Chores are an unavoidable part of everyday life. Whether it’s washing the dishes, vacuuming the floors, tackling the laundry or scrubbing the bathroom, they’re tasks that simply have to be done. We might not enjoy them, but no one likes living in a mess — so chores become the necessary trade-off for a clean and comfortable home.
If you have children, depending on their age, there may be some age-appropriate chores for them to assist with. In this article, we’ll share what some of these chores are, and what is appropriate for each age range, from toddlers to teenagers, so continue reading to learn and prepare your kids for helping around the house.
Even the littlest members of the family can help with chores
Chores For Toddlers – Packing Away Their Toys
You might think that there are no age-appropriate chores for a toddler, but one thing you can do for ages two to three is to ensure that they pack away their toys after they’ve finished playing with them. This will get them in the habit of positive behaviour early, and you won’t be forever picking up and packing away their toys if you instil this pattern from an early age. You can even make it a game and tell them it’s a race to pack them away. Sticker charts can be a great motivator, where they earn a sticker on a chart each time they successfully pack away their toys after playing.
Ages Four to Five – Basic Chores
At this age, kids are ready for some more responsibility, but probably aren’t old enough to manage complex chores on their own. Some examples of chores for this age group include helping to set the table for meals, feeding pets and filling up their water bowls, helping to water the plants in the home and assisting a parent with making their bed. It is important to offer praise to younger children and keep tasks short and sharp to help maintain their interest and build their confidence in doing simple chores.
Ages Seven and Up – Vacuuming
This chore is appropriate for ages seven and up. Vacuuming the floor using a high-power cordless stick vacuum is an appropriate chore for this age group. Vacuuming is important to keep your home’s floor free of dust, dirt, and debris and is part of any robust cleaning routine. Make sure to teach your child to vacuum thoroughly, using the right tools and attachments for the job, like the crevice tool for skirting boards and hard-to-reach spots. You can walk them through how to plug the machine in, turn it on and how best to hold the vacuum before setting them loose on your floors.
Ages Seven and Up – Mopping the Floor
Again, mopping the floor is an age-appropriate chore for children ages seven and up, best done after they have vacuumed. While they’re often paired together, mopping and vacuuming are very different tasks, so you’ll need to walk your young one through the steps involved with mopping – everything from filling the mop bucket, wringing out the mop head and mopping the floors. If you’re concerned about them using harsh cleaning chemicals such as disinfectant, you could invest in a steam mop, which uses steam to sanitise and disinfect, removing the need for harsh chemicals.
Vacuuming is a great way to introduce chores to kids
Ages Seven to Eight, More Complex Chores
Kids at this age are ready for some more complex chores that they can achieve independently. As well as vacuuming and mopping, they might be able to take out the garbage to the bin or wheel the bins to the curb. At this age, they can also learn to fold the laundry and make themselves simple snacks in the kitchen. It is also a great age to introduce chore charts or rosters, and to pay a small allowance to reinforce the idea of getting paid for work.
Ages Nine to Twelve, A Broader Range of Tasks
By this age, children become more independent, capable and can handle a broader range of tasks appropriate to their age. Some examples include washing dishes, cleaning the kitchen, toilets and bathrooms, preparing simple meals, loading and unloading the dishwasher, raking leaves and other gardening chores, and even doing laundry with supervision and guidance. This is also a good age for kids to learn to clean and wash the family car. At this stage, chores also teach time management and cooperation, especially if shared with siblings or parents.
Ages 13 and Up – Teenagers
Teenagers, aged 13 and up, should be expected to take full responsibility for a wide variety of household tasks. They can mow the lawn without supervision, babysit their younger siblings, run errands such as walking to the shops for milk and bread, cook full meals for the family, manage their own laundry, and help with grocery shopping and hardware shopping.
Chores for teenagers should prepare them for adult life, helping them to foster independence and develop practical life skills. Once they’re old enough, the routine, practice and consistency they’ve learned from growing up doing chores should assist them with entering the workforce on a casual basis, building a solid foundation for earning money for their labour.
Making Chores Fun and Rewarding
One of the keys to successful chore completion at any age is making the experience enjoyable and rewarding. Consider turning tasks into games for younger children, such as timing how quickly they can tidy up or using colourful sticker charts to track progress. For older kids and teenagers, offering small incentives like extra screen time, a treat, or a little allowance can motivate them to take ownership of their responsibilities. Celebrating achievements and providing encouragement around chores helps children develop a lifelong habit of contributing to the household while fostering confidence and independence.
