by Angela V 
photo: Seventh Generation
Little ones can start helping out at home and learning useful life skills from a very young age. It is so important to allow them to feel like they can contribute at home while they learn about responsibility at the same time.
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LIST OF CHORES BY AGE
Here is the full list of chores that are appropriate for every age, read more on the Seventh Generation blog here.
Ages 2-3
– Assist in making their bed
– Pick up toys when playtime is over
– Bring dirty clothes to laundry hamper
– Neatly pile books and/or magazines
Ages 4-5
– Fill pet’s water/food bowls (with supervision)
– Water plants
– Clear the dinner table
– Use hand-held vacuum for small messes, such as picking up crumbs
Ages 6-7
– Keep the bathroom tidy
– Sort laundry (try starting with just matching clean socks!)
– Empty dishwasher + put dishes away
– Choose outfit and get ready for each day independently
Ages 8-9
– Put away groceries
– Bring in mail from mailbox
– Assist in meal preparation (peeling potatoes, preparing salad, etc)
– Clean their room independently
Ages 10-11
– Responsible for exercising pets once each day
– Wash dishes
– Vacuum carpeted areas
– Learn to use washer and dryer
Ages 12 and up
– Wash family car (with supervision)
– Empty indoor trashcans, bring trash outside each week
– Babysit younger siblings
– Learn to use washer and dryer
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Disclosure: I received a sample of a product to facilitate this post. All views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own.
103 Comments on “Age Appropriate Chores For Children {Gift Basket Giveaway}”
2-3 years old 🙂
I think you can start around 4- 5 years of age with some simple tasks like picking up their toys.
2-3 🙂
I believe around 5 years and make it fun for them
I give my kids chores when they are 4
We started getting my son to feed the pets around 18 months (with help, of course!)
I think our little one might start helping with little things at around two years old.
About 4 years old
We started at age 2, with helping put away toys, hanging the laundry (this is moreso to keep her busy while I actually hang it, as she just drapes things randomly on the bottom rack, but it is still helping her learn to participate I guess! and she does help me bring it from the hamper to the machine, and also helps put dry items from the rack into the clean basket) and putting things like a wrapper in the garbage and putting plastic cups etc into the sink (has to be plastics and cutlery only, as she kind of has to throw them because she can’t reach properly, and she doesn’t want me to help her put them in…).
My kids started with helping me tidy up their toys around age 2. They were a lot more willing to do chores back then lol.
It depends on what kind of chores..simple ones like picking up their toys and putting them in toybox around 2, but I would say around 5 for most other chores
Help with picking up toys around 2 to 3 year of age
we started at 2-3 with personal responsibility for putting toys away etc
We started a chore list for my son when he was about 4
I start when she was 5
we started at 2-3yrs old, making them help put their toys away in the toy box.
As soon as they started playing with toys, they were in charge of putting them away (even before they could walk 🙂 We have put an emphasis on the habit of chores rather than the full doing of chores so when my babies were 1 they would sit on the counter by the sink and ‘do’ dishes with me (as in ‘wash’ the same cup and spoon for the entire time by splashing, pouring and stirring the water). Then by 2 they would wash dishes with a cloth (again only doing a couple plastic dishes while I do the majority). We’ve done the same with folding laundry, from the time they were born they pretty much were in the laundry pile. When my kids fold something I show them how to do it but I am by no means a perfectionist so if the kids fold a cloth into some multi sided shape instead of a square I would just put it in the cupboard like that…never re-fold their work. Now my kids are all old enough to do some chores on their own. My 6 yr old and 4 yr old clean the bathrooms (minus the toilets) pretty much on their own. All 3 are responsible for clearing and setting the table for meals, and for making their beds and cleaning their rooms (they have one sleep room and one playroom that they all share).
I started at 3 with the dishes and vacuuming. Stuff that was fun. Plus cleaning up toys.
Vacuuming their own rooms at 4 years old. Sounds fair to me.
About 3-4, its important to learn to pick up their toys.
Around age 4, picking up toys, feeding pets, picking up clothes etc. Good to start early!
my 6 year old sorts the laundry and puts it in the machine, she is also responsible for packing her things for school and loves to clean the bathrooms (I’ll take advantage of that one as long as I can!)
love to get the 4 and 5 year old pack
We started giving real chores at the age of 3 but we always expected them to do the little things we asked from the time they could understand. Like picking up toys and simple things like that. Now that my daughter is three though she has weekly chores like feeding the cats and keeping her room clean.
My boys have been helping out since age 2.
2 or 3 they started by picking up their toys.
I think 4-5 is about that time!
I had my boys do little cleaning in their rooms at about five.
children can start small chores at around age 2,,picking up their toys,,etc.:)
I think around 3 years. They can bring plate to counter, pick up toys etc
At 3 they can start helping pick up toys 🙂
around age 4-5 but did help picking up toys from around 18 months old.
as soon as they can understand, about maybe 3 ish
2-3
I think 4-5 is a good age for a child to learn basic chores so they are ready for preschool and kindergarten.
Around the age of 5 they can start with picking up their toys and putting them away.
3 or 4
My little one is only 10 month old so I’m really glad I found your list!
I will start around age 2
I gave my children chores starting at 3.
About 3 (mostly because they wanted to help at that age)
I think starting to give chores at age 4 or so depending on the child is reasonable!
