Age-Appropriate Chores: Printable Chore List For Kids

These age-appropriate chores will help teach kids personal responsibility, setting goals, achieving them, and learning essential life skills that can definitely help them when they get older.

In this post, you’ll learn age-appropriate chores for kids and how to get kids to do chores. There is also free chore chart printables below.

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How to Get Kids to Do Chores

Before we talk about chores by age, let’s take a moment to discuss getting your kids to do chores in the first place. 


This is going to be challenging especially if your kids refuse to do any chores. It will make a big difference if your kids know the importance of sharing household chores. 

Make them realize that chores are part of their personal responsibilities.

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Stay Consistent

Kids doing chores are most likely to become high achievers in the future because they are trained to be responsible at a young age.  

But getting kids to do chores is a tough job. You have to be consistent, don’t do the cleaning up for them if they take too long or don’t want to do it.


If you told your 12-year-old daughter to change her bedsheets, leave it there until she does it. 

If you have rules about consequences for not doing chores, see them through as soon as the first time they missed the chores. 

Your kids will soon learn mom needs business and they need to keep up with these responsibilities.


A cute printable chore chart will be a big help to make chores more fun for your kids.

Kids Doing Chores at a Young Age

Many parents are not aware of age-appropriate chores for kids and that is a mistake because they are waiting for too long to have their kids do chores. 

There are chores for a 3-year-old and you’ll be surprised at what your kids can do. 


Start them young and it will be easier to get them to do chores as they get older.

Don't forget your free chore charts printables

Don’t worry if it isn’t Perfect

Your child is not going to do the chores perfectly every time, but it is the effort that is most important. 


You can supervise some of these tasks so that you know if something needs to be re-done when they leave the room, such as a kid doing dishes and not cleaning something all the way. 

However, with things like folding laundry and making the bed, don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. 


If you judge them for this, they will lose all the motivation to keep doing chores.

Also, read

5 Steps to a Positive Bedtime Routine with Kids


7 Fun Goal Setting Activities for Children


Also, grab the Chore Cards for Screen Time

Keep Motivating Your Child To Complete Their Chores

Make sure your kids know that they are doing a good job.  They are motivated when they see that they can help and you appreciate their efforts. 

Use a chore chart or these cards to keep up with your kid’s improvement in doing chores. 


A chore chart also helps kids have fun doing chores.

Chore allowance

This is an individual choice, but many parents find that giving their kids an allowance works great. 


Some parents do feel that this is teaching kids they will get a reward every time they do something that should already be expected, while others believe it teaches them a good work ethic for the future. 

This is really your choice, but you might want to consider an allowance, at least for older children and teens.

Chores for 3-year-old

When your child reaches about 2 or 3 years old, they are usually old enough to do some smaller chores. 


This is a good age to get started so they can begin learning personal responsibility. 

Keep in mind they won’t be able to do everything themselves, but it is a great age to have them help you with things.

You can have your younger children start helping to pick up their toys and blocks when they’re done playing and start helping you make the bed. 

They won’t be able to completely do it on their own, but let them assist you while you make it.


Kids at this age should also be able to help with spills, feed the pets with your supervision, and put their dirty clothes in the laundry basket.

Chores for 5-year-old

When they get a little older, they can start doing more things on their own. 


This includes doing more of making the bed, being responsible for picking up things in the living room and bedroom, and getting dressed on their own. 

Children of this age should also be able to help with some things in the kitchen, such as stirring or putting dishes in the dishwasher. 


They can help outdoors by watering plants, raking leaves and putting them into bags, putting away groceries, and taking dirty dishes from the table and putting them in the sink.

By the time your child reaches first or second grade, they should already be comfortable with doing chores and on their way to being capable of doing even more around the house. 


This includes chores they have already started doing but now can do without supervision.

Download Kids Printable Pack

Chores for 7-year-old

Your children should now be able to make their own beds without supervision.


It is okay if it isn’t perfect, but this is a good age to stop helping them. 

Here is a list of chores kids at this age can handle:

• Writing thank-you notes

• Vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping

• Taking out the trash, with your supervision

• Folding and putting away laundry

• More food prep, with your supervision

• Cleaning up their room

Chores for 9-year-old

This is a great age because your kid is starting to become more independent.


They are choosing their own clothes, helping with laundry and dishes, and hopefully making their bed and cleaning their room each day. 

You can also add a few more chores, including preparing easy meals completely on their own, washing the car, and cleaning their bathroom.

Encourage your kids to dream big using Journals 

Check out Bullet Journal for Kids (ages 7-10)


Check out Bullet Journal for Tweens/teens

PIN IT FOR LATER

Chores for 11-year-old

By the time your child reaches their pre-teen stage, which is between 11 and 12 years old, they are doing many things independently. 


This is the age when you should expect your son and daughter to start doing their own laundry. 

You can still supervise them to make sure they use the right amount of soap and select the right setting, but for the most part, it is a chore they can handle on their own.

Pre-teens can also do the following things themselves:

• Vacuum and mop all rooms

• Change light bulbs

• Change their bed sheets

• Do more yard work, such as pulling weeds or mowing the lawn

• Preparing simple family meals

• Cleaning windows and mirrors

• Doing the dishes without the help

Teenager Chore Responsibilities

When you have teenagers in your home, you are starting to prepare them for adulthood. 


You want to teach them as many basic skills as you can before they reach 18 so that by the time they go to college or move out on their own, they know how to take care of themselves and their home properly. 


This is done through various chores around the house.

Chores for 13-Year-Old

For 13-year-olds, you want to start introducing them to life skills, in addition to the chores they have already been doing. 


Of course keep having them make their bed each morning, do the dishes, and continue working on their own laundry. 

However, they should also start doing some things they will need to handle on their own as an adult, such as replacing the bag in the vacuum cleaner, ironing their clothes, mowing the lawn, and possibly even doing some minor repairs around the house. 

Aside from changing a light bulb, a 13-year-old can also help with things like hammering nails, as long as they have supervision.

Chores for 15-Year-Old

Continuing with these types of lessons, have your 14 and 15-year-olds do more home chores as well. 


For example, you can have your son start preparing more elaborate meals from recipes he finds and has him do the grocery shopping for ingredients. 

You can let your daughter start babysitting for neighbor kids or wash the outdoor windows in your home. 


These are life skills that help your teens take care of themselves.

Chores for 17-year-old

By the time your teens reach 16 or 17 years old, they should be doing everything you are doing. 


This includes being able to clean out the refrigerator, do any housework or yard work, wash cars, make a grocery list and shop on their own, and do deep cleaning around the house. 

This is also a good age to start teaching your teens about financial budgeting.

Continue introducing new chores to your kids each week and add them to the chore chart. 


They shouldn’t be doing all household duties but helping out so they can learn how to do things on their own. 

By the time your teens move out of the house, you feel confident they know what they are doing.

I am happy to learn more about age-appropriate chores if you have more to add to the list your comments are very welcome. 

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Don't forget your free kids chore and hygiene chart + Chore list by age.