Age appropriate chores for kids teaches valuable life skills, responsibility, makes them feel capable & confident, and builds a strong work ethic. Learn what kid’s chores and household responsibilities children can master, at each appropriate age and ability level.
Chores and helping around the house provide children the opportunity to learn valuable life skills, independence, responsibility and a sense of pride for their contribution to the family home.
When kids help around the house, it makes family life run smoother, but it’s also an essential part of a parent’s job to teach children how to do chores and become a productive member of society.
Do you ever notice how your kids ask to help sweep or wipe down the counters? They request to cook alongside you in the kitchen or rake leaves in the yard, and that’s because Kids WANT to help around the house. In fact, children derive great satisfaction from being a contributing family member, and gain a sense of pride from completing tasks.
(You can download your free printable of Age Appropriate Chores at the bottom of this article)
5 Things Kids Learn by Helping With Chores:
RESPONSIBILITY
I love to help my children, but that doesn’t mean I should be trailing behind them to pick up fallen toys or a lost sock. My children are responsible for their own things and to pick up after themselves. We have organized spots dedicated to their shoes, jackets and backpacks (we repurposed a bookshelf for this) and cupboards and bins for their toys. Learning how to be responsible for themselves, and taking good care of their belonging helps everyone in our family.
INDEPENDENCE & SELF-RELIANCE
At one point in the future, your children will leave home and you will not be available to do their laundry or wash their dinner dishes. The gift of self-reliance is one of the most valuable life lessons you can teach your children to help them become successful adults. This covers the basics such as how to pick up and clean the house, basic cooking skills, laundry, managing money and sticking to a budget – THIS IS REAL LIFE. The more you can give your children responsibilities, the more independence and self-reliant they’ll become and thank you for when they enter the real world.
TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS
There is a set amount of time in each day, and kids learn quickly that if they want to spend it doing the things they love, they must first complete their chores in a timely manner so they can get back to the real fun stuff. Having chores teaches kids how to manage their time and build a strong work ethic. Time management is something which will follow children into adulthood as they learn how to balance school, extra curricular activities, social commitments, work and other duties which all require time and attention.
CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITIES
It’s a great feeling when your kids come to you and are brimming with confidence because they’ve just completed a task, seeing it through from start to finish. It may be making their bed by themselves, preparing breakfast, putting away laundry, wiping down the bathroom sink, or feeding your pets. Kids are excited to learn and master skills and this makes them confident to work hard and accomplish the task they’re assigned. Feeling capable is a great attitude and mindset to have!
EVERY PERSON IN THE FAMILY CHIPS IN
Being a part of a family, means doing your part to work together and help one another. It also means contributing to the work load of keeping your home clean and tidy. When children are little, the burden falls onto the parents, but as they get older, sharing responsibilities helps everyone keep a role in the family unity. Everyone benefits when all family members chip in and do their part.
Age Appropriate Chores for Kids
Summer is the perfect time to help kids get into the habit of doing chores. Summer is generally less structured, and allows more free time during the day for them to learn how to properly do chores and complete them.
This year, I have created an age-appropriate chore chart of helpful tasks your kids can master based on their appropriate age and abilities.
You are so right, kids love to help if we’ll let them. They have such joy in getting things done. When I see them do their chores with such enthusiasm I always have to think of how much we can learn from them as well.
Great post, and thanks for the list of chores by age! I’ll be using it to expand on some chores with my kids 🙂