Chores for 8 Year Olds
The Spruce / Xiaojie Liu
A List of Age-Appropriate Chores for Kids 2 to 18
Sarah Aguirre is a housekeeping expert with over 20 years of experience cleaning residentially and commercially. Over that time, she has been writing about tips and tricks for housekeeping and organizing a home for national publications.
Updated on 03/14/23
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Becky Rapinchuk is a natural cleaning expert, homekeeping expert, and founder of the lifestyle brand, Clean Mama. She has published 4 books.
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Sarah Scott is a fact-checker and researcher who has worked in the custom home building industry in sales, marketing, and design.
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What chores can a 5-year-old be in charge of? What about an 8-year-old? At what age should a child start chores, such as learning to do laundry? Use this list of chores as a guideline when creating age-appropriate chore charts for your children.
Keep in mind when deciding what chores your children should be doing that everyone is different and age is not the only factor when determining the right chore. Think about your child’s maturity level, physical ability, and interest to help you select the appropriate chores. Note that for the older age groups, you can select chores from the younger age categories to build an appropriate list. Set your child up for success and choose an appropriate and doable amount of chores and a timeline in which to complete them.
The complexity of chores naturally varies per age. The chores a 3-year-old typically has are tiny fixes like wiping up a mess or cleaning up after themselves by putting toys away while a 4-to-5-year-old’s chores may involve help with cooking dinner. By contrast, the chores a 12-year-old would be best at are more involved, such as operating appliances to cleaning entire rooms.
Ages 2 and 3
Toddlers love to help with chores and while their help may not always be as helpful as we would hope, keeping their excitement and the habit of helping alive is worth the extra effort. Lots of toddlers love to see a visual reminder of their success, so making sticker charts is a great choice. Although chores may only be completed with your help each step of the way, you are creating positive habits for children to find chores and helping others a way of life.
- Helping make the bed
- Picking up toys and books
- Putting laundry in the hamper or in the laundry room
- Helping to feed pets
- Helping to wipe up messes
- Dusting with socks on their hands
- Putting small items in a dishwasher
- Dry mopping in small areas with help to maneuver the mop
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Ages 4 and 5
The great thing about preschool-aged kids is that they are still fairly motivated to help. Preschoolers also love individual time with adults. If you take some time to teach them new chores one on one, they usually love it. Many kids at this age are ready to do chores without constant supervision. They also love rewards. Try using a daily chore chart with stickers that allows them to build up to bigger rewards. For some preschoolers, tying chores to an allowance is a great choice. This can also foster independence by allowing them to choose a reward.
- Helping to clear and set the table
- Making bed independently
- Dusting
- Helping out to cook and prepare food
- Carrying and putting away groceries
- Sorting laundry whites and colors
- Watering plants using a small container
- Pulling garden weeds
- Washing small dishes at the sink
- Helping to clean their own room
- Putting away groceries
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Ages 6 to 8
Although enthusiasm for chores may diminish for school-aged kids, they have other redeeming qualities that work well for chores. Most school-aged children have an overwhelming desire to be independent. Parents and caregivers can guide children to become self-sufficient in their chores by using chore charts to keep track of their responsibilities. Note completed tasks as this will help motivate children to continue working.
- Taking care of pets
- Vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping
- Taking out the trash
- Folding and putting away laundry
- Making their own snacks, breakfast, and bagged lunches
- Emptying and loading the dishwasher
- Walking the dog with pooper-scooper supervision
- Raking leaves
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Ages 9 to 12
Kids at this age will appreciate a set schedule and expectations. Throw a lot of unexpected work at them and watch them get upset. If you can create a schedule or system with a little input from them, you’ll have a smooth transition. It’s best to find a system that works for your family. Try not to change it without the input and support of the people it directly affects. Part of this system should address rewards and negative consequences so that these results are laid out and understood in advance.
- Helping to wash the car
- Learning to wash dishes or load an entire dishwasher
- Helping to prepare simple meals.
- Cleaning smaller areas of the bathroom
- Raking more leaves
- Operating the washer and dryer
- Taking out the garbage
- Babysitting younger siblings (11-12)
- Walking the dog and full pooper-scooper responsibility
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Ages 13 to 18
Most teenagers are capable of handling nearly any chore in the home as long as they’ve been taught properly. One thing to be sensitive to is the cramped schedule of teenagers. Just as we get overwhelmed when we have too much to do, teenagers can find themselves struggling to maintain an unmanageable workload. Monitor your teen’s schedule and school commitments; adjust activities and chores accordingly.
