Age-Appropriate Chores for Kids: Why They Matter

Household chores help children develop skills and take pride in their responsibilities.

Chores are a simple yet powerful way to prepare children for life and teach them healthy responsibility. MNStudio/Shutterstock

Learning responsibility is important for a child’s development and future success. Responsibility helps children in their personal lives and prepares them for future challenges. Chores teach children the importance of contributing to the family as a team.

But at what age should a child start doing chores? Different chores are appropriate at various stages in a child’s development. And what about payment? Should children be compensated for doing household chores?

1st Things 1st

According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry website, “Chores are routine but necessary tasks.” They can be washing dishes, folding laundry, or making the bed—whatever tasks commonly need to be done around the house.

Rather than being a burden to kids, chores can help them grow.

“Research in developmental psychology shows that assigning age-appropriate household tasks helps children develop a sense of responsibility, autonomy, and self-efficacy from an early age,” Jo Stuart, consultant psychologist at Hampstead Psychology, told The Epoch Times.

Some of the benefits kids receive from chores include time management skills, work-play balance, and organizational skills.

Age-Appropriate Tasks

According to the Child Development Institute, even kids aged 2 to 5 can learn a sense of responsibility from having chores. Some tasks this age group can help with are putting toys away, setting the table, and helping with simple household tasks. For example, they could dust low surfaces, wipe spills, or feed pets.

Anat Joseph, a licensed clinical social worker and psychoanalyst at MyPsychotherapy, told The Epoch Times that children aged 6 to 9 can start making their beds, folding laundry, and sweeping floors.

“By ages 10 to 12, they can take on more responsibility, such as loading and unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming, or helping with meal prep,” she said.

Teenagers can handle more advanced tasks such as mowing the lawn, doing their own laundry, or preparing simple meals, according to Joseph.

Should You Pay a Child for Doing Chores?

When it comes to paying for chores, there are mixed views. According to Stuart, the psychological literature reinforces the controversy.

“According to Self-Determination Theory, over-reliance on rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation, meaning that children may become less willing to help unless there’s a reward attached,” Stuart said.

However, she noted that “younger children need immediate tangible rewards to stay motivated.” A star chart is one way to give them a simple reward. As the child matures, he or she will learn how to delay gratification and understand that rewards will come later.

And while older children shouldn’t need rewards to motivate them, Stuart acknowledged that paid chores are a good opportunity to teach them financial literacy.

She suggested balancing these ideas with a hybrid approach.

Using Chores to Teach Financial Literacy

This is crucial: You must have a clear distinction between paid and unpaid tasks.

Family contributions or helping in the household should be unpaid, because participation in these tasks is expected from members of the household. In other words, children should have intrinsic motivation to do them. Some of these are tidying up after yourself, helping to clean the main areas of the house, and doing the dishes or helping with meal prep.

But there should also be voluntary earning opportunities. These are tasks that come with payment. You can decide if you want to make this the child’s only source of pocket money or make it an addition.

These should be more special tasks, such as washing the car or cleaning windows. Since they’re not part of the everyday running of the household, you can attach payment rewards to them to encourage kids to go above and beyond. That teaches kids the difference between contributing to the family and having opportunities to earn money.

Then, accompany those chores with lessons in financial literacy.

“Apps that track tasks and payments can support this learning and help older children develop healthy financial habits,” Stuart said.

These apps include Greenlight, Acorns, and Cash App, which allow parents to create simple systems in which children earn money for completing tasks. These apps allow the parent to track or deposit funds into a child-friendly account. They also educate older children about money.

Introducing Chores to Your Child

Some chores may require a learning process. When you’re in a hurry, it may feel easier and quicker to do the task yourself. But teaching a child will be helpful in the long run.

You can start introducing your child to chores by clearly explaining what needs to be done. Establish regular routines, such as cleaning up immediately after dinner. Instead of just saying, “Take the trash out,” say, “Take the trash out after dinner.” This is a clear instruction with a clear expectation.

Be consistent. Changing the rules or expectations will only confuse your child.

Always give positive feedback and reinforcement. Join in your children’s pride in completing a chore. For example, compliment them on how well they cleaned their room or completed their chores without being asked.

Ultimately, you must be a good role model. If your bedroom is neat, then they are encouraged to clean their bedrooms.