A Guide to Age-Appropriate Chores for Kids

Kids love to help! (Well, most of the time.) Early childhood is a great opportunity to instill a sense of independence, responsibility, and teamwork in your child by giving them small jobs to do around the house. But what exactly does this look like? How often should you ask them to help, and how do you keep your expectations realistic? Here are some helpful hints for incorporating chores into the regular rhythm of your household.

1. Get input from your kids: Is one of your kids obsessed with pressing the button on the vacuum? Does the other get a kick out of throwing all the dirty laundry into the washing machine? Let them do what they like! When you start your chore planning, give your kids a choice of which chores they would prefer to do.

2. Create a daily or weekly schedule for regular chores: Consistency is a great way to build habits, and it can help to have “chore time” at the same time every day so that it comes to be an expected and normal part of your daily routine. Some families may find it easier to tack on chores to a specific time of day, such as after dinner or when everyone gets home from school and work. 

3. Start small: it’s a good idea to begin by giving one job to each child. After a few weeks or months, if you feel it is going smoothly, try to add another job or expand the job they started with (for example, if they started by loading the dishwasher, the next step could be to have them both load and unload the dishwasher).

4. Manage expectations: This will be different from when you do chores on your own. Older kids will likely be able to complete their jobs independently after you show them what to do a few times and where the supplies are located (they may still need a quality control check after they are done!). Younger children will need more supervision and hands-on support, depending on their age and the task. The process will take longer than you’re used to, especially at the beginning—but stick with it.

Make it Age-Appropriate

Ensure that the jobs you are giving your child are suitable for their skills and abilities. If you give them jobs that are too difficult, they may become easily discouraged and want to quit. On the other hand, if you give them jobs that are too easy, they may become bored and quickly lose interest. The key is finding that just-right fit—challenging enough to build skills, but not so hard that it creates frustration.

Here's a quick snapshot of what age-appropriate chores can look like: 

• Ages 2–3: At this age, it’s all about encouragement and fun. Kids can start helping with simple tasks like putting toys in bins, tossing laundry into a basket, wiping up spills, or dusting low surfaces with a sock on their hand. Think: short, manageable tasks with lots of positive reinforcement.
  
  
• Ages 4–5: Preschoolers can start taking on slightly more responsibility, like making their bed (with help), setting the table with an older sibling, watering plants, or helping bring in light groceries. Keep chores short and sweet, and build in choices (“Do you want to help with the napkins or the forks?”).
  
  
• Ages 6–9: As school-aged kids grow in independence, they can handle regular responsibilities like making their own bed, sweeping floors, putting laundry away, or packing their school lunch (with a little supervision).
  
  
• Ages 10-13: Kids in this age group can take on more complex tasks like folding laundry, loading/unloading the dishwasher, taking out the garbage, or helping prep ingredients for dinner. Many families decide to create a weekly chore chart to help them manage on their own without constant reminders.
  
  
• Ages 14 and up: Teens are usually capable of managing most household tasks that you can, including vacuuming, walking the dog, cleaning bathrooms, cooking meals, and even helping with younger siblings. At this stage, it’s helpful to frame chores as part of contributing to the family team, and a step toward real-world independence.

Keep in mind that all kids develop at different paces, so it’s more about readiness than rigid rules. Start with what feels doable, and build from there. When chores feel achievable and aligned with a child’s abilities, they’re more likely to stay engaged, feel proud of their contributions, and—hopefully—keep coming back for more. (Looking for more resources? Download the ultimate chore list from the Child Development Institute).

Remember, chores can (and should) be fun!

Kids (and adults!) are more likely to participate in an activity when they are having a good time. So get excited when you talk about chore time, put on some music and encourage kids to bop along while they’re cleaning, set a timer to see how fast they can complete each chore (maybe keeping a log book of their personal bests), or give a weekly group reward when everyone participates (like stickers, hot chocolate, or going to play at a new park).

‍A few final tips

Give grace. You’re running late to a doctor’s appointment; your child woke up with big feelings and is on the edge of a meltdown; it’s getting late and bedtime is looming - and you just don’t have the capacity to oversee chores right now. It’s going to happen, and it’s absolutely ok. Whether you choose to forgo chores for that day or complete the chore yourself, it’s absolutely fine to give your kids (and yourself!) a get-out-of-jail-free card sometimes. Try your best to get back into the routine the following day.

When encouraging family participation in household chores, it can be helpful to remember that the long-term goal of raising kids to have a helping mentality is a marathon, and not a sprint. Our children are just like us—sometimes they will feel motivated to complete their tasks, and sometimes they won’t. Do your best to encourage them when they’re not feeling it, and to emphasize that teamwork makes the dream work.

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