Age appropriate chores for kids

Chores by age at a glance

A quick chart of what kids can do at each age, with roughly how long the daily list takes. Each age links to a full page with daily, weekly and stretch chores, time estimates and point values.

Four rules that make chores stick

Start smaller than you think

Two or three daily chores done every day beat eight chores done some days. Behavior programs that work build a habit in small steps, adding the next one only when the last happens without reminders.

Show, then do it together, then hand it over

Kids learn household work by watching and pitching in beside you before they do it alone. Most chores need all three rounds before they are really handed over.

Ask clearly, right before, and respond the same way every time

"Plates in the dishwasher, please" said as dinner ends works better than "help out more" said at breakfast. Tie chores to moments that already happen, and follow through the same way every day.

Praise what they did, and make hard jobs worth more

Specific praise for effort ("you scrubbed every corner") beats "good job". If you use points, a 30 minute bathroom clean and a 2 minute shoe tidy should not pay the same, and points should come with the praise, not instead of it.

What the research says about kids and chores

Most of what is known comes from studies that follow families over time. They show links rather than proof, and each finding below says which kind it is.

Chores in kindergarten, confidence in third grade

A US study of about 10,000 children found that kids who did chores more often in kindergarten rated themselves as more socially and academically capable, and more satisfied with life, in third grade. The link held after accounting for sex, family income and parents' education. It is a correlation, not proof that chores caused it. (White, DeBoer, Scharf et al., Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 2019)

Chores go with stronger planning and self control

In a 2022 study of 207 children aged 5 to 13, those who did more chores had better executive functions, the skills behind planning, switching tasks and holding instructions in mind. Again a link from parent reports, not an experiment, but a consistent one. (Tepper, Howell and Bell, Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 2022)

Kids who are included pitch in on their own

Researchers comparing communities in Mexico found that where young children were included in family work from early on, 6 to 8 year olds often took on complex household jobs on their own initiative. Where they were kept apart from it, few did. Treating chores as everyone's contribution to the family, not a child's private job list, seems to matter. (Alcalá, Rogoff, Mejía-Arauz, Coppens and Dexter, Human Development, 2014)

Points work for building habits

Point and token charts, with praise and small rewards, are a core part of parent training programs with decades of evidence behind them. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kind of behavior training as the first treatment for preschoolers with ADHD. (Alan E. Kazdin, Yale University; American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, 2019)

And rewards can crowd out helping kids already do

Across 128 experiments, rewards people expected reduced their interest in activities they already enjoyed. In one study, toddlers given a toy for helping later helped less than toddlers who were only thanked. The practical answer: use points for new or unloved jobs, thank kids for help they offer on their own, and let the chart fade once a routine sticks. (Deci, Koestner and Ryan, Psychological Bulletin, 1999; Warneken and Tomasello, Developmental Psychology, 2008)

How you praise matters years later

Parents who praised toddlers' effort and strategies, rather than calling them smart or good, had children who sought out challenges more five years later. (Gunderson et al., Child Development, 2013; CDC, Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers)

Teens feel better on days they help

Daily diary studies found teenagers were happier on days they helped their families, largely because it made them feel like a good family member. Very heavy family duties, though, were linked to lower grades in some groups. (Telzer and Fuligni, Developmental Psychology, 2009)

Split chores by age, not gender

In 2002, US teenage girls did nearly twice as much housework as boys. By 2014 the gap had almost closed. Assigning jobs by age and ability keeps it that way. (University of Michigan Institute for Social Research)

Chore lists for every age

• Chores for 3 year olds Toys in bins, shoes by the door, and helping you feed the pet.
• Chores for 4 year olds Pulling up the covers, clearing their place, feeding the pet with a set scoop.
• Chores for 5 year olds Setting the table, unloading the silverware, folding towels.
• Chores for 6 year olds Packing their backpack, emptying trash cans, sweeping with a small broom.
• Chores for 7 year olds Loading plates in the dishwasher, vacuuming their room, washing vegetables.
• Chores for 8 year olds Packing their lunch, emptying the whole dishwasher, vacuuming a room.
• Chores for 9 year olds Loading the dishwasher, running their own laundry with help, cleaning the toilet.
• Chores for 10 year olds Their own laundry start to finish, the whole bathroom, changing the sheets.
• Chores for 11 year olds Hand washing pots, cleaning out the fridge, planning and cooking a meal.
• Chores for 12 year olds The full kitchen cleanup, a family laundry load, mowing after training.
• Chores for teens Cooking a family dinner, shopping on a budget, running their own appointments.

Printable chore charts

Every age band has a free printable weekly chore chart built from these lists, and there is a printable after school checklist and an allowance chart for teens too.

• Ages 3 to 5
• Ages 6 to 8
• Ages 9 to 10
• Ages 11 to 12
• Teens

Allowance and points

Paying for chores is its own question. See how much allowance by age for real weekly amounts, and points vs allowance for how the two compare and how to combine them.

Questions parents ask about chores

What age should kids start doing chores?

Around 2 or 3. The American Academy of Pediatrics lists putting toys and groceries away as jobs for 2 and 3 year olds, and research links chores in kindergarten to higher confidence a few years later. At that age, do them together and let the thank you be the reward.

How many chores should a child have?

No study sets a number. What the research links to good outcomes is doing chores regularly, so choose a few you will actually check every day and add more only once they stick. Each age page has a daily list you can trim.

Should kids be paid for chores?

Experts split and the research has not settled it. Rewards help build new habits, and rewards kids come to expect can weaken help they would have given anyway. A common middle ground is everyday routines for free and points or money for bigger or extra jobs. Keep the rule the same every week.

How do points work instead of paying cash?

Each chore is worth a set number of points, usually about one for every 10 minutes of work. Kids save points toward rewards you choose, like screen time, an outing or a toy. Give points with specific praise, and decide what a point is worth in dollars only if you want to swap them for money.

Do point charts work for kids with ADHD?

Often, yes. Charts with points, praise and small, frequent rewards are a core part of behavioral parent training, which the AAP recommends as the first treatment for preschoolers with ADHD. Keep steps small and rewards quick, and talk to your pediatrician about the full plan.

Sources

The chores and ages here were checked against the American Academy of Pediatrics' guidance. Where this page makes a claim about safety or research, it comes from:

1. Age-Appropriate Chores for Children. American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org.
2. Associations Between Household Chores and Childhood Self-Competency. White, DeBoer, Scharf et al., Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 2019.
3. Executive functions and household chores: Does engagement in chores predict children's cognition?. Tepper, Howell and Bell, Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 2022.
4. Children's Initiative in Contributions to Family Work in Indigenous-Heritage and Cosmopolitan Communities in Mexico. Alcalá, Rogoff, Mejía-Arauz, Coppens and Dexter, Human Development, 2014.
5. Parent management training (research chapter). Alan E. Kazdin, Yale University.
6. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of ADHD in Children and Adolescents. American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, 2019.
7. A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Deci, Koestner and Ryan, Psychological Bulletin, 1999.
8. Extrinsic rewards undermine altruistic tendencies in 20-month-olds. Warneken and Tomasello, Developmental Psychology, 2008.
9. Parent Praise to 1- to 3-Year-Olds Predicts Children's Motivational Frameworks 5 Years Later. Gunderson et al., Child Development, 2013.
10. Tips for Using Praise and Rewards. CDC, Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers.
11. Daily family assistance and the psychological well-being of adolescents. Telzer and Fuligni, Developmental Psychology, 2009.
12. The kids are all right: Housework nearly equal between boys and girls. University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.