Chores Your Kids Can Help You With At Every Age

Even the smallest kids can help around the house. A number one chore they can do is putting away toys. Show you kid where toys go and make a game of picking them up together. Take advantage of their low height and have them dust baseboards and windowsills. Less bending over for you! If they spill something, show them how to clean it up. If you have a pet that needs a water bowl filled or a scoop of food in the bowl, show them how to do it and then let them do it regularly, with supervision.

Around this time, kids can make their bed every morning, even if it’s just straightening out the covers. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be a routine. Before meals, they can set the table and then clear if after the meal is done. They can also help load and unload the dishwasher. Sort the laundry together (separate dark and light dirty clothes or pull out all the clean socks and match them together). Wash cloths and small towels are excellent things to learn how to fold. They can collect and empty trash cans around the house and water plants as needed.

Older kids can have even more responsibilities. At this age, kids can sweep floors or vacuum. If they’ve mastered unloading the dishwasher, have them learn how to load it (a bit trickier!). This is also a good time to learn how to prepare simple foods like snacks and sandwiches, or even their school lunch. They can fold their own clothes and put them away, but they can also help with the household linens.

Not only should middle schoolers have mastered most chores inside the house by now, but they can also help outside. Would mowing the lawn with supervision be a good place to start? Certainly, they can rake leaves. Babysitting younger siblings is another area where they could help, as well as making more complicated meals, with supervision.

Treat your high schoolers like the mini-adults they are. By the time kids reach high school, they should be getting ready to do a lot of things independently. They can be in charge of their own laundry, including washing, drying and folding. They can take the lead on yard work and assist with grocery shopping, meal planning and meal prep, as well as making meals for themselves or the whole family. They should start to learn about managing money, especially if they have a job. If there’s a home maintenance tasks, loop them in so they can learn how it’s done. The same goes for a car, including checking oil and tire pressure, especially if they’re driving.