- Replacing light bulbs
- Cleaning bathrooms including toilets and showers
- Vacuuming, changing vacuum cleaner bags, or emptying the canister
- Doing their own (or the family’s) laundry
- Washing windows
- Cleaning out the refrigerator and other kitchen appliances
- Preparing meals
- Preparing grocery lists
- Repairing clothes such as sewing on missing buttons or fixing small tears
- Ironing clothes
- Mowing the lawn
- Caring for pets completely (feeding, walking, grooming)
- Setting and clearing the table
Keep in mind that children mature at their own pace and not all kids will be capable of advanced chores at the same age. Likewise, some children may be ready for more difficult chores at a younger age. You are in the best position to supervise and evaluate your child’s needs and abilities. You can advance children through more challenging chores as they master the basic ones. It can be easy to let kids continue to perform the same chores because they’re good at them, but introducing new chores at regular intervals will actually benefit them in the long term. Institute a “training period” with new chores while teaching them the ins and outs of new tasks.
The Spruce / Xiaojie Liu
What to Avoid When Making Chore Lists
The list of things to avoid when making chore lists can often be longer than the chore list itself. Consider the following when creating chore lists for kids of any age:
Do Not Start Too Late
Kids can start doing chores as early as two years old. At that point, kids love to help out parents and family members.
Do Not Make Chores Complicated
If you’re in a rush, your chore list may not be clear to a child. Your handwriting may be messy or the instructions are confusing, causing a kid to zone out. The fix? Use easy-to-read picture chore cards. For example, if you are posting a vacuuming chore, print out a basic image of a vacuum and stick it on the chart.
Do Not Change Schedules Too Often
Kids thrive on consistency. They need to know what to expect from their daily lives. A consistent schedule of chores can help your child become an expert on how to handle that particular duty. It can give your child the chance to become good at a particular chore rather than trying to learn a new one every week.
Avoid Becoming a Perfectionist
Absolutely no one is perfect and that’s the message you need to instill in your child. If you insist on perfectionism, your child will rebel against doing any chores. When a child finishes a chore that’s less than acceptable in your eyes, simply turn it into a teaching moment and gently show them the correct way.
Do Not Use Lists to Control Kids
Chores are boring, but they are not meant to torture or control kids. The point of a chore list is to help kids learn to become accountable and responsible as they grow older. The fix? Help them become excited about chores by using small, simple rewards as an incentive to adhere to the chore chart. Large and complicated rewards will confuse kids (and yourself) so keep it super easy with coins or small rewards, such as staying up a half hour later for completing a specific chore.
Do Not Forget to Say Thanks
Giving your child a genuine smile and a verbal thank you goes a long way. It shows how much you appreciate your child’s efforts. By expressing thanks to them, your kids will feel more capable when it comes to accomplishing everyday tasks, and will encourage them to be part of the family, a team, and the community.
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Why should you give your kids chores?
Assigning chores to children teaches them responsibility, instills self-confidence, and helps them grow and learn how to take of themselves and the family home. Research shows it readies them for being grown-ups and on their own and has an overall positive impact on their well-being.
When is the best age to start giving chores to your kids?
Start giving them small chores when they’re toddlers. Have them help put away their toys and pick up clothes. Kids at the age of two and three just love to help their parents and siblings.
Are sticker charts and chore charts a good idea?
Using sticker charts and chore charts works well in showing your kids what they’ve accomplished. A sticker chart is great for younger children from two to five, while a chore chart might work better for ages six to nine.
