The best chores for children of any age
Published on Mon Jan 29 2018 in Family
Chores are part of every household. There are many, many jobs around the home that need doing, and in most families everybody must lend a hand.
Doing daily chores can help teach children life skills, responsibility and respect for their home and belongings. But what jobs are appropriate for each age group? Whilst your child’s or grandchild’s abilities may vary, the list below is a good guideline to get you started.
Ages 2-3
Toddlers can do more than you may think. More importantly, they often want to help, something that often goes away as children age! The job may not be done perfectly and might require a bit of help, but getting kids involved in chores early helps set the tone for the rest of their lives.
Small children can generally handle simple, one or two step chores like:
- Putting away toys
- Putting dirty clothes in the hamper
- Wiping up small spills
- Neatly stacking books and magazines
- Light dusting
- Filling a pet’s food dish
Ages 4-7
Older children can begin to take on more challenging tasks. Remember, if they’ve mastered a video game, the television remote or a tablet, they should have no trouble learning a few new chores!
Depending on your child or grandchild’s skills they may be able to complete or help with jobs such as:
- Making their bed
- Keeping their room tidy
- Setting and clearing the table
- Pulling weeds in the garden
- Watering house plants
- Washing plastic dishes in the sink
- Sorting laundry
- Sweeping floors
- Using a hand-held vacuum cleaner to pick up crumbs
Ages 8-10
As your child grows, they should be able to do more around the house. Jobs you previously needed to help with might now be done unsupervised. They can also become responsible for tasks like:
- Folding and putting away their laundry
- Putting away groceries
- Making their own snacks
- Packing their lunchbox
- Helping prepare family meals
- Vacuuming carpets
- Mopping floors
Ages 11 & Up
By now your child or grandchild should be quite capable. They’ve likely mastered several of the chores listed above, and may be ready to learn the skills they’ll need when they move away from home.
You can start giving them more responsibility, such as:
- Changing bed sheets
- Doing the laundry
- Ironing clothes
- Cooking a meal (with or without supervision, depending on their age)
- Loading and unloading the dishwasher
- Cleaning the bathroom
- Washing the car
- Taking a family pet for a walk
- Babysitting younger siblings (when an adult is home, depending on their age)
As you can see, there are many jobs around the home that children of all ages can do. Getting them started young will help build a strong work ethic, build confidence and learn responsibility. And having more helping hands around the home is always welcome!
At what age did your kids or grandkids start doing chores? Share your experience with our Facebook community!
About Author: Momentum Life is a leading provider of Life insurance and Funeral insurance in New Zealand.
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