Chores for Kids by Age: An Age-Appropriate List (With a Printable Chart) That Builds Real Responsibility

Children can start simple chores at about age 2, as soon as they can follow a one-step instruction. Toddlers (2–3) put toys in a basket and clothes in the hamper. Ages 4–5 make their bed, set spoons and refill their water bottle. Ages 6–8 pack their school bag, clear their plate and sweep. Ages 8–10 fold laundry, help cook and put groceries away. Ages 11–12 clean a bathroom, change bedsheets and cook a simple meal with an adult home. Teens can run their own laundry and cook a dish. Paediatricians suggest about 10–20 minutes of chores a day for school-age children.

Chores for kids by age: the age-appropriate chores chart

Age-appropriate chores for kids grow with what a child can carry, reach and remember. At 2–3 a child can follow one step ("put the car in the basket"); at 4–5, two or three steps; at 6–8, a short routine; at 8–10, a task with planning; and at 11 and up, a whole job such as cleaning a bathroom.

Use this chart as your list of chores for kids by age. Each row assumes the child can already do the rows above it. Pick three to five chores from your child's row, not all of them.

Children with an age-appropriate chores for kids chart at eye level need fewer reminders, because the chart does the reminding. For children who cannot read yet, swap words for small pictures: a toy basket, a sock, a spoon. We have made a printable version of this age-appropriate chores for kids chart with tick boxes for every day of the week.

How to use the chart

Start one row below your child's age if chores are new in your home, and move up once the easy jobs are automatic. A 9-year-old who has never done a chore will do better with the 6–7 row for a month than with the 8–10 row on day one. Rotate the weekly chores each Sunday so nobody is always on bathroom duty. Keep it to five chores at most; long charts get abandoned in a week. The chart lists chores for children by age, but you know your child: use the row that matches what they can do now. Every list of age appropriate chores for kids by age, including this one, describes a typical child, not a test your child has to pass. Stick the printable chore chart where your child will see it every day, such as the fridge or their bedroom door.

At what age should I start giving my kids chores?

Start giving your kids chores at around age 2, as soon as they can follow a simple instruction such as "put this in the basket". The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia says most children older than 2 can help, and a Cleveland Clinic paediatrician says a child is ready once they can follow a basic instruction or two.

Very young children want to help. In a well-known 2006 study in Science, Felix Warneken and Michael Tomasello found that 18-month-olds helped an adult pick up a dropped object or open a cupboard without being asked or rewarded. A 2-year-old who grabs the broom or tries to "wash" a spoon is asking for a job. If that help is always turned away because it is slower, the child learns that housework belongs to adults. Starting early also matters for the long term. A small, widely quoted University of Minnesota study by Marty Rossmann followed 84 children and found that those who began helping at 3 or 4 were more likely to be doing well in their mid-twenties, while those who started at 15 or 16 were not. It is a small study and, as far as we could find, it was never published in a journal, so treat it as a hint rather than proof. Larger studies, covered later, point the same way.

Should a 2 year old have chores?

Yes, a 2-year-old can have one or two tiny chores, done with you. Putting toys in a basket, dropping dirty clothes in the hamper and carrying an unbreakable cup to the kitchen are all realistic. At this age a chore is a game you play together, not a task to be checked.

Expect it to be slow and imperfect. Half the blocks will miss the basket. That is fine: the point is the habit, not a clean floor. Name the job the same way every time ("tidy-up time") and do it at the same point each day, such as before bath. Chores for toddlers should never involve water buckets, cleaning products, knives or anything breakable.

What chores are appropriate for a 3-year-old?

Appropriate chores for a 3-year-old are one-step jobs they can finish in a minute or two: putting toys in low bins, putting shoes on the rack, putting clothes in the hamper, wiping their own spill, helping feed a pet and watering a plant with a small cup. Show the job, then do it together.

Age-appropriate chores for a 3-year-old work best when the home is set up for them. Toys need low, open bins with a picture label, not a high shelf. Shoes need a rack the child can reach. The hamper needs to be in the child's room, not the bathroom down the hall. A 3-year-old can also take part in self-care chores, such as pulling up their own elastic-waist shorts. Our guide on at what age a child can dress themselves covers that skill by age.

Should my 4 year old have chores?

