Age-Appropriate Chores for Kids: 116 Ideas by Age (Free Printable Chart)
Wondering which chores your child can do at each age? Here are 116 chores for kids from age 3 through elementary school, sorted by age and type. They come from the chore library in Ouchi Quest, our family app where kids earn points for helping at home. A free printable chore chart (PDF) is included.
The ages are only a guide. Pick what suits your child, and adjust as they grow. (The list reflects everyday routines in Japanese homes, so a few chores, like rinsing rice, may be new to you.)
Contents: Ages 3-4 / Ages 5-6 / Ages 7-8 / Ages 9+ / Printable chart / Tips / Track it in the app
Chores for ages 3-4 (32)
Mostly taking care of themselves plus short jobs like carrying, setting out and putting away. Praise right away and they will want to do it again.
🪥 Self-care
- Brush my teeth (age 3+, daily)
- Get dressed by myself (age 3+, daily)
- Put dirty clothes in the hamper (age 3+, daily)
- Line up my shoes (age 3+, daily)
- Wash my hands when I get home (age 3+, daily)
- Make my bed (age 4+, daily)
- Go to bed on time (age 4+, daily)
🧸 Tidying
- Put my toys away (age 3+, daily)
- Put books back on the shelf (age 3+, daily)
- Put art supplies away (age 3+, any time)
- Throw trash in the bin (age 3+, any time)
- Hang up my coat and hat (age 4+, daily)
🍳 Kitchen
- Put out chopsticks and spoons (age 3+, daily)
- Clear my dishes (age 3+, daily)
- Set the table (age 4+, daily)
- Wipe the table (age 4+, daily)
- Pour drinks for the family (age 4+, any time)
🧹 Cleaning
- Wipe up my spills (age 3+, any time)
- Replace the toilet paper (age 4+, any time)
👕 Laundry
- Carry the laundry basket (age 3+, any time)
- Match the socks (age 4+, any time)
🐶 Pets & plants
- Play with the pet (age 3+, any time)
- Feed the pet (age 4+, daily)
- Change the pet's water (age 4+, daily)
- Water the plants (age 4+, daily)
🌳 Outdoors
- Bring in the mail (age 4+, daily)
- Bring in the newspaper (age 4+, daily)
💞 For the family
- Fetch things for the baby (age 3+, any time)
- Give a shoulder rub (age 4+, any time)
- Help without being asked (age 4+, any time)
📚 Learning
- Greet everyone cheerfully (age 3+, daily)
- Exercise or stretch (age 4+, daily)
Chores for ages 5-6 (43)
Kids can now follow a few steps in order. Choose chores where they can feel they are helping the family, like setting the table or folding laundry.
🪥 Self-care
- Pack my bag for tomorrow (age 5+, daily)
- Put out my lunch box (age 5+, daily)
- Wash myself in the bath (age 5+, daily)
- Wake up on my own (age 6+, daily)
- Fold and put away my clothes (age 6+, any time)
- Stick to my screen-time limit (age 6+, daily)
🧸 Tidying
- Tidy my desk (age 5+, daily)
- Tidy the entryway (age 5+, any time)
- Tidy the living room (age 6+, any time)
- Clean up my room (age 6+, weekly)
🍳 Kitchen
- Wash vegetables (age 5+, any time)
- Crack eggs (age 5+, any time)
- Make rice balls (age 6+, any time)
- Dry and put away the dishes (age 6+, daily)
- Unload the dishwasher (age 6+, daily)
- Put away the groceries (age 6+, any time)
🧹 Cleaning
- Dust the furniture (age 5+, weekly)
- Sweep the floor (age 6+, any time)
- Sweep the entrance (age 6+, any time)
- Gather the trash (age 6+, any time)
- Sort the recycling (age 6+, any time)
- Wipe door handles and light switches (age 6+, weekly)
👕 Laundry
- Put away the laundry (age 5+, any time)
- Fold the towels (age 5+, any time)
- Fold the laundry (age 6+, any time)
- Bring in the laundry (age 6+, any time)
- Sort laundry by color (age 6+, any time)
🐶 Pets & plants
- Brush the pet (age 5+, any time)
- Look after my bugs or small pets (age 5+, daily)
- Pick vegetables from the garden (age 5+, any time)
🌳 Outdoors
- Pull weeds (age 6+, any time)
- Water the garden (age 6+, daily)
💞 For the family
- Help with the grocery shopping (age 5+, any time)
- Read a story to my sibling (age 6+, any time)
- Call or write to my grandparents (age 6+, weekly)
- Write a thank-you note (age 6+, any time)
📚 Learning
- Read for 15 minutes (age 5+, daily)
- Practice writing letters (age 5+, daily)
- Practice my instrument or lesson (age 5+, daily)
- Do my homework (age 6+, daily)
- Do a math drill (age 6+, daily)
- Study Japanese (age 6+, daily)
- Study English (age 6+, daily)
Chores for ages 7-8 (25)
Early elementary school: time to try chores they finish on their own from start to end, like cleaning the bath or taking out the trash.
