Chore Charts for Kids: Age-by-Age Lists and Free Printables
Submitted by Kelley Heyworth on
It's spring, everyone is stuck at home, and housecleaning services are on hiatus: If ever there was a time to roll out chore charts for your kids, it's now! Children as young as 2 or 3 are not only capable of many household tasks but benefit psychologically and emotionally from pitching in, according to research. A famous Harvard study that tracked men over their lifetimes showed kids who did jobs, in or out of the home, were more likely to be more successful and happy as adults. (We don't need scientists to tell us extra help boosts parents' mental health, too.)
Of course, little kids and big kids are different in what chores they can handle, and what motivates them to help. We've tapped experts and veteran parents to make these age-by-age chore charts with developmentally appropriate jobs for toddlers to teenagers. Parents can use the boxes on these printable charts to check off chores kids are responsible for each week or fill them with stickers for a job well done. Check out these 20 ways kids and teens can help others during coronavirus to learn how children can pitch in outside the home, too.