Yes. A 4-year-old should have a few small daily chores, such as tidying toys, setting spoons for dinner and putting shoes away, and one weekly job like dusting a low shelf. Four is the age when many children can follow a short two- or three-step routine on their own.

Age-appropriate chores for a 4-year-old build on the toddler jobs: they now put toys away by type (cars in one bin, blocks in another), pull up their bedsheet, refill their own water bottle from a small jug and sort socks. Keep the list short and the praise specific: "You put every shoe on the rack" teaches more than "good job".

List of chores for kids by age, explained

A list of chores for kids by age works in bands: 2–3 (one-step jobs), 4–5 (short routines), 6–8 (own belongings and simple cleaning), 8–10 (cooking help, laundry, sweeping), 10–12 (whole jobs like bathrooms and bedsheets) and 13+ (running a part of the home). Each band adds to the one before.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' family site, HealthyChildren.org, publishes chores for children by age in three school-age bands (5–7, 8–10 and 11–12). The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia adds the younger years. Many published lists of age appropriate chores for kids by age start at 5, which skips the toddler years when the habit actually forms, so this list starts at 2. Here is what each band looks like in practice, in an Indian home.

Ages 2–3: chores for toddlers

Chores for toddlers are about their own things and their own mess. Good jobs: toys in the basket, clothes in the hamper, carrying an unbreakable plate to the kitchen, putting a nappy in the bin, wiping a spill with a cloth, handing you pegs as you hang clothes, and "watering" a plant. A toddler cannot remember a chore, so you remind them every time; you are building the habit for later.

Ages 4–5: chores for kids age 5

Chores for kids aged 5 include making their bed (pulling up the sheet and folding the quilt, not hospital corners), putting chappals on the rack, setting spoons and napkins, sorting laundry into lights and darks, dusting low shelves, refilling their water bottle and helping unpack groceries into a low cupboard. Five-year-olds love "real" jobs, so a child-sized broom and a real cloth beat a toy set. If you are looking for chores for kids age 5 that also help in the morning, packing the school bag the night before is the best one to start.

Ages 6–8: chores for kids 6-8

Chores for kids 6-8 move from "help me" to "your job". A 6-year-old can clear and scrape their own plate, put away their own clean clothes, feed a pet, wipe the dining table, sweep a small room into a dustpan, fold towels, wash their own tiffin and sort waste into the wet and dry dustbins. By 7 or 8 they can follow a short checklist on their own. Most chores for kids 6 to 8 are about their own belongings, with one family job added each year. The capsule-wardrobe idea helps here: a child with fewer, well-organised clothes can put laundry away without help (see our kids' capsule wardrobe checklist and organisation guide).

What chores should a 7 year old be doing?

A 7-year-old should be doing three to five daily chores, such as making their bed, packing their school bag, clearing their plate, putting away clean clothes and feeding a pet, plus one or two weekly chores like sweeping a room or wiping the table. Most 7-year-olds can do these with a checklist and a reminder.

Chores for kids age 7 should also include one job that helps the whole family, not just themselves: setting the table for everyone, folding the family's towels or watering all the plants. That is the step from self-care to contribution. Chores for kids aged 7 work best on a picture-and-word checklist, because many 7-year-olds read but still forget.

Ages 8–10: chores for kids 8-10

Chores for kids 8-10 can include real kitchen work with an adult nearby: washing vegetables, kneading dough, rolling rotis, making a no-cook breakfast and packing their own tiffin from food you have made. They can fold and put away laundry, sweep and mop (pocha) a room, take out the rubbish, put groceries away and keep the bathroom sink clean after brushing. HealthyChildren.org adds vacuuming, making their own snacks and walking a pet. By this age, chores for kids 8 to 10 should run on a routine they own, with you checking at the end rather than standing over them. Our guide on how to pack a school lunch box has tiffin ideas a child this age can help put together.

Ages 10–12: chores for kids 10 years old and up

Chores for kids 10 years old and up can be whole jobs: cleaning a bathroom (with a mild cleaner, never toilet acid or bleach), changing bedsheets, running a washing-machine load and hanging the clothes, washing the dinner utensils, cooking a simple dish with an adult at home and helping a younger sibling get ready. Chores for kids age 10 can also include a weekly "own" project, such as sorting the old newspapers for the raddiwala or looking after the balcony plants. Google's related searches show parents looking up chores for 9-12 year olds and chores for 10-12 year olds; the answer is the same row of the chart, with more independence each year. A 12-year-old should be able to do every chore on the 8–10 row without being reminded. If you are building a list of chores for kids age 10, take the whole 8–10 row and add one job from the 11–12 row each term.

