Age-appropriate chores for children, from toddlers to teens

Every child is different

The ideas below are suggestions, not targets. Children develop at different rates, and a job that suits one seven-year-old may frustrate another. The lists draw on a chores leaflet from NHS Tayside's children's occupational therapy service, which advises working alongside children while they learn a chore before deciding they can manage on their own, and making sure they are safe with any equipment involved.

A simple pattern helps with any new job: show them, do it together, watch them do it, then let them try alone. Go back a step whenever something new is involved.

Chores by age at a glance

Ages 2 to 3

At this age the aim is joining in, not a finished job.

• Put toys in a toy box and stack books on a low shelf
• Put dirty clothes in the laundry basket
• Throw rubbish in the bin
• Fetch nappies and wipes for a younger sibling
• Help set the table with unbreakable things
• Dust with a dry cloth

Ages 4 to 5

• Feed pets, with an adult measuring out the food
• Wipe up spills
• Make the bed and tidy their bedroom
• Water indoor plants
• Clear the kitchen table, then dry and put away unbreakable dishes
• Use a hand-held vacuum

Ages 6 to 7

• Fold towels and match clean socks
• Empty the dishwasher, leaving sharp knives for an adult
• Replace the toilet roll and gather rubbish from around the house
• Weed the garden and rake leaves
• Peel potatoes and carrots, and make a simple salad, with an adult beside them

Ages 8 to 9

• Load the dishwasher
• Put a wash on, then hang up or fold the clean clothes
• Put the shopping away
• Dust furniture and wipe the table
• Scramble eggs or bake, with an adult at the hob or oven
• Help walk the dog

Ages 10 to 12

• Vacuum carpets
• Clean the bathroom and kitchen, using products you have chosen
• Hang out the washing
• Prepare a simple meal
• Bring in the post and sweep out the garage or path
• From about 12, shop for groceries with a list

Ages 13 and over

• Cook a complete dinner, or bake bread or a cake
• Iron clothes
• Wash the car and the windows they can reach from the ground
• Mow the lawn once you have shown them how
• Do simple home repairs

Setting up a fair rota

1. List every job. Write down what needs doing each day and each week, including the jobs adults usually do without anyone noticing.
2. Match jobs to ages. Give each child jobs from their age band or the one below, so the list stretches them without setting them up to fail.
3. Balance effort, not numbers. Three two-minute jobs are not the same as cleaning the bathroom. Aim for similar effort for their age, not identical lists.
4. Rotate the unpopular ones. Bins, bathrooms and washing up can move round each week so nobody is stuck with them.
5. Make it visible. Put the rota where everyone can see it, with names and days, so nobody has to remember or nag.
6. Review it. Look again at the start of each school term or after a birthday, and move jobs up as children grow.

If you would rather not keep a paper chart, Dom's chore chart rotates jobs and keeps weekly points for each child, and children can be added without needing their own login.

Points, pocket money or neither

There is no single right answer. MoneyHelper, the government-backed money guidance service, sets out the trade-off:

• Paying for chores. Make a list of jobs and what you are willing to pay for each. MoneyHelper says this teaches children that money is not unlimited and has to be earned.
• Not paying. If you want chores to teach that everyone helps around the house, MoneyHelper notes you may prefer children to do them because they are asked, not because they are paid.

A middle route is to keep everyday jobs as part of family life and pay, or give points, only for extra or bigger jobs.

If you give pocket money, MoneyHelper says there is no right amount, as it depends on how much you can spare and how old your child is. What matters most is that it is regular and predictable. Weekly money helps younger children get used to making their own decisions, while a monthly amount teaches older children to budget for longer. Saving jars or pots for different goals can help a child learn to wait for something they want. For teenagers, MoneyHelper suggests small jobs as a way to earn all or part of their pocket money.

Points can suit children who are too young for money, or families who would rather not pay. Agree in advance what points can be swapped for, such as choosing the Friday film or an extra bedtime story, and keep the exchange simple.

Keeping chores safe

Cleaning products

The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) advises keeping cleaning products in a high or lockable cupboard, putting them back out of reach straight after use, and not relying on safety caps, which slow children down but are not childproof. Keep products in their original containers: CAPT warns that out of them, they are easier to mistake for a drink or sweets. RoSPA adds that you should never mix products, as this can release dangerous gases.

For chores, that means an adult chooses the product, hands it over and puts it away. Younger children can do plenty with a damp cloth and water.

Washing pods

CAPT says the liquid in washing pods and capsules is up to five times more concentrated than powder and can cause life-changing chemical burns to eyes, skin and throats. Keep them in a high or lockable cupboard rather than beside the machine, and never leave one sitting on top of the washing. If an older child puts a wash on while toddlers are around, an adult can load the pod.

Knives and peelers

RoSPA advises keeping knives out of young children's reach at all times, ideally in a locked drawer. For children learning to cut, a knife safety guide from the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation's Kitchen Garden Project says that, in its experience, around seven is the right age to start, always with close supervision. It teaches the bridge and claw holds, has an adult cut large or awkward items first, says children should not help wash up knives, and recommends peeling downwards, away from the body, with the food on the board.

Hot surfaces

RoSPA suggests trying to keep young children out of the kitchen while you cook, as they can easily burn themselves on hot surfaces like oven doors. Use the back rings of the hob, turn pan handles so they do not stick out over the edge, and use a cordless kettle or one with a coiled lead. When older children start cooking, stay beside them until you are confident they can manage.

If a burn or scald happens, the NHS says to hold it under cool running water for 20 minutes as soon as possible. Call 999 or go to A&E if it is very large or deep, or on the face, genitals or bottom, and call 111 if you are not sure what to do.

Paid jobs outside the home

When teenagers want to earn beyond the family, the law applies. GOV.UK says children can work part-time from 14, or from 13 in some council areas. They cannot work during school hours, before 7am or after 7pm, and in term time they can work a maximum of 12 hours a week, with no more than 2 hours on school days and Sundays. Most councils require employers to get a child employment permit, so check with your council's education department. School-aged children are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage.