How to Create a Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Household Chore List

Family life comes with a set of evergreen and never-ending chores to do around the house. This is especially true for families where both partners work, where they have two or more children, and where the grandparents live in the same house.

Household Chore List

​Busy families are generally well trained in doing chores. Some of these might include cleaning up toys, putting them together if they are bits and pieces, mopping floors, wiping surfaces, getting laundry in and out of the washing machine, dusting, dish-washing, and putting groceries in the right place in the pantry.

​​We break the household chore list into daily chores, weekly chores, and monthly chores, along with a section on seasonal chores. We also dive into how to create a chore schedule and a chore list chart.

The good news is that most of the small, yet time-consuming house chores around the house can be done by anyone. That is why it is easy to allocate household chores to every family member.

If they have the mental and physical capacity to do them, they can take their turn. Turning home chores into an all-family business benefits everyone.

​This article breaks the household chore list into daily chores, weekly chores, and monthly chores, along with a section on seasonal chores. We also dive into how to create a chore schedule and a chore list chart.

Daily Chore List

​Daily chores are just that – they are meant to be done every day. None of the daily chores on our household chore list should take you more than 5 minutes. They are designed to be quick and easy.

Doing these daily chores sets the foundation for a clean home. Not only that, but performing these chores every day will make your weekly and monthly chores that much easier.

1.Making Beds

This is a daily and must-do activity for every member of the household. Nobody likes a messed-up bed.

​It is best to set parameters for a fully made bed looks like. Generally speaking, pulling the sheets, covers, and comforters back over the bed and taught is a good start. Organizing the pillows at the top of the bed should also be included. 

Making your bed every day has been proven to make you happier throughout the day.

2. Taking Out the Trash

​This is another daily and critical house chore that every member of the household should responsibly do. Trash buildup over night allows bacteria to form, while also attracting rodents and ants. Not to mention, sometimes you’ll wake up to a smelly house if you don’t take the trash out. 

Family members can take turns if that makes the chore easier to handle. But, whatever the case may be, this is one task that should not be overlooked.

3. Washing Dishes

Letting dishes pile up is both unsanitary and unsatisfying. Since the kitchen is such a prominent focal point of the home, staring at a pile of dirty dishes is really difficult to do. Keeping the dishes at bay every day will keep you house tidy.

There are many different ways to tackle this chore. Some institute a policy that the cook doesn’t have to clean. Others assign this chore out in a rotation. Still others just tag team to make sure that the dishwasher is loaded every night.

4. Sweeping and Vacuuming

It is important to keep the most used parts of the house clean. ​A quick sweep or vacuum of the main entry areas, the living room/family room, and the dining area reduces the dirt and debris in your house by 70-80%.

This is where a ​good stick vacuum makes a lot of sense. They are easy to whip out of a closet and quickly clean the main areas of your house. For added convenience, pick up a cordless cleaning model​.

5. Spot Cleaning the Kitchen

Many would argue that the kitchen is the most important room in the house. Keeping the family kitchen clean is critical. While doing the dishes daily helps, spot cleaning the surfaces is also vital.

​Wipe down the countertops and stove. Put away anything that might have been left out, and ensure that drawers are closed. 

6. Checking the Mail

This is a fairly easy chore but one that needs to be done. A family can either pick one member to do this task exclusively, or take turns doing it.

​Make sure to designate a place where the mail belongs. Often times, without a specific location, it just ends up cluttering the dining room table or the kitchen countertop.

7. Tidying Up Messes

This is not something you can predict, but definitely something that is part of most people’s lives. This is very true for households with little children.

Parents/elders tend to be quite reactive when it comes to spills and unnecessary messes. But, the fact is when you are a family, especially one with kids, this is bound to happen.

Don’t’ react. Just train everyone to clean up their mess. This will make your life easier and will make them more careful.

Nonetheless, it makes sense to have a practice of briefly walking through your home every night, and ensuring that ​nothing was spilled and not cleaned up.

8. Spot Cleaning Bathroom Sinks

Don’t mistake this for cleaning the bathroom. This is just a simple wipe down of the bathroom sinks. 