Ages 13 and up: chores for teenagers

Chores for teenagers should prepare them to live on their own. By 13 to 15 a teen can cook a simple dish, manage their own laundry start to finish, iron their uniform, make and buy a small grocery list, deep-clean one area of the home and plan one family meal a week. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia suggests 20–30 minutes a day for teens, with bigger jobs at weekends. Teens should already manage everything on the list of chores for 10-12 year olds; chores for teenagers add planning, such as deciding what to cook and buying what is needed. Treat a teen's chores like a job they are trusted with, not a list you check.

Daily chores for kids vs weekly chores

Daily chores for kids are short jobs that keep the home running: making the bed, tidying toys, clearing a plate and packing the school bag. Weekly chores are bigger jobs done once: sweeping, changing sheets, cleaning a bathroom. School-age children need about 10–20 minutes of chores a day, and teenagers 20–30 minutes.

Splitting chores this way stops the list from feeling endless. Daily chores for kids by age should fit into the gaps that already exist in the day: before school, before dinner and before bed. Weekly chores fit a Saturday or Sunday morning, when nobody is rushing. Here is how daily chores for kids by age and their weekly chores add up in time:

Weekly chores for kids are also where fairness lives. Rotate them on the chart each week so the same child is not always on rubbish duty, and let older children choose first as a privilege of age.

Chores for kids at home in an Indian household

Chores for kids at home in India should include the same jobs whether or not you have house help: their own things (clothes, bag, tiffin, shoes), their own mess (plate, toys, spills) and one family job. House help can clean the floors, but only a child can learn to look after themselves.

Most chore lists online assume an American home with a lawn, a dishwasher and a car to wash. Indian homes run differently, and so do the chores for kids to do at home. Age appropriate chores for kids at home in India involve steel tiffins, chappal racks, drying lines, water filters and two dustbins, and very often a house help or grandparents who would happily do it all.

What if we have house help?

Many Indian families have a didi, bai or cook, and children grow up seeing that someone else does the housework. That is the main reason chores slip. The fix is not to give your house help less work; it is to give your child the jobs that are theirs no matter who sweeps the floor. Those jobs are: putting away their own clothes, carrying their own plate, packing their own bag and tiffin, keeping their own shelf tidy, and making their own bed. These are the age appropriate chores for kids at home that matter most, because nobody else can learn them for your child. Ask your house help to leave those jobs for the child, and explain why. Children also learn respect from chores: a child who has swept a room once rarely drops crumbs on a floor someone else has just mopped.

Chores in a joint family

Grandparents often do everything for grandchildren out of love. Talk to them about one or two jobs the child will always do, and ask them to teach a skill instead: a grandmother teaching a child to roll rotis or fold a saree is passing on something that matters. Chores for kids at home in a joint family can also include family-care chores, such as bringing a glass of water to a grandparent or setting the table for everyone.

Same chores for sons and daughters

Give boys and girls the same household chores for kids at every age. UNICEF has estimated that girls aged 5 to 14 worldwide spend 40% more time, or 160 million more hours a day, on unpaid household chores than boys of the same age. In India, the national Time Use Survey 2024 found that women spend 289 minutes a day on unpaid domestic work, against 88 minutes for men. Those habits are learned at home, early. A son who cooks and cleans at 10 becomes an adult who shares the work, and our post on why equal parenting rarely works the way it sounds shows how much that matters later.

Indian chores for kids to do at home

Indian homes have their own ideal chores for kids to do at home:

• Chappals and shoes on the rack, every time they come in (age 3+).

• Wet and dry waste: India's Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 require homes to separate waste, and a 5-year-old can learn which bin a banana peel and a biscuit wrapper go in.

• Water bottles: refilling their own and the family's bottles from the filter or matka (age 5+).

• Clothes from the drying line: bringing them in, folding small items and putting their own away (age 6+).

• Plants and the tulsi: watering the balcony plants each morning (age 3+).

