No matter how you slice it, being part of a family means that everybody should pitch in and help. Teamwork is an important part of running a smooth household. When children have chores, it teaches them responsibility, which can only benefit them in life.
Teach Kids Responsibility With Chores
It can be difficult to determine which chores are age-appropriate for which child, and if you decide to compensate them, how to do it most effectively. So, we have created an age-appropriate chore chart for children in each age range, with the pay rates to go along with them.
Remember “pay” can be presented in a variety of ways! Don’t get stuck on dollars and cents, as we know the value of time is just as important. Hopefully, this will help to make running your ship just a little bit easier!
Related: Parenting on FIRE
Chore Chart For Ages One To Three
While some parents may think this age range is a bit young to begin helping out around the house, children this age really LOVE to help out! I realize that most of what they do during this time period is not as efficient, or effective, as we parents would like for it to be, but giving them chores gives kids a sense of independence and responsibility. Plus, it can keep them busy for a while which can be a bonus for us busy parents!
This age range is full of teachable moments, so being patient and thorough with your instructions are key to making this work. And please note that it may take multiple times of explanation for your child to fully grasp what you are asking them to do. I have found that showing my children exactly what I want them to do has really worked wonders as opposed to just telling them since children this age are prone to mimicking behavior.
Another thing to note is that children this age really just want to spend time with their parents. So giving them options as to their compensation can be a good thing. Therefore, I usually offer money, screen time, or one-on-one time with a parent as the different options for each chore completed. This way they can choose which one they prefer, whether you decide to compensate them daily or weekly.
Ages One To Three
Here are some of the best chores for your young toddlers, ages one to three, with some compensation suggestions:
| CHORE | COMPENSATION OPTIONS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Money | Screen Time | Uninterrupted Parent Time | |
| Pick up toys | $.25 - $.50 daily/ $1.00 - $2.00 weekly | 30-60 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Dirty laundry to a hamper | $.10 - $.25 daily/ $.50 - $1.00 weekly | 15-30 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Feed the pet | $.10 - $.25 daily/ $.50 - $1.00 weekly | 15-30 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Help put groceries away | $.10 - $.25 daily/ $.50 - $1.00 weekly | 15-30 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Help put laundry away/match socks | $.25 - $.50 daily/ $1.00 - $2.00 weekly | 30-60 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Help put clean plastic dishes away | $.10 - $.25 daily/ $.50 - $1.00 weekly | 15-30 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Yard clean-up | $.25 - $.50 daily/ $1.00 - $2.00 weekly | 30-60 minutes | 30 minutes |
A great example of this is brought to us by Cathleen Hutch from the ChooseFI Facebook group.
Son is 3, he “feeds the dog” under great amounts of supervision and gets $2 a month for toys….and a coin to pick up his toys (which he can then use to pay to watch TV).
This is a great tip about having your young child earn money to watch TV, instead of just giving them endless screen time. If they don’t do the chore, they don’t get the screen time. I like it!
Chore Chart for Ages Four To Six
Children at this age are a little bit more self-sufficient, so you should expect them to do a few more things around the house. At this age, we want to continue building on the responsibility and sense of independence that we were instilling at a younger age. So they should not only continue doing the chores from the ages one to three range but also have some more added on.
Children this age still want to spend time with their parents, so one-on-one time is something I use a lot at this age. Since it is still a strong motivating factor, children this age have a tendency to be more efficient to get one-on-one time.
Ages Four To Six
Here are some of the best chores for your four to six-year-old, with some compensation suggestions:
| CHORES | COMPENSATION OPTIONS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Money | Screen Time | Uninterrupted Parent Time | |
| Make bed; clean room for the week | $.10 - $.25 daily/ $.50 - $1.00 weekly;$1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 15-30 minutes; 30-60 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Pick up toys | $.50 - $.75 daily/ $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Dirty laundry to a hamper | $.10 - $.25 daily/ $.50 - $1.00 weekly | 15 - 30 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Fold and put away clean laundry | $.50 - $.75 daily/ $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Feed the pet | $.10 - $.25 daily/ $.50 - $1.00 weekly | 15 - 30 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Clean up after the pet | $3.00 - $4.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Yard care/clean up; water plants, pull weeds | variable to job; $.10 - $.25 daily/$1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 15 - 60 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Put groceries away | $.10 - $.25 daily/ $.50 - $1.00 weekly | 15 - 30 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Put clean dishes away | $.50 - $.75 daily/ $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Help prepare meals | $.50 - $.75 daily/ $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Keep bathroom tidy | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes | 30 minutes |
Another great tip from the ChooseFI Facebook group comes from Shawna Evans.