​Quickly wiping down the bathroom sink each night with water or spray and a towel can go a long ways in making it easier for you to clean your bathroom, when the time comes.

Weekly List of Chores

​Weekly chores are typically a little more involved, and take 20-40 minutes each. It is best if you have a plan for when they are done, and often structuring time to do them together as a family works really well.

Here’s a fun byproduct of following this household chore list that we have put together – if you are succeeding at performing the daily chores that we recommended above, you’ll find that your weekly chores take a lot less time. Developing a habit of being clean makes your life easier, not harder, and you’ll start to notice how much time it saves you in the long run.

1.Cleaning the Bathroom

Bathroom sinks and counters should be spot cleaned daily. ​However, an additional ​household chore ​that is vital is a weekly, thorough cleaning of the bathroom. .

This includes the bathtub, the toilet area, the bathroom mirror, cabinets, and the bathroom floor. Don’t delay this particular weekly chore as the more you delay, the harder it will be to clean when you finally get down to it.

2. Mopping and Dusting Floors

If you’ve kept on your daily chore of lightly vacuuming your house, then all that remains is a weekly dust and mop of the floors.

​This can be done weekly as long as you dust and mop the high-traffic areas daily. If you live in an extra dusty region, you may want to do this every other day.

If you don’t have carpets, then you probably would make use of a vacuum specifically made for hardwood flooring. These cleans typically don’t have a lot of the bulky (and expensive) components that equivalent carpet cleaner vacs have.

3. Vacuuming Floors

Again, families should vacuum high traffic areas daily. Vacuum the entire house once a week at least. If you want, you can divide the task or assign one week to every family member.  

This should include corners​ and behind furniture. You can save the drapes and blinds for once per month.

If you have pets, then this is even more vital. Cleaning up pet hair before it becomes a larger problem will help to keep your home clean.

4. Changing Bed Sheets and Towels

This should ideally be done once a week. We spend at least eight hours sleeping, or in bed trying to sleep. Make sure this area is clean, and the bed sheets are germ-free.

Typically it is easiest to combine this chore with the weekly laundry.

5. Doing Laundry

While some families may prefer doing their laundry daily or on alternate days, others may prefer to dedicate one day a week for laundry. This does depend on your work/school schedule, but everyone needs clean clothes.

Don’t be lazy when it comes to laundry. If you have a washer/dryer at home, it makes things easier. If you live in an apartment complex where the laundry area is shared, try to find the right time that fits your schedule.

6. Cleaning the Fridge and Freezer

Again, this home chore is essential for maintaining the health and well-being of all household members. You can do this once a week, but you should do it thoroughly.

Most people generally combine this with their grocery day as it is the ideal time to throw out old stuff and replace it with new. While you’re at it, you might as well ​wipe down and clean the fridge and freezer. 

7. Cleaning the Kitchen

Most families become careless when it comes to cleaning cabinets and cleaning appliances in their kitchen. But it’s best that you do it once a week, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time on this chore.

In addition, it helps keep your kitchen look nice and clean. The kitchen is a critical space for families, and this space must be clean at all times.

Monthly Chores Listing

​Monthly chores are typically focused on areas of your home that don’t get used as often, or for very long durations. These chores are easy to let slide. And, being honest, if you have to get behind on any area of your household chore list, the monthly chores are the best ones.

Many families develop a nice rhythm for their monthly chores by designating a specific time each month for them, such as the first Saturday morning of every month.

Additionally, it is smart to combine your monthly chores with your weekly chores. So, using our example above, the first Saturday of every month would be when you did your weekly and monthly chores. ​

1.Washing Mattress Covers & Duvets

This might seem unnecessary but believe it when we say that dust and germs accumulate in your mattress and covers. Your sleep area should be neat and tidy.

This is not limited to changing your bed sheets every week. You do need to clean your duvets/blankets/comforters too. You should also make sure your mattress pad and covers are neat.

2. Cleaning Furniture

This includes furniture in the living room, family room, bedroom, study/library/den, and patio.

​Using a vacuum that has a detachable hose for cleaning​ your blinds and drapes, and attach the extension wand to clean the furniture.

Don’t wait for a social event or friends and family coming over before you decide to do it. Dedicate one day a month to cleaning furniture. You won’t be sorry.

