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Finding age appropriate chores for younger and older kiddos are so important. You don’t need anything fancy and you only need to start out with small tasks. I truly believe that having our children partake in chores from a young age does help raise kids that will work hard in life and in turn will be more successful. No parent/guardian wants a spoiled kid right?
One important thing to remember before starting this journey is that kids need to be taught how you want them to do the chores. They’re not born knowing everything so please keep that in mind and be patient. You need to let them know what your expectations are of them and give them chores that are age appropriate. I’ve listed just a handful to give you some ideas but feel free to incorporate what works for your household.
I started out using chore charts with my then only child Nate, and it worked great for us. Nate knew our expectations and he worked hard. Of course he had days where he just wasn’t in the mood but you have to be sympathetic to situations as they arise. Now with him being seven, the game has changed a bit. He’s your typical gamer/YouTube fanatic so screen time has become an issue. It wasn’t until recently that I made these chore cards specifically for him. To keep it simple in our home, I’ve also started introducing chores to my now two and half year old. She’s getting more and more familiar and of course my little diva loves to help with everything. She has the biggest smile on her face after she finishes her chore and that’s the look of accomplishment. At first, I had the mom guilt of how young Sophia is and comparing her to the fact that Nate was not doing chores at two and half but I quickly realized that not because Nate wasn’t doing it at that age means Soph shouldn’t. One thing for sure is that he was an only child at that time, I never realized how giving chores to kids will help their future self be responsible and not feel entitled.
HOW DOES THE CHORE CARD WORKS vs THE CHORE CHART?
I like both ideas and that’s because I’ve used both. The chore chart is great if you have one child and if it’s easier for you to just write their chores out for the week and have them complete it. If that’s you, go for it. You need to figure out which way works best for your family and use that method.
The way the chore cards works is that he would do chores in exchange for screen time so we don’t have to feel guilty about him just being on electronics all the time. This way, he has responsibilities and once finished, he will have his reward. Nate has asked if he can save his earned time for the weekend and that was fine with us. I swear this has been a game changer.
- Cut your cards up and placed in a jar or container of your choice.
- I keep our jar on the counter where they kids can reach it easily. When it is chore time, each will close their eyes and grab their specific amount of cards. My oldest Nate who is seven gets to pick 2-3 cards whereas my little Sophia gets to pick 1 as she is now starting and is in the stubborn stage. You can figure out how many cards you would like your kids to pull out based on their age. Most of the time, I would “help” Soph with hers because remember kids needs to be taught and it will take a little bit more patience with the younger ones than older.
For the older kiddos, people are usually stuck on what types of chores should their teenagers do. Guess what? At their age, they should be able to do anything and most importantly would need the support from us to build their confidence that they can complete that task.
You can download your free copy of my chore chart by clicking the image below and use as you see fit.
Or get the 66 age appropriate chore cards below
