Once upon a time, there was a family where everyone took part in the daily activities that make a household function. All members of the family did all the aspects that keep the household clean, organized, and put together. They worked together, did not fight or argue, and most importantly, every member of the family knew what his or her responsibilities were and did them with a joyful attitude. Is this just a dream?
Are there truly families that operate this way? While there is a portion of this that is certainly romanticized, there is also a portion of this that can be a reality. Today we are going to look at an age by age breakdown of the different activities children can participate in so the burden isn’t all on the mom or dad thus producing a child that is ready to enter the world and can manage their own house.
Children's Chores For Kids By Age – What should they be doing?

Ages 1-2
There are some that would say that this age group is too young to participate in household chores. However, there is something to be said about starting when they are young, then they won’t know any different. Children are naturally curious and at this age, they want to see what everyone else is doing and often try to do them too.
A simple thing that this age group can do is to help with the toy clean-up. When their comprehension begins to pick up, this is an opportune time to teach them to start putting their toys away. You might also find, that they might want to help put away some other items, like dishes. This is where you can get creative. Believe it or not, children get excited when they are included.
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Age 3-4
This age group is a crucial time to get them involved in chores. Children naturally want to help. Yes, it can take the activity three times longer because of little helpers, but when we encouraged the behavior they are more likely to continue and want to help as they get older. We can certainly build on the idea of the child putting away toys or helping with some dishes.
We want to add more to the concept now. Putting away toys when they are done playing with them and doing that before they bring out more toys. Also, taking dirty dishes to the sink and trash to the trashcan. At this age, maybe giving them some laundry to put away or even folding would add to the list.
Ages 5-6
This is a great age! It is a great age to really start to introduce chores. Additionally, if you haven’t noticed yet, we can build upon the activities that the child is already participating in. If it is part of daily life, then it is less of a chore and more about how we function on a daily basis. At this age, sweeping, even vacuuming, and truly putting away the dishes can be part of their routine. Folding laundry and putting it away can be an expectation at this age as well. Also, they can take responsibility for making their own beds and organizing their rooms.
Age 7-8
Now, let us add in some bathrooms. It might sound strange, but they might actually be excited to clean a bathroom. Get some child-safe cleaning products and you might be surprised at what they accomplish. Of course, always provide oversight. We don’t want them to use so much soap that the sink overflows with bubbles or use the toilet water to clean the floor. Nevertheless, you might be pleasantly surprised at what they achieve.
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Age 9-10
We have covered quite a few different chores. Some activities you can include at this age are washing dishes, washing their own laundry, and introducing some cooking. These three activities will really build their repertoire of chores and cover most of the buses that run a household.
Age 11-13
This is a great age to use to help guide the younger siblings in their chores. By this point, our children can complete a great number of chores. And now, it is time to use that knowledge to help guide the younger ones.
Age 13-15
By this point, most of the chores are a part of life. Of course, there are always unpleasant tasks that they might not want to do, but, this is when we can use the things they want to learn about as an advantage. For instance, if you have a garden or pets, or if they really enjoy cooking, if your child enjoys any of those things, then it makes the tasks less like a chore and more enjoyable.
Up to age 18
At this point, you can truly utilize your teenager in all aspects of managing the house and any other children. Now they are just getting ready to function in the world on their own, but you have taught them the foundations.
So how are you feeling? Does this feel manageable? When starting these Chores for kids at a young age, this is certainly attainable. However, if you are reading this and you have a 6-year-old already but haven’t been doing some of these things, don’t worry, it’s not too late. Ask for their help. Take away the device and include the child. Yes, it is some work at first, but that time invested and including your children will pay off.
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