• Setting thalis or plates and tumblers for dinner (age 5+), and rolling rotis with an adult at the stove (age 8+).

• Raddi: stacking old newspapers and sorting recyclables for the raddiwala (age 8+).

• Tiffin: washing their own lunch box after school (age 6+) and packing it from food you made (age 8+).

Chores for kids ideas: 60 chores for kids to do, room by room

Good chores for kids ideas come from each room of your home: bedroom (make bed, put away clothes), kitchen (set table, wash tiffin, wash vegetables), living room (tidy toys, dust), bathroom (hang towel, rinse sink), balcony (water plants, bring in clothes) and outside (carry a bag, post a letter).

What are chores for kids to do when you have run out of ideas? Walk through your home room by room. Here are 60 chores for kids to do, with the youngest typical age for each.

These chores for kids ideas are meant to be mixed. Pick one from the bedroom, one from the kitchen and one family job, and you have a balanced list for any age.

Chores for kids during summer and Diwali cleaning

Chores for kids during summer holidays can be bigger and slower than school-day chores: helping plan and cook one meal a week, a cupboard clear-out, caring for plants, and a "project" chore such as organising the bookshelf. Keep a short daily list so the holiday still has a routine.

The long summer vacation is the best time of the year to teach a new skill, because nobody is rushing for the school bus. Chores for kids during summer work well as a short morning list (bed, plants, breakfast plate) and one "summer skill" per week: one week of rotis, one week of folding laundry properly, one week of washing utensils. By June your child has four new skills. Mix chores with play; our screen-free activities for kids by age and time has ideas for the rest of the day.

Diwali cleaning is the other big chore season in Indian homes, and Diwali 2026 falls on 8 November. Give each child a real piece of the clean: a 4-year-old wipes the toy shelf, a 7-year-old clears out their own cupboard and makes a "give away" pile of outgrown clothes, and a 10-year-old cleans the balcony or polishes the diyas. Children who help clean the home feel part of the festival, not just guests at it. For the fun side of the festival, see Diwali activities for kids.

How to teach kids to clean up after themselves

To teach kids to clean up after themselves, make clean-up part of the activity, not a separate chore: "we finish playing when the toys are back". Store things at the child's height with picture labels, show the job step by step, do it together until it is easy, then step back. Praise effort, not a perfect result.

How to teach kids to clean up is mostly about setting up the home and teaching in steps. Here is the method that works for most families:

1. I do it. Show the job slowly and say each step out loud: "Cars go in the blue bin. Books go on the shelf, spine out."

2. We do it. Do it together for a week or two. You do the hard part; they do the easy part.

3. You do it, I watch. Your child does it while you stay in the room and help only if asked.

4. You do it. You check at the end, not during.

Most parents who say "my child won't clean up" have skipped steps 1 to 3. How to teach your child to clean up after themselves starts with making the job possible: low open bins, picture labels, a hook at their height for the school bag and a hamper in their room. An over-door hanging organiser (₹519) gives a child their own pockets for small things, so "put it away" has a clear answer. For craft time, a 2-in-1 paint brush cleaning cup (₹399) lets a child rinse their own brushes without carrying water across the room.

How to teach kids to clean up toys

How to teach kids to clean up toys comes down to three rules. First, fewer toys out at once: keep some in a cupboard and swap them every few weeks. Second, every toy has a home the child can see and reach. Third, a fixed tidy-up time, such as before dinner, with a short song or a 5-minute timer. Children are much better at "cars in the blue bin" than at "clean your room". A storage table such as our building block table with four storage bins (₹4,499) builds the "home" into the play space for children 3 and up.

How to get children to clean up without nagging

How to get children to clean up without nagging is about fewer words and more structure. Use "when–then": "When the blocks are in the bin, then we read the story." Give one instruction at a time. Make it a race against a timer, not against a sibling. Join in for the first minute. And don't redo the job in front of them; if the bed is lumpy, it is still made. If tidy-up turns into a battle every night, our post on whether time-outs work for toddlers explains why calm consequences work better than punishment.