3. Cleaning the Oven

​With so many cleaning liquids and techniques out there, you should not avoid this particular house chore. Your oven should be clean. You don’t have to do it daily, but ​its best to do it once per month.

4. ​Cleaning the Dishwasher

​Similar to the oven, you should also clean your dishwasher at least once a month. After all, this is the appliance which cleans your dishes daily. The least you can do is clean it up once a month, if not bi-weekly.

5. Cleaning Doors, Windows, & Handles

This is not a difficult task but something that most families do not often think about. Clean your doors, handles, and windows once in a while. It will definitely change the look of your home.

Note that we’re not referring to washing the windows, but cleaning the window sills.

​Seasonal Chores

1.Cleaning Closets, Drawers, & Dressers

Most families prefer to do this during spring cleaning. Others prefer to do so twice a year, once in spring and once in fall. Whatever your home cleaning schedule is, make sure you fit this in the right seasons. 

This particular house chore will benefit you in one other way. You can filter out what you use and what you don’t use, what you wear and what you don’t wear.​, and then donate or discard as per the condition of the items in question.

2. Washing Windows

This is an ideal summer chore. The whole family can join in the fun.

Water, soap, and a garden hose are all you need to have fun on a sunny day. And the result? You get clean and spotless windows.

3. Deep Cleaning Carpets & Rugs

If a family is DIY inclined, this could be something you could all do together. Your carpet fibers are a magnet for storing bacteria, dirt, and debris. 

​Whether you use a carpet cleaner or not, also clean your area rugs. Don’t forget to clean the floor under any rugs as well by either using a vacuum or a tile floor mop depending on the surface.

​4. Cleaning Vents

This is also necessary for maintaining a clean and tidy home. Your vents will pick up dust while the heater is running in the winter and the air conditioner in the summer. Clean these out with your vacuum extender wand. 

​Make sure to change out your air filters as well. You might need to have your air ducts professionally cleaned every few years, and this is a good time to get a flashlight out and take a look to see if you need it.

The above housekeeping checklist for the home should be a priority for all families if they want to have a neat and tidy home. It is important to include everyone living in the home. This will make things easier, more doable, and will also make everyone in the household develop a sense of responsibility.

How to Create a Chore​s List

Now that we’ve outlined a detailed checklist of all essential household chores, it is also important to have a home cleaning schedule. We understand that dividing them into daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal chores is quite helpful. Families also need to ensure that every member of the household is aware of the household chores schedule.

It might be a good idea to make little reminders and place them in visible locations, so that family members know what is expected of them.

​How to Structure the ​Household Chores Checklist

Daily chores like making the bed, cleaning the dirty dishes, wiping counters, sinks, tabletops, sweeping the kitchen floor, cleaning the dining table, etc. must be done daily. If a particular family allocates these daily tasks to different individuals within the household, it is important to outline that in the home cleaning schedule.

For example, David will wash the dishes today, Emily will take out the trash, Chris will sweep the kitchen floor, etc.

Every household has its own dynamic. If it’s a couple with no children, their life may be easier in terms of limited laundry, no unnecessary spills and messes, and no toys to pick up.

But no matter how large or how small a family is, keeping your house clean and tidy is something that should be taken seriously. One of the biggest put-offs, when you go to visit someone, is a dirty home.

Many people clean up the most visible locations. Sometimes they forget to focus on other, more internal areas that usually require more detailed cleaning. Dumping everything in the basement or garage is a common strategy.

Keep in mind if you keep dumping, a day will come when that space will also run out. Then, you will be faced with a daunting challenge of emptying out the dump you created.

​​Tips for Chore Scheduling

• ​​Follow a schedule. Organize your household chores list. Assign and allocate chores. Ensure compliance with every household member. Implement strategies that make things simpler.​
• ​​Avoid buying unnecessary items including large furniture. Donate regularly so you don’t accumulate things.​
• ​​Keep an eye out for household items that require repair or no longer work. If they are broken, fix them. If you can’t fix them, find someone who can. If it can’t be fixed, throw it out.

