Struggling to get your child to do chores? I know it’s hard to stay on track when all routines went out the window in March. But now with summer just around the corner, how can we get kids to continue with their chore responsibilities?

When our state decided to go into shut-down mode because of COVID-19, my home life became a little bit more hectic. My son, who just turned 13, had a small list of chores he did after school. But now the “after school” time was gone, and we easily got out of our own personal habits. Soon I found myself doing chores that he was supposed to do.

Instead of giving him the space and opportunity to complete each chore, I pulled back on the responsibility because of the situation. This was not best. I decided to restructure his distance learning routine and make him a simple chore chart.

My son thrives with routines, checklists, and visuals that he can follow on his own. Giving him chores made him feel like he had a job and showed his personal growth as a little human.

So, if you and your family fell off of the chore system or maybe you need to get in the habit, start using a chore chart and assign your child a chore no matter what their age.

Here is how to get your child(ren) to do chores no matter how old they are.

Tips For Getting Kids to do Chores

Before looking into the different chores your kids can do at various ages, let’s take a moment to discuss getting your kids to do their chores in the first place. This is going to be one of the struggles you face, once you know what chores your child is able to handle at his or her current age. Remember to keep trying and not give up on your child, as one of these methods is going to help your child understand that chores are part of their personal responsibility and not just something mom or dad will do (like I tried to do).

Remain Consistent

One of the most important things to remember when you want your kids to do their chores, is to remain consistent. Don’t do the cleaning up for them if they take too long or don’t want to do it. If you told your pre-teen daughter to put her folded laundry away, leave it there until she does it. If you have rules about consequences of not doing chores, see them through. Your kids will soon learn you mean business and they need to keep up with these responsibilities.

Start Chores at a Young Age

A common mistake many people make because they aren’t aware of what kids can do at certain ages is waiting too long to have kids do chores. Even kids as young as 2 or 3 can do certain things that will get them used to the practice of doing chores. Start them young, and it will be easier to get them to do chores as they get older.

I didn’t give my son chores until he was about 8, and I know I waited too long. But by the time he was 11, he had his routine down pat. He was remembering what to do on what particular day better than I was.

Don’t Worry About Being Perfect

Your child is not going to do the chores perfect every time, but it’s the effort that is most important. You can supervise some of these tasks so that you know if something needs to be re-done when they leave the room, such as a kid doing dishes and not cleaning something all the way. However, with things like folding laundry and making the bed, don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. If you judge them for this, they will lose all motivation to keep doing chores.

Keep Praising Your Child

Make sure your kids know that they are doing a good job. Children really want to do good and it helps tremendously when you can recognize their efforts. Every time they do a chore on their own without being asked, do it correctly, or keep up with the chore chart you have created, praise them and let them know they did a good job.

Consider Offering an Allowance

This is an individual choice, but many parents find that giving their kids an allowance works great. Some parents do feel that this is teaching kids they will get a reward every time they do something that should already be expected, while others believe it teaches them good work ethic for the future.

I started giving my son a $10 allowance when he was in 5^th grade. This is really your choice, but you might want to consider an allowance, at least for older children and teens.

Incorporate Pets

If you have a pet or are thinking about getting a pet, this is a great way to introduce the responsibility of taking care of animals in your home and can be easily added to the chore list.

Chores for Younger Children

When your child reaches about 2 or 3 years old, they are usually old enough to do some smaller chores. This is a good age to get started so they can begin learning personal responsibility. Keep in mind they won’t be able to do everything themselves, but it is a great age to have them help you with things.

Two and Three Year-Olds

You can have your younger children start helping to pick up their toys and blocks when they’re done playing and start helping you make the bed. They won’t be able to completely do it on their own, but let them assist you while you make it. Kids at this age should also be able to help with spills, feed the pets with your supervision, and put their dirty clothes in the laundry basket. Also incorporate a song like, “Clean up, clean up, everybody cleans up…” or put on music and make it fun.

Four and Five-Year-Olds

When they get a little older, they can start doing more things on their own. This includes doing more of making the bed, being responsible for picking up things in the living room and bedroom and getting dressed on their own. Children of this age should also be able to help with some things in the kitchen, such as stirring or putting dishes in the dishwasher. They can help outdoors by watering plants, raking leaves and putting them into bags, putting away groceries, and taking dirty dishes from the table and putting them in the sink.

What School-Aged Children Can Do

By the time your child reaches first or second grade, they should already be comfortable with doing chores and on their way to being capable of doing even more around the house. This includes chores they have already started doing, but now can do without supervision.

Six and Seven Year-Olds

Your children should now be able to make their own beds without supervision. It is okay if it isn’t perfect, but this is a good age to stop helping them. Here is a list of other tasks and chores kids at this age can handle:

• Vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping
• Taking out the trash, with your supervision
• Folding and putting away laundry
• More food prep, with your supervision
• Cleaning up their room

Ages 8-10

This is a great age because your kid is starting to become more independent. They are choosing their own clothes, helping with laundry and dishes, and hopefully making their bed and cleaning their room each day. You can also add a few more chores, including preparing easy meals completely on their own, washing the car, and cleaning their bathroom.

Chores for Your Pre-Teen

By the time your child reaches their pre-teen stage, which is between 11 and 12 years old, they are doing many things on their own. This is the age where you should expect your son and daughter to start doing their own laundry. You can still supervise them to make sure they use the right amount of soap and select the right setting, but for the most part, it is a chore they can handle on their own.

Pre-teens can also do the following things themselves:

• Dust wood furniture
• Vacuum and mop all rooms
• Change light bulbs
• Change their bed sheets
• Do more yard work, such as pulling weeds or mowing the lawn
• Preparing simple family meals
• Cleaning windows and mirrors
• Doing the dishes without help

Teenager Chore Responsibilities

When you have teenagers in your home, you are starting to prepare them for adulthood. You want to teach them as many basic skills as you can before they reach 18, so that by the time they go to college or move out on their own, they know how to take care of themselves and their home properly. This is done through various chores around the house.

13 Year-Olds

For 13 year-olds, you want to start introducing them to life skills, in addition to the chores they have already been doing. Of course keep having them make their bed each morning, do the dishes, and continue working on their own laundry. However, they should also start doing some things they will need to handle on their own as an adult, such as replacing the bag in the vacuum cleaner, ironing their clothes, mowing the lawn, and possibly even doing some minor repairs around the house. Aside from changing a light bulb, a 13 year-old can also help with things like hammering nails, as long as they have supervision.

14 and 15 Year-Olds

Continuing with these types of lessons, have your 14 and 15-year-olds do more home chores as well. For example, you can have your them start preparing more elaborate meals from recipes they find and have them do the grocery shopping for ingredients. Also, they can start babysitting for neighbor kids, or younger siblings, or they can wash the outdoor windows in your home. These are life skills that help your teens take care of themselves.

16 and Up

By the time your teens reach 16 or 17 years old, they should be doing everything you are doing. This includes being able to clean out the refrigerator, do any housework or yard work, wash cars, make a grocery list and shop on their own, and do deep cleaning around the house. This is also a good age to start teaching your teens about financial budgeting and driving.

Final Thoughts

Continue introducing new chores to your kids each week and add or take away items listed from your chore chart. They shouldn’t be doing all household duties, but helping out so they can learn how to do things on their own. By the time your child gets of age to move out of the house, you’ll feel confident they know what they are doing.