How to get older kids to clean up after themselves

How to get older kids to clean up after themselves is different, because 10- to 14-year-olds know how; they just don't want to. Agree the standard together ("floor clear, clothes in hamper, plate in the kitchen") and the time ("before dinner on school days"). Give them control over how and when within that limit. Use natural consequences: clothes left on the floor don't get washed this week. And talk about fairness: in most homes, the mother does the most. If you are wondering how to get my kids to clean up after themselves when they are pre-teens, the honest answer is that respect for their space works better than surprise inspections. How to get kids to clean up after themselves at any age depends on the same thing: a clear standard, a set time, and you not quietly doing it for them.

How to make a chores for kids chart that works

A chores for kids chart works when it is short (three to five chores), visible (at the child's eye level), visual (pictures for children who can't read), and ticked by the child, not the parent. Rotate weekly chores, review the chart every month and move chores up as your child grows.

A chore chart turns a nagging conversation into a glance. Here is how to make a chores for kids chart that lasts more than a week:

• Three to five chores per child. More than that and the chart becomes wallpaper.

• Pictures for under-7s. A drawing of a sock or a toy basket is enough.

• Put it where the chore happens, at the child's eye level: the bedroom door, the fridge, beside the shoe rack.

• Let the child tick it. Ticking is the reward for most children under 8.

• Separate daily chores from weekly chores for kids on the chart, so the big jobs don't crowd the everyday ones.

• Stickers for under-6s. A sticker chart works well for preschoolers; the Cleveland Clinic suggests a small reward once a set number of stickers is reached.

• Review it once a month. Drop what has become automatic and add one new skill.

A printable chore chart on paper is the cheapest option. If you want one you can reuse, a magnetic dry-erase monthly wall planner with markers (₹499) works as a chores for kids chart: write the chores down the side, the days across the top, and wipe it clean each month. For younger children, an analogue clock in their room also helps chores happen "at 7 o'clock" rather than "later"; our panda pendulum wall clock (₹1,199) is one option.

Is there a good chores for kids app?

A chores for kids app can help children 8 and up, especially those who like games or ticking things off on a phone. Apps parents use include S'moresUp (chores with points) and Joon (built for children with ADHD). OurHome, often recommended in older lists, has been discontinued, and some popular US apps, such as Greenlight, are tied to US bank cards. Check an app is available in India before you set it up. For children under 8, a paper or magnetic chart is usually better: it is always visible, needs no screen, and the act of ticking is part of the reward. A chores for kids app also adds screen time, so decide whether that trade-off is worth it in your home.

Should pocket money be given to children? Chores for kids to earn money

Pocket money can be a good way to teach children about money, but most experts advise keeping it separate from everyday family chores. Basic chores are unpaid because everyone who lives in the home helps. Extra jobs, beyond the normal list, can earn money. That keeps chores from becoming a deal a child can refuse.

Should pocket money be given to children at all? Yes, from about age 6 or 7, if you use it to teach saving and spending. The New York Times money columnist Ron Lieber, in his book The Opposite of Spoiled, argues that pocket money (allowance) should not be tied to everyday chores, because a child can decide they don't need the money and stop helping. His suggestion is a fixed weekly amount split into three jars: spend, save and give. Research on toddlers points the same way: in a 2008 study, 20-month-olds who were given a toy each time they helped were less likely to help again later than toddlers who were only thanked or got nothing (Warneken and Tomasello, Developmental Psychology). Rewards can turn a natural wish to help into a trade.

Chores for kids to earn money work best as a short list of extra jobs, beyond the normal chart, each with a price you set. Paid extra jobs suit chores for kids 10 years old and up best, because by then a child can do a whole job well and understands what the money buys. Chores for teenagers can include bigger paid jobs, such as helping a relative set up a phone or tutoring a younger cousin. An example list of paid chores for 9-12 year olds:

Set your own rates; these are examples, not a standard. Chores for kids to earn pocket money also teach the link between work and money better than a gift does. From age 10, the Reserve Bank of India allows banks to let minors open and operate their own savings account (banks set the limits), which is a good next step once a child is saving regularly.

Chores for kids with ADHD and autism

Chores for kids with ADHD and autism work best when they are broken into small steps, shown with pictures, done at the same time each day and rewarded quickly. Choose chores by your child's developmental stage, not their age, and start with one chore until it becomes automatic.

Children who find focus, planning or change harder still benefit from chores, often more than other children, because chores build exactly the planning and memory skills they find hard. The method just needs adjusting.