​How to Create a Household Chores​ Chart

Completing household chores can be quite challenging. This is especially true in a family home where both parents work, or where the children are in higher grades and spend quite a bit of time working on class assignments, group studies, etc.  

A chart of chores, though, can make ​everything come together perfectly.

​Chore Chart Essentials

A chore chart is simply a chart that outlines all the chores that need to be done in the house. This will enable the household members to have a comprehensive household chores list and will also make it easier to assign chores and tasks as per age, availability, and expertise.

1. ​First, you need to make the chart. Ideally speaking, your chore chart should have three columns. One column lists the chores and who it’s been given to. The second column is deadlines. The third and last column is for ticking off when the chore is completed.
2. Next, place the chart in a place where everyone can see it. For example, stick it on the refrigerator door. Label it “Household Chores List” in big print so everyone knows what it is. Call everyone over and point it out to them. 
3. ​Last, make sure you chore chart can be updated in some fashion. This will foster healthy competition, and a reminder to others in the household when someone finishes their chores. 

​Additional Chore Chart Details

To ease your administrative work of chore listing, you may find it easier to have two charts.

• One chart would be for daily household chores and one for weekly ones. This is practical as there are some tasks that do not need to be done every day.
• This division of chores will also convey to all family members they will be expected to contribute and participate in household chores. They will need to set aside time for these chores and plan accordingly.

This may seem to be “too much planning” for children. But, believe it when we say planning is crucial for effectively completing household chores.

​Should Kids Have Chores?

​Should kids have chores? This is a common question parents ask themselves as their kids start to grow older.

Giving children chores is actually one the most important things a parent can do for a child. It teaches children how to learn about responsibility. It also helps teach them important and valuable life skills which they take on into their adult lives.

Anyone who remembers being a child likely remembers the dread that came along with doing chores. Although most kids hate helping to keep the home clean by doing chores, it’s an important part of learning about the importance of responsibility. It’s also an easy way to start enforcing important life skills early on in a child’s life.

​How do Children Benefit from doing Chores?

Many kids consider doing chores tedious and pointless. But, doing chores actually has many benefits which help kids throughout their lives. Ingraining these types of important childhood behaviors in kids will make them more well-adjusted in their adult lives.

Here are a few of the benefits that come from children doing regular chores:

• These chores can even set them up for adult success. In fact, kids who do chores throughout their lives are more likely to be successful than those who do not do chores (Source).
• Chores are an influential factor which predict the professional and personal success in adulthood and influence a child’s success as an adult (Source).

• Kids who do not do chores miss out on learning about the value of work early on in life. This directly impacts how they will view work as adults. This is because there is a direct correlation between childhood influences and adult behavior (Source).
• Studies suggest that children who do chores early on in life learn the importance and value of contributing to their families, whether it’s as simple as washing the dishes or making sure the dog’s paws are cleaned after taking a walk. These children grow to become more well-adjusted and successful. They even have more successful work lives and better adult personal relationships (Source).

It is a well-known fact that processes and responsibilities instilled early on in life predict the well-being and behavior of children in their adult lives. This means that children who do chores when they are young are more likely to be independent as adults and understand the value of work and responsibility.

Final Verdict

So, should kids have chores or not? Should they get paid for it?

1. Studies prove that giving children chores sets them up for both personal and professional success in the future. This is why parents should not overlook the importance of giving their children chores.
2. Deciding whether or not parents should pay their children for doing their chores will depend entirely on the values and life lessons they want to instill in their children.
3. Parents who want to teach their children about the importance of working hard for their money may decide to pay them for their chores.
4. Parents who want to teach their children about what is expected of them in a household might avoid paying their children for chores and instead give them an allowance.

Whatever a parent decides, it is important to remember that the lessons and values they teach their children will have a direct impact on their adult behavior in the future. This is why these important life lessons should never be overlooked.

​List of Chores ​For Kids​

According to Elizabeth Pantley, preschoolers are able to handle simple, one-step or two-step jobs. Older children can tackle more.  It is important to keep the age factor in mind when you are in the process of determining which chore to assign to which child.

