Chores appropriate for children’s age

Every parent feels a responsibility to prepare their children for adulthood. Part of that preparation includes teaching the concept of responsibility as well as hands-on experience with certain tasks. Assigning age-appropriate chores is a great way to accomplish both. This is usually not well received by most kids and it may seem easier for you to do it yourself at first, but that would really serve no one’s benefit.

You must keep in mind that your children will be better off, not only as adults, but as they grow older, with the experience of responsibility and achievement. Removing some of the burden of housework from you isn’t really the main purpose, though it will eventually be a benefit. Teaching your child to take care of a home is a great preparation for when he lives alone and the responsibility he learns prepares him to take on any task.

Motivating your children to take on household chores is probably the hardest part. Just as you would assign age-appropriate chores, you’ll need age-appropriate rewards. When they are very young, verbal praise or one-on-one play time is a great reward. As they get older, especially in their teens, they’ll want cash. You will need to determine what tasks are expected of them without an assignment, such as making their bed, keeping their room clean, doing their own dishes, or brushing their teeth. While some praise and even rewards may be necessary to establish these habits in young children, they should ultimately be expected. Rewarded chores should contribute to the whole household.

Below is a list of age-appropriate chores, but these are general categorizations. Every child is different and may be ready to perform particular tasks earlier or later than other children of the same age. Some are daily and some are weekly. The task list is intended to provide helpful guidelines, not rigid ones.

2 to 5 years

store toys
Put dirty clothes in the basket
help set the table
Clean your dirty dishes
keep clean clothes
Dust
Store books, movies, games, etc.
aquatic plants
tidy up the clouth

5 to 9 years

feeding farts
make the bed
mop the floor
Pick up and take out the garbage
clean up car trash
Clean the bedroom
fold clean clothes
Wipe fingerprints off doors
Help prepare meals
Put the dishes in the dishwasher.
Basic yard work: raking, sweeping, weeding
store groceries
tidy cabinets

9 to 13 years

make lunch for school
Vacuum and mop
keep the dishes clean
Clean bathrooms: toilets, sinks, showers.
change sheets

13 and older

Prepare meals
Mowing
Wash the clothes
Clean the garage
clean the kitchen

This list is not exhaustive and you are the best person to determine when your child is ready to handle a particular task. As your child gets older, the variety of tasks she can handle increases, as she can certainly be responsible for the tasks of her current age group and younger. You can set a certain number of tasks that they are responsible for, but allow them to choose which tasks they will have that week from the list. A little variety will broaden your learning experience and prevent tasks from becoming too mundane.

Determining how many chores your child should be responsible for will also depend on the child and their age. Unless you have a small army of kids, most of the tasks will belong (guess who?) to you.

2 to 5 years: 2-3 tasks
5 to 9 years: 3-5 tasks
9 to 13 years: 5-7 tasks
13 and over: 7-10 tasks

Again, this is just a guide. For older children, keeping their room clean and cleaning their own dishes should be expected and not considered housework. Of course, they can ask for more tasks in exchange for higher rewards (more cash).