A Brief Guide to Age-Appropriate Chores for Kids

Cleaning is important. During a pandemic, it seems even more essential to stick to a cleaning routine every day. But as a parent, it can get stressful to deal with so much cleaning on top of all the different tasks and raising a child! Here’s a big tip—your kids can help you keep things clean. Sure, they might put up a fuss when you first start asking them to help out, but as it becomes a routine for them, it’ll get easier to get them involved.

Below you’ll find a few age-appropriate chores for kids. These can even help them with their motor development and wind them down when energy levels are high. Check it out, and embrace the power of divide-and-conquer!

Toddlers (Ages 2–3)

Kids start building habits at a young age, so start early on these cleaning routines. As toddlers, they probably won’t fuss much about cleaning up their toys, but you can always follow some easy cleaning hacks (and you can use these for most ages) to motivate their cleaning. Once you’ve followed those, they’ll be completing their chores in no time. Here are a few of our favorites:

Put their own toys away
Fill up the pet’s food bowl
Put their clothes in the hamper
Put books on shelves
Help make the beds

Preschoolers (Ages 4–5)

This age range still allows time to establish cleaning habits. These kids have the desire to help their parents because they’re still learning through copying their elders. At this age, kids have more developed hand-eye coordination, so you’ll be able to give them a bit more responsibility to help their development.

Make the bed without supervision
Help in the garden (water flowers, pull weeds)
Wash plastic dishes with supervision
Help bring in light groceries
Sort laundry before washing
Dust with a cloth
Wipe down windows
Help set the table

Ages 6–10

When kids reach this age range, they can take on a lot more responsibility without supervision. They can manage more difficult tasks and are constantly learning the skills necessary to do so. That said, this is also the age range where kids start to rebel against the idea of chores. Again, this is where those hacks from above will help, and the idea of habit-building will make it easier. Stay patient with them, and ease them into the tougher tasks.

Sweep the floors
Help make lunches
Clean their own bedrooms
Put away groceries
Vacuum
Empty the dishwasher
Make their own snacks
Clean the table after meals
Empty trash bins

Ages 11–13

Middle schoolers—they’re going to battle with you when they don’t want to do their chores. Making it habit, creating a daily chore list, and holding them accountable will help them to become more self-reliant and responsible. This age range can—and should—do any of the chores listed above, in addition to the following:

Wash the dishes and load the dishwasher
Wash the car
Prepare easy meals without assistance
Use the washer and dryer
Babysit younger siblings
Mop the floors

The sooner you get them started on chores, the sooner they’ll build habits that last a lifetime! Hopefully, this guide to age-appropriate chores for kids gave you the ideas you need to accomplish that!