I begin training my kids to help with housework from a young age…They live here, they chip in…I don’t plead, cajole, beg, reward, etc. Though I will have natural consequences, such as loss of playtime or canceled outings because they dallied too much.
YES! I have done this too at this age and it works wonders. Although it can make things more difficult at the time, this sort of natural consequence does help children this age learn that they have to be responsible.
Chore Chart for Ages Seven To Nine
This age range starts to get a bit trickier with compensation. Since they are much more independent, they crave less of the one-on-one time and more of the screen time. But as parents, the best option isn’t always to increase their screen time. Giving them other options for compensation is sometimes the way to go instead. Some of those compensation options could include a special treat, a favorite dessert, an outdoor activity of their choice, or having a friend come along for the zoo. The chores could be a way of saving up towards a goal to fulfill one of these compensation ideas.
A lot of the chores they were doing before should just be part of the routine now. Therefore, getting rid of compensation for the “regular” chores they have continually been doing is one way to go. And only compensating them weekly, instead of daily, should help keep them motivated all week long.
Ages Seven To Nine
Here are some of the best chores for your seven to nine-year-old, with some compensation suggestions:
| CHORE | COMPENSATION OPTIONS | |
|---|---|---|
| Money | Screen Time | |
| Clean room | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Clean their bathroom | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Put clean dishes away | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Set the table | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Clear table, wash dishes | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Put all groceries away (where they belong!) | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Fold and put away clean laundry | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Vacuum | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Sweep Indoors | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Sweep Driveway/Sidewalk | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Rake the yard | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Pick up yard debris and pull weeds | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
Veronica Poses, from the ChooseFI Facebook group, makes some great suggestions for kids in this age range.
My kids, 7 and 9, do their own laundry, clean their shared bedroom and set and pick up the table after dinner. We give them allowance but it’s not tied to chores because they have to do those no matter what. They get $4 a week. $2 for spending, $1 for sharing/charity and $1 for long-term savings. They can also make $2 weeding. Going rate is $2 for a full paper grocery bag.
Splitting up how the funds are to be used is a great tip at any age. This is especially true since part of our goal is to teach them about finances to fund their future.
Related Article: Teach Your Kids About Money with the Goalsetter App
Chore Chart for Ages Ten+
This age gets a bit easier with regard to chores. Most of the time, they just want money or screen time. But, there are fewer chores that should be compensated in this age group, since most of them should be routine now.
Here are some of the best chores for your ten+-year-old, with some compensation suggestions:
| CHORES | COMPENSATION OPTIONS | |
|---|---|---|
| Money | Screen Time | |
| Clean their bathroom | $1.50 - $3.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Do the laundry (this includes folding and putting away) | $5.00 - $6.00 weekly | 60 - 90 minutes |
| Wash dishes and put them away | $3.00 - $5.00 weekly | 60 - 90 minutes |
| Vacuum | $3.00 - $5.00 weekly | 60 - 90 minutes |
| Sweep Indoors | $2.50 - $4.00 weekly | 60 - 90 minutes |
| Sweep Driveway/Sidewalk | $2.50 - $4.00 weekly | 60 - 90 minutes |
| Pick up dog poop | $3.00 - $5.00 weekly | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Mow the lawn | $5.00 - $10.00 weekly | 60 - 90 minutes |
| General yard care; rake the leaves, trim bushes | $4.00 - $5.00 weekly/plus, depending on jobs | 60 - 90 minutes |
| Take trash/recycle cans out and bring them back (this includes emptying all trash first) | $2.50 - $4.00 weekly | 60 - 90 minutes |
Samantha McNair, from the ChooseFI Facebook group, has another great tip for this age range with regard to compensation though.
My 12-year-old daughter has a 5-day chore schedule. Chores are grouped by the day and she gets $5 per day that she completes all the chores. There are a few stipulations. First, it’s all or nothing. If she doesn’t complete all of the chores for the day then it doesn’t count.
I love this idea and think it could be a great alternative to compensating weekly.
Chore Chart For Responsibility
Overall, there are so many different ways you can implement a chore chart for each age group. Ultimately, it is really up to you and how you choose to do it. But, basing the chores upon their ages, your household needs, the goals you are trying to teach them, and their wants is a great way to approach it.
What are some of the best ways you have found to implement a chore chart for your child and what was your compensation?
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