yardwork
- Ironing Clothes
- Cooking breakfast, making lunch, helping with dinner
- Setting the table without being reminded.
- Help a younger sibling with something.
- Babysitting a younger sibling.
- Changing their sheets
- Washing (or at least folding) laundry
- Do something to help you while they are learning the important skills to become an adult. (Example: making the grocery list for the week in order to learn to budget & plan.)
Conclusion
Now you know the kid chores by age and once you download the free kids chore chart, you will have the tools to make an age-appropriate chore chart for your family.
Read: How to Keep a Clean House With Kids?
Disclaimer: This post Disclosure might contain Amazon affiliate links. Any purchase made through such links will award me a small commission (or referral fee), at no extra cost for you. Regardless of whether or not I receive a commission, I only recommend products that I personally use and/or genuinely love (I would never promote any products or services that I wouldn’t pay for myself), and I always have my readers’ best interest at heart.