Here are a few ideas, broken down into chores by age group:

Chores for ​Toddlers

• ​Put toys in the toy box. This is very basic but essential.
• ​Fill pet’s food and water dishes. This chore for toddlers is generally one that is most loved and adored.
• ​Put dirty laundry in the hamper. Your child’s future spouse will thank you later for this particular training. Many parents complain about their children leaving clothes all over their room. The dirty ones often get mixed up with clean clothes. Train your child early and make sure they understand that dirty clothes go in the hamper.
• Wipe up spills. Again, this is something that every parent has to live with when they have young ones in the house. Instead of screaming at your child for spilling the milk or dropping paint all over the floor, train them to wipe up the spills.
• Dust. Again, 2 to 3-year-olds can make this particular chore quite creative. You will have this one off your charts.
• Help lay and clear the dinner table, including the table cloth. The earlier they get trained on this, the better.
• Pile books and magazines. This is another simple chore that a young child can perform without feeling overburdened.

​Chores for 4 ​- 5 Year Old​s

At the age of 4-5, a child can handle more complicated chores. This is especially true if you’ve already been assigning them chores when they were younger. It will then be an easy transition for them.

Here is a list of chores for four-year-olds and chores for five-year-olds. Feel free to ask your child to do any of the above combined with any and all of the following:

• ​Make their bed. Develop this habit in your children from an early age and a time will come when they will never leave their room with a messed-up bed.
• ​Take out the garbage. This is another important task they need to tackle on as soon as they can. If you think they can’t start off with household garbage, you can train them first with recycling. However you do it, do train them to take out the garbage.
• ​Check the mailbox and bring in any correspondence. This is easy and necessary. One more thing off your list of things to do.
• Clear the dinner table. If they have been doing part of this when they were 2 or 3, this would be a natural transition, and they will do it better at this age.
• Do some easy gardening like pulling the weeds or watering the flowers. Again, this is something that children enjoy doing, and you should make the most of that.
• Pick up crumbs with the hand-held vacuum. This will not only teach them to be more careful where they eat, but it will also train them for future vacuuming chores.
• Wash plastic dishes and containers at the sink. This is a good way of training them for dishwashing. A time will come when they will be washing dishes for everyone, probably on their assigned day.
• Unload cutlery from the dishwasher and put in the right place. Again, an easy task. Just make sure you don’t make the child carry heavy dishes or ask them to place cutlery in cabinets or drawers which are not within their reach.
• Fix their own bowl of cereal. You might have a few milk spills here and there, but it’s worth the time and the training.

Chores for 6 ​- 7 Year Olds

If your child is 6 or 7, feel free to raise the stakes and add any of the following chores to the ones above to complete your list:

• Sweep and mop floors. This might not be an appropriate chore for a 4-year-old. When your children are 6 or 7, they can easily manage to sweep and then mop your tile or hardwood ​or laminate flooring​.
• ​Sort laundry and get it in the washing machine. Like we mentioned before, if you are able to train your children when they are 2 or 3 that the dirty laundry goes in the hamper, they will be able to sort laundry and get it into the washing machine when they turn 6 or 7. This should be a natural transition.
• ​Set and clear the dinner table. Again, this is something you’ve started them on very young, and they can continue to progress in this regard.
• Help with making and packing lunch. This would be an interesting addition at this stage. A 6 or 7-year old is more vocal about what they would like to have for lunch, what they don’t want to eat on a particular day, and what they don’t want to eat EVER. Capitalize on their enthusiasm with respect as to what they want for lunch and ask them to help you make and pack their lunch.
• Pull out weeds and rake leaves, if you have a garden. This should be an easy one to do as most children prefer outdoor tasks to indoor ones.
• Tidy up his or her bedroom. This is generally the biggest challenge parents face. But, you can deal with this if you start early. When you start off with asking them to put their toys away, the transition to making their bed should be easy.  

