Parents are tasked with teaching children a huge amount of things as they grow and develop. From basic life skills to table manners, parents have a lot to cover when it comes to imparting knowledge and assigning kids chores. Many parents have their own way of doing things, check out The 4 Different Parenting Styles.
Assigning chores from a young age is a great way to garner good habits early. There are plenty of things that they can help out that won’t take up too much time or energy. Below is a list of appropriate kids’ chores by age group that you can use in your family.
Chores That Kids Can Do Around the House
Toddlers (age 2 to 3)
At this age, your bundle of joy is very much capable of taking on a few simple tasks such as picking up their toys. These kids’ chores help little ones to assume the responsibility of taking care of their own belongings. Set a time each day or night for your child to put away their toys, and encourage them to do so by investing in a fun storage chest or drawer. With a kitchen helper tower, your little one will also want to help out with fun jobs like baking and decorating, so encourage them to get involved. They can also help by putting the clothes in the washing machine or dryer and taking them out. They can have plenty of fun pressing the start button and staring at the machine in action.
Mini Dynamos (age 4 to 5)
“I can do it myself” is a popular saying at this age. Let’s hope they are eager to help out. On top of putting away their toys, watering household plants or flowers is a great task for this age group. It offers a double whammy of teaching responsibility for the home with a bit of sneaky horticultural education. Help kids to grow their interest in watering and taking care of the plants in your home.
School Kids (age 6 to 8)
By this age, your kids are probably into sports or hobbies and will have discovered that money is pretty handy. For parents, this is fantastic as it allows you to teach your kids that we get money by working. Children of this age can take on two or three small daily or weekly kids chores. For example, vacuuming, getting the mail and helping with outdoor work such as gardening and shoveling of driveways.
If you have more than one child, invest in a whiteboard to start a chore chart to encourage children to stay on top of their chores and to check them off once completed. This is a really good way of keeping tabs on who is doing what.
Super Kids (age 9 to 11)
At this stage of development, children will probably be involved in after-school activities, but that doesn’t exempt them from chores. Set simple chores for kids after school and on weekends, such as wiping down surfaces after cooking, taking out the garbage, and helping out with younger siblings.
This is a great time for teaching children that kids’ chores should be completed properly and thoroughly as well as the importance of soap and cleaning products. Use a cool soap making kit from KiwiCo to pique their interest.
Tweens (age 11 to 12)
This is the age where you might meet some resistance to chores, but don’t let that put you off. At this age, money is very much a ‘thing’. Leverage allowances as an incentive for your tweens to complete chores. Eleven and twelve years old are more than capable of taking on more involved household chores. For example, cleaning of bathrooms, mopping of floors and making light meals. From deep cleans and capturing pet hair to quick cleans and versatile hard floor solutions, there’s a Dyson vacuum for your needs.
In addition to setting chores for pocket money, try adding bonus chores for kids for credit toward a major purchase. This is also a great time to encourage children to seek paid work outside of the home such as a paper route or mowing lawns for neighbors.
Teenagers (age 13 to 19)
Whether it’s for the latest phone or their own car, teenagers are often after making extra cash these days. At this age, your teenager is an active member of the household. Therefore, they should be taking on larger responsibilities such as cooking meals and taking care of and supervising younger siblings. They should also be seeking part-time or neighborhood work in order to earn some dough on their own.
Chores are a really good way of instilling a sense of responsibility and ownership in children of all ages. You can take away privileges when chores aren’t done (and stick to it, however much you might be tempted to cave). It’s also important to praise kids for a job well done as this will reinforce their sense of value. If you feel your kid is ready to keep a phone, read The Digital Age for Young Ages: Buying your Child’s First Cellphone. Also, check out Best Sports to Start for Ages, 5 & Under, 5-12 and Teens! Good luck!
