Here’s A Super Helpful Chart Showing At What Age To Give Kids Certain Chores
Have you ever wondered when your child is old enough to mow the lawn, do his own laundry or unload the dishwasher? Believe it or not, there’s a helpful chart that explains which charts are best for which age ranges.
Research shows that the concept of giving kids chores is helpful for their development and also may help them find professional success later in life. The chores can be little things just so they are contributing to keeping the home clean and tidy, but try adding a regular schedule of tasks in order to help them learn responsibility.
You can start with simple chores, such as putting toys away in a box when kids are super little. Then, work your way up to more complicated chores such as ironing clothes or mopping the floors when kids get older.
This chart comes from the Family Flanders blog. As Jennifer Flanders, the brains behind the blog pointed out, it may take some time for your child to learn how to do each job perfectly. But it’s important for you to encourage them no matter what.
“Teaching your child to do any chore may initially take more time than just doing the chore yourself,” she writes. “Some kids will need more supervision than others, over a longer period of time, before they can complete the chore up to standard.”
She also pointed out that working with your child (as opposed to sending them off into another part of the house to complete a task) can help build camaraderie and morale in your family.
Here’s the chart, which describes tasks such as matching clean socks (appropriate for kids ages 6-7) and preparing a simple meal (appropriate for kids ages 10-11).
Of course, remember that every child (and every family) is different, so if these suggested chores don’t work for you, don’t push it—they’re simply suggestions.
“The age at which he learns to do chores is not nearly as important as that he learns to do them,” Jennifer Flanders wrote on her blog. “In our experience, this learning occurs most naturally when little ones are trained early to pitch in and help by doing whatever chores they are capable of doing at whatever age they happen to be.”
Take a look at the chart to see when your kids should be ready to help set the table, do the dishes, chop vegetables and help with other meal prep—and at what age they may be ready to prepare a full meal on their own (yes, really, that day will come!).
On a side note, if the kids are onboard to helping with daily chores, but your spouse hates cleaning, try these products to help making cleaning a little easier.
There’s a separate but similar chart that’s been created specifically about kitchen chores.