When I posted my large Family adaptable chore board, one of my readers asked what chores were appropriate for what ages. First off, I believe that you must consider your child’s developmental stage in order to make wise choices in what is age appropriate. So, this is strictly what we expect of our children after considering their developmental stage.
Around the age of 15-18 months our children:
- Expected to actually help clean up toys. They are set with a buddy to work with, who is expected to encourage and praise their efforts.
Around age 2 our children:
- Help gather the dirty clothes into a basket for their buddy sibling to take to the basement and be sorted. They watch their older buddy start a load of laundry in preparation that they will in a few years be ready to take on this task.
- Help empty the dishwasher, we have gone to all plastic plates, bowls and such.
- Fold wash rags and hand towels and put away
- Start helping putting their clothes away
- Sort diaper parts—this has only happened with our current 2 yr old, who appears to be advanced.
- Put books on shelf.
- Put own clothes in dirty cloths.
- Help set table
Around age 3 our children:
- All of the above chores and…
- Help dust around mop boards and under chairs and bottoms of things.
- Straighten porch and hold dust pan for the person sweeping.
- Help put away clothes and other laundry.
Around age 4 our children:
- All of the above chores and…
- Have a “hot spot” area to keep straighten—typically the sippy cup area for this age.
- Help water flowers.
- Make Bed with buddy’s help
- Vacuum kitchen with help.
Around age 5 our children:
- All of the above and…
- Help vacuum stairs.
- Straighten bedrooms with sibling/buddy help.
- Start helping buddy load the dishwasher
I will post a list of chores for our six and older crowd later next week. What chores are your children these ages doing that I have not mentioned? Need help getting your children to happily do their chores? Check out this post.
Glad you enjoyed this post, check out the other related post for more about this:
- Our Family’s Age Appropriate Chores Ages Six through 11 A little over a week ago, I shared our families age appropriate chores for birth...
- Adaptable Chore Board—Large Family House Keeping Most every family I know has struggled at some time, trying to keep up with...
- Encouraging your Children to Happily Get their Chores Done Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3:23...
- Chore Charts and List, They can either make or break the chaos… I have tried so many different chore ideas, and they all work for a bit...
- Chore Time Encouragement through a Scavenger Hunt We all know how chores can become drudgery, but is there a way we can...
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mother, christian, wife, woman, child of God. It is about my life as a farmer’s wife, as a cook, a baker, a nurse, a teacher, a woodworker, a housekeeper, a farmer (yep, I drive tractors, pick up hay bales, and other farm duties), a gardener. So, what you read here, is me, as a transparent sometimes hot headed, passionate, and opinionated person.
LOVE the list. Love how you start them as soon as they can walk. It establishes the EXPECTATION that their help is valued.
I have a comperehensive list of age-appropriate chores for 2-22 year olds in my book, “Raising Able: how chores cultivate capable confident young people.”
Can I send you an ebook and you can review it on your blog?
[email protected]
Oh I forgot to say my 3 1/2 year old clears the dirty dishes from table too. Been trying to teach her how to set it as well.
.-= Mama Mirage´s last blog ..Turtles & Tap Dancing - Toddler Tales Tuesday =-.
My 3 1/2 year old helps me with the dishwasher. I let her unload and reload the silverware, she stacks and hands me the clean cups and bowls, and puts away the pots, pans, lids, and cookware with my assistance. She helps me pour in the soap and then I let her close it and turn it on herself. This morning I put my 20 month old son down for a nap and got in the shower. When I came out, the dishwasher was running. I suspiciously looked inside and it was the same load of dishes we did yesterday that was clean and waiting to be put away. I guess my daughter didn’t think they were clean enough because she ran them again! LOL!
My daughter does mini-errands for me like putting things into the trash. I have both my kids find their own sippy cups throughout the day. I just don’t have the time to drop everything and turn the house upside down for sippy cups so I tell them to find them and since they have a good idea of where they left them it doesn’t take them long. I wish my daughter could fold washcloths and I’ve been working on her with it but she takes after her mama in being … well not very physically coordinated. 
And she’s absolutely terrified of the vacuum so I’m not sure how I’m going to get her to learn how to run it. I was terrified of it as a child too and would bawl when Mom vacuumed so I know how she feels.
Other than that she helps me with laundry. I sort and she puts it into the washer. She picks up her toys. My son tries to “help” pick up toys too.
Your lists are great and they’ve given me some ideas for other things to be working with my kids on! Thank you!
.-= Mama Mirage´s last blog ..Turtles & Tap Dancing - Toddler Tales Tuesday =-.