This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
There are many things that we juggle as homemakers, and that warrants creativity to get it all done! And the more people who live in your home, the harder it is to keep the home tidy. Proverbs 14:4 speaks to this-”Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. I’m so grateful that our homes are not empty, but are bursting at the seams with life! But with that comes the need to find ways to manage it all. I’m here to talk to you today about a powerful cleaning hack that you can use in your tool belt: Delegation. In other words, I want to give you the tools you need to make an age appropriate chore chart for your children.
An age appropriate chore chart will make life much easier for you and will ultimately bless your children. It requires some forethought and work on the front end to decide what is appropriate and when (I will talk more about this). And, you will need to train your children to learn how to do chores well. But, once this is established, your age appropriate chore chart will take work off of your plate. And you will teach your children life skills and responsibility. It’s a win-win for all!
Why Kids Need Chores: The Benefits of a Chore Chart for Kids
Teaching children how to do chores has a multitude of benefits for them. Contributing to the flow of the home:
- Helps them grow in personal responsibility.
- Gives children a sense of ownership and teaches family teamwork.
- Teaches life skills that they will need going forward (their future spouses will thank you).
- Builds their character (e.g., diligence, endurance, etc.)
In short, you are helping your children build healthy habits for their lifetime as they learn to keep the home tidy and clean.
And like I said already, a chore chart is quite the cleaning hack for the stay at home mother. Systematizing your children’s chores can:
- Ultimately reduce your workload (especially as they continue to get older and more capable)
- Allow you to focus on other things that only mom can take care of.
- Take decision making out of the equation for you, because you’ve already thought through what needs to be done.
I love good home systems. They help the home run much more smoothly, which makes it easier to manage the home with joy. A well-thought-out chore chart for your children is one system (therefore, a solid cleaning hack) that will greatly bless you and your home.
How to Create a Chore Chart for Each Home
To make a chore chart work well for your home, it’s important to think through priorities and what would be appropriate for your children. Again, this takes a little extra effort on the front end, but the investment is so worth it. I know it has been for our home.
Side note: I first learned about chore systems from Steven and Teri Maxwell in their book Managers of Their Chores. While I do not follow their system completely, I’ve adapted the principles to fit my own home and lifestyle, and it has made such a difference! If you’d like to dig deeper, check out this book.
You may be asking, “How do I know what chores are appropriate for my children’s ages?” I’m so glad you asked!
4 Steps to Making Your Age Appropriate Chore System
- Create a list with three columns
- Column 1- list what needs to be done in each room
- Column 2- How often each chore should be done (daily, weekly, monthly?)
- Column 3- How long would it take for your child to do the chore
- Decide when and for how long their chore time will be. Examples:
- Before breakfast for 20-30 minutes
- After afternoon rest/snack time for 20-30 minutes
- Assign the chores, and be mindful of how long each chore would take (your 3rd column).
- If you choose a 20 minute chore time, ensure that whatever chores you assign total up to about that.
- Teach & train.
Follow these four simple steps to create a household chore list for your home.
Teaching and Training Your Children to do Chores
When you decide to assign chores, you will have to spend a few days training your child. This is how you can do that:
- Tell them.
- Show them.
- Have them do the chore with you.
- Have them do the chore while you watch.
Once you think your child can give it a go on their own, be sure to set aside time to check their work. Be very encouraging for the good that you see. Correct where needed, with a cheerful and patient attitude. Gently ask them to correct anything that they missed so that they can learn.
Know that your children can do more than you think! We should have high expectations or goals for them. At the same time it’s not going to be to the level of if an adult were to do the chore. Be patient with the process. And be very encouraging! Remember, this work on the front end is so worth it.
How to Make a Chore Chart Work for Your Home
Starting anything new can be a challenge, so it will be helpful to think of strategies to make this work for you. Two things to consider:
What will motivate your children?
How will you display your chore chart?