Article Sources
The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30507727/ White EM, DeBoer MD, Scharf RJ. Associations Between Household Chores and Childhood Self-Competency. J Dev Behav Pediatr., no. 40, vol. 3, 2019, pp. 176-182. doi:10.1097/DBP.0000000000000637
Chores for 8 Year Olds
There are many age-appropriate chores for 8 year olds. Getting your 8 year old to do chores will probably help them more than it will help you, but it is important to start the chore habit. Children can take on more responsibilities as they grow older, but at the age of 8 they can start with basic skills such as loading the dishwasher or wiping down the countertops, setting the table, dusting, and sweeping. There are many more chore ideas in the chore list below. There are chores that an 8 year can do partially but cannot yet do independently. For example, you can ask your 8 year to feed your dog but you cannot rely on them to feed the dog every day since they are likely to forget. Some parents prefer to delegate household tasks as soon as possible while others want children to wait until they are old enough to do them independently. Whatever chores you decide to give to your child at this age make sure that they are capable of doing. If they cannot do them independently then be there to help them and to supervise. Please note that even if specific tasks are appropriate chores for an 8 year but your child is not ready then wait until your child is ready.
Chore List for 8 Year Olds
- Unload silverware and cutleries (avoid or supervise children when handling sharp objects)
- Hang the laundry or move clothes to the dryer
- Sort clean clothes according to types
- Fold clean laundry and put it away
- Clean up after a meal
- Return milk carton for items into the fridge
- Line up shoes
- Hang coats, jackets, and hoodies
- Move groceries to the kitchen
- Pick their outfit
- Fold washcloths, rags, and socks
- Vacuum the floor
- Empty small trash cans
- Water plants and weed gardening beds with supervision
- Wipe the sink after brushing their teeth
- Change toilet paper roll
- Set the dining table
- Clear up plates after a meal
- Dust shelves, bookcases, and picture frames with more precision
- Pull garden weeds unassisted
- Peel potatoes with a child-safe tool
- Unpack groceries from shopping bags
- Routinely make their beds
- Feed pets
- Independently water flower beds with a pitcher marked with water limit
- Organize shoes and books according to color coding or sizes
- Rake a big pile of leaves
- Plant flowers with a small shovel under supervision
- Sort recycling
- Make a small snack
- Help with meal prepping including simple cutting or finding ingredients
- Start tying their shoelaces
- Clean up after a bath; hanging wet towels or drying the bathtub
- Clear space at a table after any activity
- Independently dry non-breakable dishes
- Bring in the mail
- Sweep porches
- Make own snacks with more varieties
- Scoop pet waste in the yard
- Clean fingerprints or smudges on the wall
- Vacuum the entire house
Chore Chart Maker
You can make many free custom chore charts with our free app.
Chore Chart for 8 Year Old
Personalized Punch Chart
Add your child’s name, photo, and chore list then print this personalized punch chart. These charts are suitable for kids, from toddlers to teens.
Chore Chart Template
If you want to create your own editable chore chart, you will find a selection of free chore chart templates that you can edit and personalize. These charts are perfect for teens and younger children.
Printable Chore Charts
A selection of free printable chore charts for kids with all of your favorite characters (such as the Minions, Spiderman, Lego, Star Wars, and many others). These are great for toddlers and older kids.
Charts for Boys
A selection of free printable chore charts for boys with Spiderman, Ninjago, Superman, Batman, ninjas, and more! Perfect for toddlers and young kids.
Charts for Girls
A selection of free printable chore charts for girls with Anna, Elsa, Barbie, Bratz, princesses, fairies, and other girly characters! Perfect for toddlers and young kids.
Free chore charts with cute animals, you can make free printable personalized chore charts with your photos, titles, and your very own custom chore list. There are many designs available, and therefore, they are suitable for toddlers to teens.
Add your photo and chore list to this personalized chart.
Chore Wheel
Create this DIY personalized chore wheel. You can customize it online before you print it. Type in your family name and the chores that you want to allocate and then print and assemble according to the instructions.
It’s a fun and fair way to delegate chores!
Coloring Charts
Color these black and white chore charts before you use them. When kids decorate their chart, it gets them involved and makes the process fun!
Benefits for chores for 8 year old kids
Chores help an 8 year old child establish a routine and structure. They can also serve as a way for the child to learn responsibility and grow out of their sense of entitlement.
Chores give eight year olds the opportunity to learn responsibility and how they can contribute to the family. They also give them a sense of accomplishment from the work they do. Children who are assigned household tasks usually find it easier to take on other responsibilities, like taking care of their siblings or doing their homework.
A child’s desire for independence will encourage them to complete a task. This feeling of autonomy will lead to an increased sense of self-worth and accomplishment which will help them tackle new tasks with more confidence in the future.
Chores also allow children to develop organizational skills and learn how to take ownership of tasks.