Chores for 8 ​- 9 Year Olds

Chores become more sophisticated as your kids grow older. Prepare to be amazed, as from the age of 8 you can expand your children’s chore list. Here are some ideas for chores for 8-year-olds and chores for 9-year-olds:

• Wash dishes or load the dishwasher. You put the food on the table. Ask your kids to clear it all up. It’s a fair trade.
• ​Put away groceries. Again, this is a fair trade. You make an effort to go and do the grocery shopping. The least your children can do is help put them away.
• ​Help with carrying shopping. The same concept applies. Whatever you shop for your family is to be used by your family. They are equally responsible for the things you buy. Ask them to help carry the items.
• Vacuum. You can now transition to a full-scale vacuum. If you have more than one child, you can assign them rooms or days, whichever you think would work best.
• Help cook dinner. This is also generally a happy transition. Involve them when choosing what to make and then slowly train them to help you cook.
• Make their own snacks. This will make it easy for them to eat when they are hungry and to also learn how to make their lunch when needed.
• Wipe tables​. Wipe tables after meals.
• Put away laundry. Put away own laundry
• Sew buttons. Don’t panic. A 9-year-old can handle a needle. If you’re worried, supervise initially and slowly take yourself out of the equation.
• Make their own breakfast. From cereal to pancakes, this should be a natural transition.
• Peel fruits and vegetables. This can help when packing lunch.
• Care for pets, feed them, take them for a walk. Children generally love these chores, but make sure to also ask them help out in cleaning your dog’s bed.

Chores for 10, 11, and 12​ Year Olds

Now you can really say you have a helping hand around the house. By now, your child should be able to:

• ​Unload the dishwasher
• ​Fold laundry
• ​​Clean the b​athroom
• Wash windows
• Cook simple meals with supervision
• Iron clothes
• Do laundry
• Care for younger siblings, with you or another adult in the home
• Clean the kitchen
• Change their own bed sheets

By now your children will be able to do the ideal chores for 12-year-olds and chores for teenagers.

​Chores for Kids to Earn Money

Having covered all the household chores your kids could help out with, we have included chores where kids can earn money. Raising responsible kids in our tumultuous times is not easy. Teaching them to be responsible with money is essential to guiding them toward ideally lifelong financial stability.

Apart from sharing the workload of housework, chores are a way of teaching your children they need to work hard and be thrifty in order to get the things they need.

To teach your kids about money, make sure the chores you’re about to give them are age-appropriate. Additionally, don’t overload your child with chores. Gradually introduce new tasks and don’t be stingy with rewards when these are completed successfully.  However, knowing what to ask of a child will vary on a family-by-family basis.

​Should Kids Get Paid to do Chores?

Another pressing question parents ask themselves is whether or not they should pay their children to do chores. This is a question that is often up for debate.

Just as doing chores helps instill certain values and valuable life skills in children, so does giving them an allowance. Parents have various reasons for paying (or not paying) their children to do their chores.

On the one hand, giving children an allowance for their chores such as vacuuming around the home or mopping your tile floors can help children learn early on in life about the importance of managing money. It also teaches them that in life, they have to work hard for the things they want. In addition, they learn they must work hard to earn money.

Paying children for their chores teaches them the value of money and how to save. It also teaches them how to handle and manage their money. Teaching these lessons early on in life sets children up for financial success in the future. Paying children to do their chores also gives them the incentive to do more around the house.

On the other hand, some parents believe that doing chores is a part of being a member of a household. They believe that children should understand household chores are expected of them as a member of the family.

Instead, these parents give their kids an allowance which is not associated with chores to teach them the value of managing and handling money.

Try an Allowance

It’s debatable whether or not having an allowance gives kids a better understanding of how money works. Doing household chores for money is a personal decision and a family-dependant variable.

Parents often struggle with which strategy to choose. Yet, one thing is clear. A set allowance teaches kids to plan their expenses and live within a fixed budget.

Rewarding chores individually may be more appealing to your children and likely motivate them more.  That said, it is up to you to establish what works best for your child.

Chores for ​Toddlers to Earn Money

As women tend to return to work immediately after their child turns 2 or sometimes even sooner, kids are nowadays exposed to the pressures of our consumerist society. So, they pick up quite early in life how the money machine works by seeing other kids use gadgets or ‘smart’ toys.

This is where work in the form of chores comes into play. You can help your children understand that in order to get a gadget or a toy like the one that little Johnny from school has, they need to:

• ​Pick up their toys and put them away
• ​Pick up the empty juice box and put in the trash bin
• ​Fold laundry
• Feed the pets
• Help set the table

This does not mean every time they pick up toys or fold the clothes, they will get a new toy. But, it can help them feel motivated. They will soon understand if they help out, their parents will also be more open to the idea of buying them a particular toy.

