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Chore chart by age: chores for kids 2 to 12
Toddlers can pick up toys; by ages 5–7 kids can make their bed and set the table, by 8–10 vacuum and help with dinner, and by 11–12 clean the kitchen and do laundry (American Academy of Pediatrics). Enter ages 2 to 12 for a printable chart.
Age-appropriate chores, ages 2 to 12
Ages 2–4 follow Intermountain Health; ages 5–12 follow the American Academy of Pediatrics, where each age group adds to the chores before it.
Ages 2–3
- Pick up toys and books
- Help wipe up spills
- Help feed a pet
- Help make the bed
- Take dirty clothes to the laundry
- Dust or mop a small area, with help
- Choose an outfit
- Help set and clear the table
Age 4
- Get dressed
- Make the bed
- Pick up toys and books
- Set and clear the table
- Help an adult prepare food
- Carry in light groceries
- Sort laundry by color
- Match socks
- Mop and dust, with an adult
- Feed and water a pet
- Hang up bath towels
Ages 5–7
- Make the bed
- Set and clear the table
- Put toys away
- Put dirty clothes in the hamper
- Help pack school lunches
- Empty wastebaskets
- Dust
- Sweep floors
- Sort laundry
- Fill a pet’s food dish
- Bring in the mail
- Water plants
- Neaten bookshelves
- Wash plastic dishes
- Weed and rake leaves
Ages 8–10 (adds to the list before)
- Vacuum
- Help make dinner
- Make their own snacks
- Walk a pet
- Put away their own laundry
- Put away groceries
Ages 11–12 (adds to the list before)
- Clean the kitchen
- Change the bedsheets
- Unload the dishwasher
- Wash and fold laundry
- Clean the bathroom and toilet
- Wash the car
- Cook a simple meal, with supervision
- Watch a younger sibling while an adult is home
Citing this? Link to https://tools.tidyandtended.com/chore-chart/. Lists from the AAP and Intermountain Health, lightly reworded. Free to reuse with a link (CC BY 4.0).
Making a chore chart work
Pick a few chores, show how to do each one, then let your child do it their way. Praise the effort, keep the chart where everyone sees it, and swap chores every few weeks so nobody gets stuck with the worst job. The AAP notes that chores help children feel capable and part of the family.
Questions
What chores can a 3-year-old do?
Picking up toys and books, helping wipe up spills, taking dirty clothes to the laundry and helping set the table, with an adult alongside.
What chores can a 5-year-old do?
Making the bed, setting and clearing the table, putting toys away, emptying wastebaskets, sorting laundry and watering plants, among others on the AAP list for ages 5–7.
What chores can an 8-year-old do?
Everything from ages 5–7, plus vacuuming, helping make dinner, making their own snacks, walking a pet and putting away their laundry and the groceries.
What chores can a 12-year-old do?
Cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, changing sheets, unloading the dishwasher, washing and folding laundry and cooking a simple meal with supervision.
Should kids be paid for chores?
Families differ. Many keep everyday chores unpaid, as part of family life, and pay for extra jobs; our sources don’t set a rule.
How many chores should a child have?
Start with two or three and add more as they get the hang of them. The chart shows up to eight per child.
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