Chores for kids with ADHD

Chores for kids with ADHD go wrong when the instruction is too big ("clean your room") or the reward is too far away. What helps:

• One step at a time: "Put the cars in the blue bin" rather than "tidy up".

• A picture checklist on the wall, with each step shown.

• A timer: "Let's beat 5 minutes."

• Stay nearby. Many children with ADHD start and finish better when an adult is in the same room (sometimes called body doubling).

• Quick rewards: a tick, a sticker, or 10 minutes of a favourite activity straight after.

• Movement chores: carrying, sweeping and watering suit an active child better than sorting small items.

Age appropriate chores for kids with ADHD are usually one row lower on the chart than their age, at first. A 9-year-old with ADHD may need the 6–7 row while the routine settles. That is not failure; it is the right starting point. Age appropriate chores for kids with ADHD are also the ones with a clear, visible end: a basket that is full, a table that is clear, a plant that is watered. Chores for kids with ADHD also connect to focus at homework time; our guide on how to improve concentration in kids covers routines that help both.

Chores for kids with autism

Chores for kids with autism work best with predictability. Occupational therapists and behaviour therapists use task analysis, which breaks a chore into small, ordered steps, and a visual schedule, which shows those steps as photos or symbols. "Set the table" might become six photos: take plates, put one at each chair, take spoons, put one beside each plate, take tumblers, put one above each plate. Do the chore at the same time and in the same order each day. Watch for sensory triggers, such as the noise of a vacuum, the feel of a wet cloth or the smell of cleaner, and pick chores that suit your child's senses. An occupational therapist can help you choose and break down chores for kids with autism, and many children go on to be the most reliable helpers in the family, because they like the routine.

Why are chores good for kids? Chores and life skills

Chores are good for kids because they build life skills (cooking, cleaning, planning), responsibility and a sense of being capable. Research links chores in early childhood with higher self-competence and better working memory and self-control later. Chores also teach children that a family is a team.

Why chores are good for kids is not just about a tidier home. Three findings stand out:

• Self-competence. A 2019 study in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics (White, DeBoer and Scharf) followed 9,971 US children from kindergarten. Children who did chores more often in kindergarten rated themselves higher in social, academic and life-satisfaction competence in the third grade (Class 3). The authors also linked early chores with prosocial behaviour and self-efficacy, a child's belief that they can do things.

• Executive function. A 2022 study in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal (Tepper and colleagues) asked the parents of 207 children aged 5 to 13 about chores. Self-care chores (such as making themselves a meal) and family-care chores (making someone else a meal) predicted better working memory and inhibition, even after allowing for age, gender and disability.

• Responsibility. The American Academy of Pediatrics describes chores as a way for children to learn responsibility and contribute to the family, and recommends honest praise for the effort, not just the result.

These are links, not proof that chores cause better outcomes. But they all point the same way, and there is no evidence that sensible chores harm children.

Are chores good for kids, or is childhood for play?

Are chores good for kids when they already have school, tuition and activities? Yes, in small amounts. Ten to twenty minutes a day takes nothing away from play, and children who help often feel more grown-up and more confident. Chores done with a parent are also time together, which many children enjoy more than the adult expects. Household chores for kids are also the cheapest way to teach basic life skills for kids, because the materials are already in your home. The aim is not hard work; it is a child who knows they are needed.

What is a life skill for kids?

A life skill for kids is any practical, social or thinking skill a child needs to look after themselves and get along with others, such as cooking a simple meal, managing money, solving problems, communicating clearly and coping with stress. Chores are the most everyday way children practise life skills at home.

Basic life skills for kids start with self-care (dressing, eating, washing) and move to caring for the home and for other people. Montessori classrooms call these everyday jobs "practical life" activities, and they start them at about 2½. Life skills for kids by age follow the chores chart closely: a 4-year-old who sets spoons is learning to plan and count, and a 12-year-old who cooks a simple meal is learning to plan, time and follow steps.

What are the 7 essential life skills for kids?

The seven essential life skills for kids, as set out by the researcher Ellen Galinsky in Mind in the Making, are: focus and self-control; perspective taking; communicating; making connections; critical thinking; taking on challenges; and self-directed, engaged learning. Everyday chores give children practice in most of them.