🪥 Self-care
- Wash my shoes (age 8+, weekly)
🧸 Tidying
- Sort out things I no longer need (age 7+, any time)
🍳 Kitchen
- Wash the dishes (age 7+, daily)
- Load the dishwasher (age 7+, daily)
- Rinse the rice for cooking (age 7+, daily)
- Chop vegetables (with help) (age 8+, any time)
- Make a simple snack or meal (age 8+, any time)
🧹 Cleaning
- Vacuum (age 7+, any time)
- Take out the trash (age 7+, any time)
- Wipe the bathroom sink (age 7+, any time)
- Clean the bathtub (age 8+, daily)
- Mop the floor (age 8+, weekly)
- Clean the windows (age 8+, weekly)
👕 Laundry
- Hang the laundry to dry (age 7+, any time)
- Wash my gym clothes and shoes (age 8+, weekly)
🐶 Pets & plants
- Walk the dog (age 8+, daily)
- Clean the pet's cage (age 8+, weekly)
🌳 Outdoors
- Rake the leaves (age 7+, any time)
- Sweep the balcony or porch (age 7+, weekly)
- Clean my bike (age 8+, any time)
💞 For the family
- Offer drinks to guests (age 7+, any time)
- Help look after my sibling (age 7+, any time)
- Run an errand on my own (age 8+, any time)
- Pack for a family trip (age 8+, any time)
📚 Learning
- Write in my journal (age 7+, daily)
Chores for ages 9 and up (16)
Chores that need planning and judgment, like cooking and shopping. Stay close the first few times anything involves heat or knives. Linking chores to pocket money works well at this age.
🪥 Self-care
- Trim my own nails (age 9+, weekly)
🧸 Tidying
- Organize my closet (age 9+, any time)
🍳 Kitchen
- Tidy the fridge (age 9+, weekly)
- Refill salt, sugar and spices (age 9+, any time)
- Pack my own lunch (age 10+, daily)
- Cook a dish for the family (age 10+, any time)
🧹 Cleaning
- Clean the toilet (age 9+, weekly)
- Change the bed sheets (age 10+, weekly)
- Clean the air-conditioner filter (age 11+, any time)
👕 Laundry
- Run the washing machine (age 9+, any time)
- Iron clothes (age 12+, any time)
🐶 Pets & plants
- Clean the litter box (age 9+, daily)
- Clean the fish tank (age 9+, weekly)
🌳 Outdoors
- Wash the car (age 9+, any time)
- Shovel snow (age 10+, any time)
- Mow the lawn (age 12+, weekly)
Free printable chore chart (PDF)
Five pages: a one-week chart with eight suggested chores for each age group (3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9+) and a blank chart you can fill in yourself. US Letter, landscape. Check a box or add a sticker each day a chore is done.
Download the chore chart (PDF)
Tips for keeping chores going
- Start with two or three. Begin with short daily chores and add more once they are a habit.
- Notice it right away. A quick “thank you, that really helped” is the best reward.
- Choose rewards together. Agree on what points can be traded for, such as a treat, screen time, an outing or pocket money, so the goal is clear.
- Level up with age. When a chore gets easy, try one from the next age group.
Track chores in the Ouchi Quest app
Instead of a paper chart, you can use your family’s phones and tablets. In Ouchi Quest you pick chores from this same library, kids tap “Done!”, and points are added when a grown-up taps “OK!”. Connect parents’ phones and kids’ tablets with an invite code and every device updates right away. No account, no ads and no in-app purchases. Available in English and Japanese.
Download on the App Store (iPhone and iPad) / Get it on Google Play (Android)
For any chore involving heat, knives, cleaning products or ladders, stay with your child the first few times.