Chores for ​Kids to Earn Money

Between 5 and 10 years of age, children grow a lot and they start to realize the importance of money. But to get it, one needs to work. Chores are the best way to teach your children about work. Now is the best time in your child’s development to introduce monetary rewards for chores.  

Some of the common tasks include:

• ​Cleaning the bathroom (toilet, bathtub, sink, mirror, mop the floor)
• ​Lightly cleaning the inside of the refrigerator
• ​Tiding up the basement or the garage
• ​Cleaning the inside of the car
• All of the above for this age group

Don’t feel bad if you ask your child to help tidy up the basement and you pay them for it. It’s a good strategy. It’s also one that is likely to train them to know that eventually, they will have to put in some effort to be rewarded.

Chores for ​Teenagers and Teens​ to Earn Money

At this stage, blooming-into-teenage kids can really do a lot not only to help you around the house but to earn money. Apart from mowing the lawn, cleaning the car inside and out, etc., your kids are ready to tap into more sophisticated chores like:

• ​​Recycling. Collecting cans, PET containers, and paper and making a trip to the center.
• ​​Writing a book. It may not be as good as J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, but who knows. It’s worth a shot at least for the fun of it. Try to get it published with a local publisher who may want to give a chance to a young, talented writer.
• ​​Making the most of every season. All it takes is stamina and willingness to work outside. Your child may even find it pleasant to mow lawns in spring, rake leaves in autumn, and clear pathways in winter and be paid for it.
• ​Pet or babysitting. Family, friends, or neighbors might need a nanny every once in a while.
• ​Tutoring younger kids. Some children may need a little bit of help with homework. Nobody’s a better helper than an older kid who’s been through the same ‘trouble’ and knows all the tips and tricks.
• Cleaning swimming pools. Summer comes along with a rewarding chore, which once completed may end with a dip in the pool.
• Selling old stuff online. Toys, gadgets, anything that is no longer of use can be monetized.
• ​Selling arts and crafts. Crafty teens can enjoy the spotlight of their neighborhood by selling some of their art. It could be in the form of earrings, cufflinks, buttons, portraits, necklaces, bracelets, or etc.

Final Thoughts

Household chores are part of everyone’s lives. The concept that only adults are responsible for everything and that children somehow get a free pass is not beneficial and can negatively affect your child’s performance at a later stage.

Establish a Chore Chart

That is why it is important to start young and to ensure that you assign your children age-appropriate chores from the very beginning so that they know what life entails and what they are expected to do.

Adults should not be the only ones expected to do everything. As mentioned before, there are many chores to do in a house. Some are very easy, but still must be done. As long as you assign tasks based on the mental and physical capability of the household member, you should be on the right track.

If you have an elderly parent, maybe they can walk the dog daily. If you have a toddler, maybe they can put the toys in the toy box. If you have teenagers who are also interested in making some money out of doing chores, agree to the arrangement. It’s good practice for them.

An important thing to remember is that a household chores list should be performed by the entire household, as a team. One family member should not be burdened with most of the tasks. That is not only unfair but also impractical.

A family is a team, and it’s all about planning and organizing. A home can be spick and span in no time if everyone pitches in.

Have Your Children Participate

Without claiming to be an exhaustive guide to parenting, this ultimate guide to kids’ chores by age addresses a few of the most pressing concerns of children of all ages. Now that you have it, make the most of it by assigning tasks to your kids. Teach them to be more responsible and organized. This will help them make their life and this world a little better.  

From house chores to summer chores, from chores for toddlers to chores for kids to make money, this is an useful list. Every family is different. Parents can mix and blend these ideas according to their family dynamic.

However, the point is that children need to understand the concept of responsibility. They need to know that if they want to make a difference in this world and in the lives of their loved ones, they will have to play a more active and a more productive role.

When we train our children to be responsible, they, in turn, will be able to demonstrate the same behavior in school, college, and in their personal relationships. Children who are taught the concept of work and responsibility at an early age tend to be more successful academically and professionally.