Sometimes we as parents imagine our kids will do certain things “when they get old enough.” For example, ‘Oh, I can’t make her unload the dishwasher now, she’s only 1!’ or ‘He can’t tie his own shoes, he’s only 3’ etc. But so much of where we end up depends on the little steps that happen every day. As a parent, you are always teaching whether you are consciously doing it or not. Modeling is powerful stuff! (For positive and negative.) 

It really does make a difference to begin with the end in mind. When we help them, little by little and together, do the things that we want them to do on their own one day, we are much more successful in the long run. But of course, it’s helpful to have the right expectations. Here are over two dozen chores (organized by age) that you can have your kids start doing now so that you aren’t still picking up after them when they’re 10, 12 or even 20! And there’s a free printable you can customize too 🙂

All Ages + Stages

Tidying and cleaning are things that we talk about a lot in our  Parenting With Peace Course. One thing that I quote in the course is one of our family mottos and I’ll repeat it here: “We all ____, so we all ____.” This translates to things like: “We all wear clothes, so we all help with laundry” or “We all eat, so we all help to cook and clean up after dinner” or “We all enjoy the yard and garden, so we all help with yardwork.” In that mindset, here are some daily common areas that I believe everyone should help in, regardless of age. Note that these are also the chores that are the most common (and often most dreaded!):

• Dishes
• Cooking
• Laundry
• Cleaning common spaces such as the kitchen, bathroom, etc.
• Something outside

Of course, you’ll want to tailor these areas to your own home and lifestyle. For example, if you don’t have a have a yard, something a simple as watering potted plants or sweeping a porch will do.

Dishes

Everyone starting at about 18 months can load their own dishes and silverware into the dishwasher. As a family, the kids and I unload the dishwasher together each morning. The youngest unloads the silverware (after I put away any knives). Then one kid does the top and another kid does the bottom (I help with the things belong on higher shelves).

If you don’t have a dishwasher, you can create another system to get your kids involved with dishes. For example, you might have the oldest help you wash dishes after breakfast, and the second oldest help you wash dishes after lunch. Get creative!

Cooking

Did you know that getting your child involved with food preparation can actually improve the way they eat that food? (See you later, picky eater!) You can figure out what works best for your family in this area and we have a bunch of ideas in the free printable at the end of this blog post.

Laundry

Everyone starting at about 18 months can help sort laundry into piles. (Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post about my laundry system!)

Around the age of 2, you can fold your little one’s clothes and help them put them in a drawer. As kids get older, they can take a more hands-on role with folding and putting their own clothes away. Note: a big part of helping kids become more independent with their own laundry is to be sure you’re modeling this too! We can’t expect our kids to be great at putting away their laundry if ours is in a pile next to the bed!

Keep reading to see a sample of what chores your kid can do based on their age.

Age 1

I cannot tell you how interesting it is to me to observe one-year-olds who are the only child and one-year-olds who have older siblings. Most of the time, the ones with older siblings try to do more ‘big kid things’ — and their parents are usually busy enough that they end up actually doing it!  Of course, there are pros and cons with this. But let’s focus on the positive — our kids, even little ones, can do a lot more than we think.

Here are some chores your one-year-old can do:

• Unload the silverware from the dishwasher (Parents, unload anything sharp beforehand)
• Put away kid plates, cups, bowls
• Put away toys in a bin or box

Age 2

If you’ve ever met a 2-year-old, I’m sure you can say they’ve got spunk! They’re getting old enough (and verbal enough) at this stage to know what they want and to let you know too!

These little toddlers are just developing their own sense of identity so it’s important to lean into that and let them do things on their own.

Here are some chores your two-year-old can do:

• Load their own dishes in the dishwasher
• Dust baseboards with a wipe
• Pick produce from the garden

Age 3

Three year olds are so fun! In my opinion, they have such an entertaining mix of creativity and compliance, and humor and happiness. They love to help, especially when you’re there too. This is a great stage to really invest the time and energy getting them involved so that they’re accustomed to it when they’re older. If you skip their involvement at this crucial stage, it will likely be a fight to get them engaged in housework when they are older.

Here are some chores your three-year-old can do:

• Put in measured ingredients while cooking
• Stack books upright on a shelf
• Pull weeds

Age 4

This stage is a great one — your little one has likely mastered potty training and has developed more dexterity. With that increased coordination, they are able to write letters, cut out more intricate shapes, and yes, tackle more advanced chores!

Here are some chores your four-year-old can do:

• Fold hand towels and some of their own clothes
• Cut soft to medium produce with a toddler knife
• Wipe tables and counters

Age 5

Kids at this stage are making some huge leaps. They are learning a lot of social rules (especially if they are in public school). This includes learning things like taking turns and following the rules of card and board games. Children at this age can have longer conversations and can pay attention for longer periods of time. This means they can focus on chores that have multiple steps and or require more time. 

Here are some chores your five-year-old can do:

• Wipe mirrors and walls
• Hang clothes on hangers
• Hold the dustpan while an adult sweeps (and put swept garbage in the trash)

Age 6

This stage looks fairly different from the others — your kiddo is growing up! Kids this age have even more coordination; they can tie their shoes, dress themselves, and write well. As they learn skills like how to read, how to add and subtract, and how to develop friendships, they start to become more independent. As the CDC says, “this is a critical time for children to develop confidence in all areas of life” and contributing to the family and household is a great way to do that.

Here are some chores your six-year-old can do:

• Start their own load of laundry
• Vacuum
• Rake leaves

Here’s the free customizable printable I mentioned! Hope you enjoy it.

Well that’s a wrap! What do you like to involve your kids with household chores? Share it in the comments. Happy cleaning!