Displaying your Chore Chart
What chore chart display will be most helpful to you and your home? Do you prefer a digital chore chart? If so, how will your kids know what their roles are? If you have little ones who cannot read, a chart that displays pictures can be very helpful. Here is one option that we’ve used that worked well (though its only for one child). Another option is to look at etsy for printables that you can print out for each child. Here is one that looked great!
If you have at least one reader in your home, you can edit and print this free chore chart that I created. I have ours printed and taped up on the inside of a hall closet door so that our children can easily go look at it.
Motivating Your Children
Another thing to think about is how to best motivate your children to do their chores with joy and excellence.
First off, much in parenting is caught not taught. When they watch you do your household tasks, what do they see? Do they (mostly) see a woman who joyfully does what needs to be done? A mom who practices gratitude? Or do they (mostly) see a disgruntled, grumbling mom who lacks gratitude? It’s always wise to start with looking at ourselves. If you’ve had an ungrateful, poor attitude, repent and move forward in the mercy and forgiveness of Christ. He gives you all you need for life and godliness, and gently leads those who are with young (Isaiah 40:11). This is a sanctifying process for us all!
Secondly, find creative ways to motivate your kiddos! For a lot of children (especially young boys), it may be helpful to set a timer to help them see how long they have to complete their chores. We really like this one for our home.
Another thing, we are all motivated by reward (which is not the same thing as bribing). The Bible is filled with the Lord blessing His children for their obedience. We have great freedom to do the same.
Here are some ideas for rewards That you can give for them doing their chores with excellence and within the allotted time frame:
- Sticker chart.
- A little jar with beans or pom poms.
- A Raisin or chocolate chip at the end of chore time.
As an added bonus if they fill up their sticker chart or a jar, you can give them a bigger treat, like a trip to an ice cream shop with mom or a new book or Small Lego set.
Mealtime Cleaning Hack: A Chore Chart for the Family
With meals happening three times a day, it’s so helpful to include your kiddos in the prep and cleanup process. Meal time tasks can be broken up into before meals and after meals.
Before meals
This part is very simple. Before meals, set a timer and everybody works together to tidy up the home and/or set the table. Assign each child a small task to contribute to setting the table. I love that this is quick and easy, and everybody can work as a team to help. This doesn’t necessarily need to be written on a chore chart, unless that’s helpful to you and your family.
After meals: A chore chart for the whole family
This is one of my favorite cleaning hacks that I’ve discovered, And I’ll tell you why. You can make kitchen cleanup after meals a delight and time to bond as a family. Here is how:
- Choose a job for each family member, and have it displayed on a chart (ask your hubby what he would prefer to do after meals).
- Post it somewhere easy to see (i.e., the inside of a cabinet door). Explain the chart and chore to each child.
- After each meal, set a timer for 15-20 minutes (whatever is best for your family).
- Turn on some music, and everybody gets to work on their job.
- If someone finishes their chores, make it the norm to hurry over to another family member to help them with their chore. This encourages teamwork and family bonding.
SCAMP Time
In our home, we call this SCAMP Time, which stands for Speedy Clean After Meal Party. I learned this little nugget from Jenise Johnson, a mother of eleven children who is a wealth of knowledge. Her daughter talks about it in interviews with Jenise, and she shares more about the process in one of many mini courses in her Get it All Done Club for moms. I highly recommend you check it out!
Before we started utilizing SCAMP in our home, I was consistently frustrated by having to correct and remind my children to help me with kitchen cleanup. But once it became a fun team dynamic, everybody was excited to get it done.
Here is an example of a SCAMP time chart:
I created an editable SCAMP time chart for you to print and use for your own home. Click here to download!
A little side note, there are penalty chores if a child is not being diligent and doesn’t beat the timer. So rather than having to hear your voice again and again, you get to let the timer be the voice. And the extra chore is the natural consequence. To make this even more simple, keep a list nearby of what these chores could be for your child (i.e., scrub the bathtub, scrub baseboards, etc.). More motivation!
This simple routine makes kitchen cleanup much less overwhelming, especially since it has to be done three times a day. A meal time chore chart is one of my favorite cleaning hacks to maintain a tidy home.
