Age Appropriate Chores for Kids

Chores, chores, chores! A word that every child dreads, although they may not be much fun, chores have been proven to be beneficial to a child’s early development. Dr. Eileen Kennedy Moore, a clinical psychologist who specializes in child development, states that there are 3 major benefits of chores for kids:

• Competence- Chores allow children to understand the instructions given to them and implement them around the house.
• Values- The children understand the importance of helping others and supporting the greater good of the entire family.
• Building Confidence- Children who contribute to the household feel better about themselves and are proud of the work they’ve done.

(Kennedy-Moore, 2013).

Now that leaves the question, what chores is my child able to do around the house? Chores vary depending upon the age of the child, you wouldn’t ask your 12 month old to do laundry. The following are some ideas for age appropriate chores your child can start helping out with as soon as this weekend:

Toddler (Ages 2-3)

• Have your little one do minor chores that don’t take a lot of time, and that can also be made fun.
• Time them when they are picking up all of their toys to see how fast they can clean the play area.
• Have them collect their dirty clothes around their room and “shoot” them into the laundry basket.
• Allowing them to clean up their own mess will not only take some stress off of you and your family but will also help them learn that cleaning up can be an enjoyable experience.

Preschooler (Ages 3 to 5)

• Have children at this age get into the habit of cleaning their room regularly, including making their bed, vacuuming their room, and wiping all hard surfaces.
• Allow them to do chores in areas of the household besides their room such as
  • Feeding the pets
  • Setting the table for dinner  
  • Watering the plants
  • Washing dishes with adult supervision.
• Find chores that are still easy to do but are no longer just focused on the child’s playing or living area

School Age (6-12)

• Children in this age group are able to clean their room regularly without assistance although some may still need some guidance from you
• Grab the mail
• Take the garbage outside on trash day
• Help with dinner, vaccum the house
• Clean the microwave and much more
• Children at this age are able to do a lot more tedious chores around the house and also help their younger siblings with their chores

Brightside Academy encourages our students to complete chores throughout the day at our locations. In every classroom, each child is assigned to a table, at the end of the activity/day the children are responsible for clearing the table together, whether it be a game of Connect Four or Go Fish! We are teaching the children to be proud of their space and they take this thinking with them when they go home.

For more information on age appropriate chores, and ideas for creating chore schedules be sure read more articles on Pinterest. Also, don’t forget to like and share this article on Facebook!

Source:

Kennedy-Moore, Eileen. (2013). Chores and Children. Psychology Today. Online. Retrieved from:https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/growing-friendships/201303/chores-and-children.