While washing the dishes, putting away toys, setting the dinner table, or mowing the lawn might not seem like a big deal, kids’ chores are a vital part of childhood development. They build responsibility by teaching and strengthening work ethic, accountability, competence, and independence, in addition to a whole host of other skills. Plus, doing chores allows children to contribute, making them feel more important, as they play an active role in family life.
Parents can help foster these life-long skills to help their children grow into responsible, well-adjusted adults by starting early with age-appropriate tasks, being consistent, leading by example, and motivating without direct payment.
Age-Appropriate Kids Chores
When deciding which chores your child can take on, ask yourself what your child can do and what they are ready to learn. Be prepared to supervise and provide instructions. Remember that most kids (especially younger children) are eager to help out.
Consider the following age-organized suggestions:
Toddlers
- Put away their toys
- Help feed the pets
- Put their clothes in a laundry basket
- Help put clothes in the washer or dryer
- Dust with a sock on their hand
- Clean up spills
- Stack magazines or books on tables and shelves
- Push a toddler-sized vacuum
Preschoolers
- Make their bed
- Help bring groceries inside
- Help set the table
- Clear the table
- Wash plastic dishes with supervision
- Put away the washed utensils
- Help sort laundry
- Match clean socks
- Dust with a cloth
- Pull weeds
- Water flowers or plants
- Be responsible for a pet’s food and water dishes
Primary Schoolers
- Put away groceries
- Load and empty the dishwasher
- Wipe counters, sinks, and the table
- Help prepare dinner
- Help with packing lunches
- Make their own snacks or breakfast
- Sweep floors and vacuum
- Rake up leaves
- Clean their bedroom
- Fold and put away laundry
- Empty small indoor trash bins
Middle Schoolers
- Prepare simple meals
- Wash the dishes or load the dishwasher
- Wash the family car
- Do their own laundry
- Take out the trash
- Mow the lawn with supervision
High Schoolers
- Help deep-clean the kitchen and bathrooms
- Clean out the fridge
- Prepare more complicated meals
- Wash the windows
- Babysit younger siblings for short periods
- Independently care for pets (feeding and walking)
- Iron and do simple clothing repairs (sewing buttons or patches)
- Run simple errands (with driver’s license)
- Help with simple home and auto repairs
As you consider the chores that are appropriate for your child, remember that children develop and learn at different rates. What’s appropriate for one toddler, another toddler might not be ready to handle. What’s most important is finding tasks that your child can help with and including them in the everyday responsibilities of family life.
Creating a Chore Routine
Assigning and doing chores on a scheduled routine helps children develop healthy habits. Consider the following tips for creating a chore routine for your child:
- Plan the Routine – Make a list of all the household tasks and identify which ones are safe and age-appropriate for your children. Involve your children in the process by allowing them to pick some of the chores they do.
- Set a Schedule – Identify which chores are daily, weekly, or less frequent and set a schedule for when they should be accomplished (i.e., time of day or day of the week). Use the schedule to integrate chores into the daily routine for better consistency and flow.
- Teach – Model the chore and guide your children, step-by-step, so they learn what they need to do, how to do it, and what the expected results are. Supervise and guide before gradually phasing out your help.
- Make a Chore Chart – Use visuals for non-readers or written charts for older children that have their schedule and markers for keeping track of their accomplishments.
- Implement the Routine – Start small with one or two chores at first. After habits have been formed, introduce one or two more at a time.
Motivation Without Bribery
Although they don’t seem fun, accomplishing chores comes with intrinsic rewards that you want to be sure your children experience. Avoid bribing your children for motivation. Instead, use positive reinforcement to praise their effort, hard work, and consistency. (Don’t just focus on perfect results.)
Make chores fun by setting timers, playing music, singing songs, or introducing an element of competition between your children. Use language that helps children understand the reward of finishing their chores. For example, you could say, “When you finish cleaning your room, you can play outside.”
Long-Term Benefits of Kids Chores
In addition to the dishwasher getting loaded and clean socks being successfully paired, doing chores helps children develop a strong foundation for functioning independently later in life. Helping with chores imparts a variety of long-lasting benefits to children, including:
- Learning life skills
- Learning organizational skills
- Developing motor skills
- Practicing empathy
- Valuing delayed gratification
- Promoting independence and self-efficacy
- Building responsibility and a healthy work ethic
- Understanding time management and balancing work with play
- Problem-solving, planning, and critical thinking
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Increasing confidence
Even into adulthood, responsibly doing one’s chores has benefits. A study on adult development from Harvard found that children who participated in age-appropriate chores developed into adults with a better work ethic, stronger relationships, and increased life satisfaction. Additional benefits of chores that carry into adulthood include:
- Lower risk of dementia
- Increased creative problem-solving
- Increased motivation
- Increased physical activity
- Improved mental health and feelings of self-efficacy
- Reduced stress
Supporting Healthy Physical, Emotional, and Mental Development in Children
At Children’s Wellness Center, our pediatricians are committed to encouraging every aspect of your child’s development while supporting parents through the growing process. To learn more about the importance of chores for kids, we welcome you to contact us today.
