Age-Appropriate Chores by Age: Chart and List for Ages 2–17

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Quick answer: Toddlers (2–3) can help put toys in a bin and carry clothes to the hamper with you. Ages 4–5 can manage one or two short jobs, such as setting napkins or matching socks. Ages 6–9 can follow a small checklist and own one area, like sweeping under the table. Ages 10–13 can learn multi-step jobs such as laundry, changing bedding, and cleaning a bathroom, and teenagers can own whole jobs like cooking a family meal. Readiness, safe equipment, and the right amount of help matter more than the birthday.

Chores by age chart

Use this chart as a menu, not a list to assign all at once. The examples are practical starting points, not milestones every child must reach. Pick one or two jobs from your child’s row, and borrow from the row above or below if that fits them better.

Many of the examples for ages 5–12 follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ age-appropriate chores list, which groups children into ages 5–7, 8–10, and 11–12. The toddler and teen rows are practical examples. The AAP also recommends introducing one new task at a time and praising effort rather than the outcome.

Why age-appropriate chores matter

Chores are not only about a cleaner house. In a US study that followed 9,971 children, parents reported how often their child did chores in kindergarten. By third grade, children who did chores more often rated themselves higher in social, academic, and life satisfaction competence, after adjusting for sex, family income, and parent education (White and colleagues, 2019). A smaller Australian study of 207 families with children aged 5–13 found that self-care and family-care chores were linked with parent-rated working memory and inhibition (Tepper and colleagues, 2022).

Both studies show associations, not proof that chores cause these outcomes. They do support a simple idea: real, regular jobs that match a child’s abilities are worth the effort of teaching.

Age-appropriate chores list, age by age

Ages 2–3: helping alongside you

Toddlers want to copy what adults do. Give them a one-step version of your job: you fold, they carry the socks to the drawer. Expect to stay right beside them and to redo nothing in front of them. The full list, with safety notes, is in chores for toddlers.

Ages 4–5: one item, one place

Try “put these blocks in this basket” instead of “clean the playroom.” Two or three short daily jobs tied to existing routines are plenty. See chores for preschoolers for ideas, and the chore chart for a 5-year-old for a weekly example.

Ages 6–7: a short checklist

Early readers can follow a short picture-and-word checklist: make the bed, put pajamas away, clear their plate. Name the finish line (“cover pulled up, pillow at the top”) so “done” means the same thing to both of you. Our chores for 7-year-olds guide covers ages 6–8, including kindergartners who have turned six.

Ages 8–9: own a small area

Hand over one area from start to finish: vacuum the living room rug, keep the shoe rack tidy, or put away the groceries that live on low shelves. Separate jobs into steps they can check, and keep cleaning products and sharp or heavy items under adult control. Eight-year-olds are covered in the 6–8 guide and nine-year-olds in the 9–11 guide.

Ages 10–11: multi-step jobs

This is the age to teach jobs with a sequence: sort, load, move, and fold a wash; load the dishwasher and run it; read a recipe, gather ingredients, and help cook with an adult present. Children this age can plan, so let them choose when in the day the job happens. More in chores for 10-year-olds.

Ages 12–13: whole jobs and responsibilities

Tweens can own outcomes rather than steps: “bathroom clean by Saturday lunch,” not “wipe the sink now.” This is also when responsibilities beyond chores grow, such as managing their own schedule. See chores for 12-year-olds for lists that also suit 13-year-olds.

Ages 14–17: launch-ready skills

Teenagers can cook a family meal, do their laundry on their own schedule, and take on bigger paid extras. The system shifts from reminders to deadlines. Continue with chores for teenagers.

Chore safety by age: sharp tools, chemicals, and the stove

Age bands help you choose, but hazards need their own rules. These points come from pediatric, public health, and university extension guidance; your home, equipment, and child decide the rest.