5 yrs
My daughter has just turned 2. I haven’t even thought about giving her chores. We have had her pick up her toys for awhile now. I would probably wait another year or so.
I give my kids chores to do when they start asking me if they can help me.I think it is usually around the age of four and of course it`s only for fun chores at this age.
2 or 3. “Feeding one self” feels like a chore for kiddos.
I started at 3 with picking up allllll of the toys!
I think 3-4 is appropriate
3 – pick up toys 🙂
My daughter used to love to dust when she was around 2
I would give (age appropriate, fun) chores to my children whenever they can walk!
I can not remember every giving my kids formal chores but as a homeschooling attachment parenting family my kids were always around me, doing what I did. We always had kid sized brooms, rakes, shovels ect around and if we were doing yard work, or cleaning they were right there at our side from walking age doing it as well. My nine year old does all sorts of stuff on her own because of this.
I guess it would all depend on the child. My daughter loved helping with the dishes when she was two…wish she did now.
My kids help with the dish washer, feeding the dog, brushing the dog, and they help with the laundry
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
I started giving my son chores when he was 2. He would dust and throw away garbage for me.
As soon as they start to show an interest in anything 😉
I think around 6 is fair.
my 9 year old is in charge of dishes, kitchen counters, and sweeping the floor in the kitchen. my 3 year old is in charge of washing the walls (I spray them with cleaner, and she wipes with a damp cloth) and cleaning up toys throughout the house, and keeping her room tidy. Little one feeds the tortoise – leafy greens dropped in the top of the cage. big boy feeds the fish
maybe when my kids is 5 or when he has more of an attention span lol
2-3 – help with tidying their stuff up.
As long as children understand, I think any age is appropriate for chores.
I say around 5yrs of age is a good time to introduce a few chores to a child.Even if you start buying them toys that pretend to clean,like you can get toy vacume cleaner that kids can aqctually push around the floor and it really sounds like a vacume cleaner to.Even a plastic rake for the kids etc.This will introduce them to chores first hand and in a delicate way. Also if you give a child a rag,they love to swing it aroiund or shake it,you can have a child with a rag swing it around an empty coffee table and then praise the child for cleaning it.This will make it more fun.When my neighbor had kids,she had her kids slide across her hardwood floors in socks to buff up a shine.Much fun.
Kids can start chores by age two.
Picking up toys. Making the task fun
is a added bonus.
I started around 4/5 with my older child but will start sooner with the baby.
I give small tasks to my 2 year old (he likes to copy his older brother and sister) and my 5 & 7 have age appropriate chores ie, setting the dinner table, cleaning their rooms, putting toys, books, etc. away when finished (the last two are a work in progress lol),
3 or 4 years old.
Making bed starting at five
I made my 8 years old nephew clean up his messes! It’s good that he learns what he does has impact (needs to be cleaned up!)
She was always responsible for cleaning toys up afterwards. Now she’s 6 and she is starting to be responsible for a few things, make her own bed, fill and put the water glasses on the dinner table, she can get her own cereal in the morning, etc.
Around age two we expected them to help clean up their toys and put them back on the shelf.
My children are 8 and 10 and they are just learning how to do things like laundry
I started to give my daughter chores at age 3
at around age 4 they can start helping with toy pickup, shoes in a closet
at 2 I might ask them to do something here and there but I wouldn’t expect it to be done perfect or all the time by them. or i might simply allow them to follow my lead as I do the chores. 3-4 is when i start to have them take some responsibility.
I think around 2 years old.
My son and daughter started to learn how to pick up their toys around 2 years of age as their first chore.
around 2 or 3 with small clean up of toys
Age 6 or 7.
I would say between 2-3
4 or 5
I asked them for very simple things when they were about 3-picking up toys, etc.
When they began school, they has simple chores like sweeping the floor and helping with the dishes, setting the table and clearing it, etc.
As they became older, they learned to make their own lunches and do their own laundry.
As adults, they are all excellent housekeepers-not like me-must be my Mother’s genes!
it was probably around about 2 yrs of age – simple, easy things like tidying up their toys when they’re finished. I do the same with my grandchildren too.
At around 7
As a preschool teacher we encourage as soon as possible…It fosters many skills.
Age 4 is a good age to start with small stuff
I say about 3
As soon as they can take instructions… so anytime when they start to talk back… about 2 yrs old.
My kids loved to he mommy clean ..I let them help with dusting when they were 3
Five years old.
we start around age 3 with some simple chores
My kids started doing light chores when they were nearly. It was simple stuff really like making their bed, putting their toys away, etc.
I would say about 4. I loved helping as a little girl.
Around 5 yrs old or so.
I believe in starting chores with little ones around the age of 1– they can start with simple things like picking up their toys! Thanks for the opportunity!
Seasidesmitten@aol.com
I think about age 3 kids can start with small age appropriate chores.
At 5 they can tidy up and stuff.
5yrs old – make their beds
put clothes away
collect laundry
dust
i actually dont have kids but i would start off chores at the age of 5 i think 🙂
Starting at 8 she emptied the dishwasher.
I started with my 2 – help clean up toys, dust, help sweep
2 or 3 🙂
I use Seventh Generation natural dish liquid and love that is has 0% synthetic fragrances, dyes & triclosan.
We are in the process of having our kids do chores around the house.