What are 20 important life skills for children?

Twenty important life skills for children are: cooking a simple meal, doing laundry, cleaning, basic first aid, managing money, time management, decision making, problem solving, communication, empathy, self-care and hygiene, grocery shopping, safety, organising, caring for plants and pets, simple repairs, teamwork, coping with stress, self-awareness and finding their way around.

The World Health Organization's ten core life skills (self-awareness, empathy, critical thinking, creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, effective communication, interpersonal relationships, coping with emotions and coping with stress) cover the social and thinking side. Chores add the practical side. Here are the 20, each with a chore or activity that builds it; these double as life skills for kids activities, and the last column gives life skills for kids by age so you know when to start each one. Pick one of these life skills for kids activities a month and you will have covered the list by the time your child is 12.

A child who says "I'm bad at this" before even trying a new chore is giving you a chance to teach persistence and a growth mindset (the idea that skills grow with practice); our post on what to do when your child says "I'm bad at this" covers that conversation.

Seven chore mistakes parents make

The most common chore mistakes are redoing the child's work, using chores as a punishment, paying for every job, expecting perfection, giving chores only to daughters, adding too many chores at once and nagging instead of using a chart. Each one teaches children that chores are unpleasant or optional.

1. Redoing it in front of them. A lumpy bed is still a made bed. Fix it later, if at all.

2. Chores as punishment. "Go and clean the bathroom because you were rude" teaches that chores are a penalty.

3. Paying for everything. Keep family chores unpaid and extra jobs paid.

4. Expecting perfection. Praise the effort and one specific thing done well.

5. Gendered chores. Sons cook and clean; daughters carry bags and fix things.

6. Too many at once. Start with three. Add one a month.

7. Nagging. Point at the chart instead of repeating yourself.

Frequently asked questions

How many chores should a child have?

Most children do well with three to five daily chores and one or two weekly chores. Toddlers need just one or two jobs done with an adult. Start with fewer than you think and add one chore a month once the first ones happen without reminders.

How long should kids spend on chores each day?

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia suggests about 10–20 minutes a day for school-age children, with more at weekends and in summer, and 20–30 minutes a day for teenagers. For under-5s, a few minutes spread across the day is enough.

What should I do if my child refuses to do chores?

Stay calm and use "when–then": "When your plate is in the kitchen, then you can go and play." Offer a choice between two chores so they feel some control. Check that the chore is not too hard for their age. If refusal happens every day, review the whole routine rather than arguing about each job.

Should I redo a chore my child did badly?

Not in front of them. If the result is good enough, leave it. If it really needs fixing, show them the one step they missed next time ("towels fold in half, then half again") and let them redo it. Redoing it yourself teaches your child their effort doesn't count.

Is it okay to use chores as a punishment?

It is better not to. Chores used as punishment teach children that housework is a penalty, which makes everyday chores harder to keep going. Use natural consequences instead, such as a toy that wasn't tidied going on a high shelf for a day.

Should siblings get the same chores?

Siblings should get chores that match their age, not identical chores. A 4-year-old sets spoons while a 9-year-old sets plates. Rotate the weekly chores so everyone gets the less-liked jobs in turn, and let the older child have first pick as a privilege.

Can chores replace screen time?

Chores can fill some of the time that would go to screens, especially on weekends and holidays, but they shouldn't be the only alternative. Mix them with play, reading and outdoor time. A good rule: chores and homework first, then screen time.

Should children do chores during exams?

Yes, but lighter ones. Keep the daily self-care chores (bed, plate, bag), which take minutes and keep a routine, and pause the bigger weekly jobs during exam weeks. A 10-minute chore can also be a useful break between study blocks.

What clothes make chores easier for kids?

Soft cotton clothes with an elastic waist and no tight sleeves let children bend, reach and carry comfortably. Sleeves that fall over the hands get wet at the sink, so check the fit. Our everyday comfort sets are made for home days, and our guide to common kids' clothes sizing mistakes helps you avoid oversized buys.

How do I get grandparents or my partner to support chores?

Agree on two or three jobs that are always the child's, explain why (independence and confidence), and ask everyone not to do those jobs for the child. Invite grandparents to teach a skill rather than do the task. When every adult gives the same message, children stop looking for the one who will do it for them.