• Cleaning products and laundry packets. The AAP advises keeping detergents in their original labeled containers, out of sight and reach, ideally in a high, locked cabinet. If children aged 6 or younger live in or visit your home, it suggests considering traditional detergent instead of single-load packets, and not letting children touch or play with packets. Give young helpers water and a cloth instead of sprays.
• Mixing products. When older children start using cleaners, choose one product for the job and teach them to read the label. Health Canada warns never to mix bleach with ammonia-based or acidic cleaners, including vinegar, because it can release toxic gas. Open a window or run a fan.
• The stove and oven. University of Illinois Extension recommends oven mitts for hot pans and never leaving the stove unattended. It suggests age-matched kitchen jobs, and even children 12 and older cooking more complex recipes still need supervision. Younger children can wash produce, stir, and pour away from the heat.
• Knives, scissors, and tools. The same extension guidance says to consider a child’s skill level before letting them use scissors or sharp knives. A common progression is a butter knife on soft foods first, then a small knife once you have taught a safe grip and stay beside them.
• Lawn mowers and power equipment. The AAP recommends children be at least 12 to operate a walk-behind power mower and 16 for a ride-on mower, and only once they show the maturity, judgment, strength, and coordination the job needs. Supervise until you are sure they can manage it, and never let children ride along as passengers.
• Caring for siblings and being home alone. The AAP chores list suggests 11- and 12-year-olds can watch younger siblings with an adult present. Its home-alone guidance says many experts consider 11 or 12 a reasonable age to stay home alone for a few hours, that readiness varies, and that some places set legal minimum ages, so check your local rules.

How to teach a chore: show, do together, watch, solo

A chart reminds a child what comes next; it does not teach the job. Move through four stages, and only add the chore to the chart when your child reaches the last one.

1. Show. Do the job while your child watches. Name each step briefly and point to the finish line.
2. Do it together. Split the steps. Your child does the easiest part while you do the rest, then you swap.
3. Watch. Your child does the whole job while you stay nearby. Coach only the next step instead of correcting everything.
4. Solo. Your child does it alone. Check the result now and then, and praise the effort, not just the outcome.

Teach one new job at a time. Some jobs move through the stages in a week; others, like cooking or laundry, take months. A child who needs help again is telling you the step was too big, not that they failed.

Age-appropriate responsibilities for kids

Chores are household jobs: dishes, laundry, trash. Responsibilities are wider. They include looking after themselves, their belongings, their time, schoolwork, money, and eventually other people. Many parents searching for age-appropriate responsibilities want both, so here are examples of the non-chore side.

Routines are a good place to practice responsibility. See our morning routine chart and after-school routine guides for checklists children can follow.

Paid vs. unpaid chores

Families answer this differently, and there is no single right answer. A common approach is to keep everyday contributions unpaid, because everyone who lives in a home helps run it, and to offer pay or stars for optional extras such as washing the car. The AAP mentions tangible rewards like allowances and stickers as one option alongside praise and encouragement.

Our guide to whether kids should get paid for chores compares the main models, and how much allowance by age gives example amounts. If you use stars instead of money, price the effort, not the child’s age: one star for a short familiar step, two for a bigger job, three for a large job you have already taught. These are example settings, not a rule.

Turn the list into a chore chart

1. Choose one new job. Keep familiar routines on the chart, but teach only one new household skill at a time.
2. Write the finish line. For example: “all socks paired and in the drawer.”
3. Choose the day. A weekly job belongs on its scheduled day, not on every day’s list.
4. Agree on the help. Say what your child can ask for and what they do alone.
5. Review after a week. Fix an unclear instruction or an oversized job before adding more.

To start on paper today, print our free printable chore chart and write in the jobs from your child’s row. With siblings of different ages, use separate lists for multiple kids and compare effort rather than totals. For school holidays, try our summer chore ideas.

To compare paper, apps, and shared family systems, see the chore app comparison and our chores for kids hub.

Frequently asked questions