How to Get Your Kids to Help with Chores at Home
The importance of chores almost cannot be overstated. Not only for the help and relief it provides the parents, but the importance it lends our children.
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Another important consideration is that kids will learn by doing. You may not want your toddler trying to carry porcelain plates to the dinner table, but that doesn’t mean you should wait until a child is fully capable of doing something to give them the responsibility. Give your little one plastic or melamine plates with food on them to get in some good, safe practice. And give praise often and early, especially regarding the effort because they may not do it perfectly at first
Ready to get started taking some stuff of your own plate? Here’s what our panel of experts recommends children start doing around the house at various ages.
Chores for kids ages 2-3
- Tidy the bedroom
- Pick up toys
- Wipe spills
- Put away clothes
- Dust
Chores for kids ages 4-6
all of the above, plus...
- Get dressed
- Make their bed
- Set and clear table
- Empty the dishwasher
- Sort and fold clothes
- Sweep floors
- Feed pets and animals
- Water plants
- Collect mail or newspaper
- Wash hands
Chores for kids ages 7-10
all of the above, plus...
- Do laundry
- Mop
- Vacuum
- Wash dishes
- Write a shopping list
- Put away groceries
- Rake leaves
- Make snacks
- Simple meal preparation
- Take pet for walk
Chores for kids ages 10+
all of the above, plus...
- Clean the kitchen and bathrooms
- Wash the car
- Wash windows
- Babysit siblings at home
- Change bedsheets
If your kids don’t pick up on the routine right away or resist the responsibilities, stick with it and remember both the short- and long-term benefits of adopting these new habits. “These chores will help them to develop life skills and feelings of self-sufficiency that will help them to be successful adults,” Tingley says.
Then, when the literal dust has settled, spend time as a family every day or every week appreciating your hard work. Have a dance party in your newly cleaned kitchen or cuddle up to a movie night with a family-favorite dessert. Just be sure to sweep up the crumbs!