How a Chore System Helped Our Home
My main desire in writing a blog post about this is to help you–it’s not a story about me. While most people probably want to grab the helpful details and get on with their day (which is perfectly fine), some are helped by story. I’ll tell you mine!
My husband Jeremy and I got married and had our first baby about a year and a half later. At that time, my father-in-law was dying of early onset Alzheimer’s disease. I was also in a doctoral program and working part time in the medical field. When our son was 15 months old, we adopted our two little girls at ages 2 and 4 years old. Needless to say, as a newly married couple, it was a very intense season for us.
As a new mother and wife, I had no clue what I was doing. When we went from 0 to 3 children in 15 months, I felt like I was drowning and had no idea how to manage the home. It was a bit chaotic, and I was not naturally organized. I needed to learn. And I needed to know how to better love my family and manage our home.
I transitioned out of the workforce to being a full time stay at home mother. Soon after, I wrapped up my degree and was able to fully focus on the home. Since then, I’ve asked many questions, read books, watched YouTube videos, took courses, you name it. I’ve been hungry to figure this thing out!
While I can’t say I’ve accomplished that (figured it all out), it has been a total relief to grow in my understanding of managing the home. By God’s grace and help, I’ve learned how to embrace being a wife and a mother–and to love growing in these skills (I did not start out that way).
I began with teaching our children from a young age how to help me tidy up their toys. Little by little, I began to train them to obey, among other things. But I did not feel very competent as a homemaker until I learned the concept of home systems. Some examples:
- Morning routine (game changer!)
- Daily routines and systems (i.e., meals, laundry, etc.)
- Weekly home systems
These systems have really helped home management “click” for me. Now, the home runs much more smoothly. It’s been such a gift from the Lord! And that’s why I’m passionate about equipping and teaching other women (like you!) how to manage the home. I want you to embrace and love doing what God’s designed you to do! And to know how to do it well.
Some Final Thoughts
Having an age appropriate chore chart will take some work on the front end, but will be such a blessing to you and to your home. If you have not already done this, I would highly encourage you to implement some of the steps I’ve explained in this blog post. At least give it a try for a while! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Start small and remember that training does take time, especially for little ones. If you are starting from scratch, find a little time to sit down and start planning. You will not be able to implement the whole chore chart right away, and that’s okay! Start small and be consistent with training your children little by little.
Aim for teaching one small chore a week to each child, and be very encouraging as you do so. Praise them when they do things well and provide patient, kind, and consistent correction when they do not meet your standards. With a little time and training, your children will learn to contribute to the home in greater ways and grow in responsibility. In turn, This will reduce your workload and allow you to focus on other things that need to be done.
I hope that this post has been helpful to you. Please feel free to download my free chore chart for children that you can edit, download, and print!
Pin this post for later! And please share with other moms that you think could benefit from having a chore system in place.
What are some chores that you’ve successfully delegated to your children? Drop a comment below!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What chores are appropriate for different ages?
I’m so glad you asked! Children can do far more than we often give them credit for, and teaching them responsibility early is such a blessing for both them and your home. A good rule of thumb is to start small and build up as they grow. Toddlers can help pick up toys, preschoolers can wipe counters, and older kids can take on bigger responsibilities like vacuuming or washing dishes. If you need ideas, I’ve put together a handy infographic above to help guide you!
2. How do I get my kids to actually do chores?
Ah, the million-dollar question! First, remember that much in parenting is caught, not just taught. If our kids see us joyfully working in our homes, they’re more likely to follow suit. Invite them along to do tasks with you to help them learn! Second, clear expectations and training are key—tell them, show them, do it with them, and then let them do it on their own (with some gentle correction as needed). Finally, find motivating and fun ways to encourage them, whether that’s using a timer, a sticker chart, or a small reward system.
3. What’s the best way to make a chore chart fun?
The goal is to make chores a normal part of family life, not a dreaded task! Here are some ways to keep it engaging:
✔ Use a chore chart with pictures for little ones who can’t read.
✔ Set a timer and make it a fun challenge (we love using SCAMP Time in our home!).
✔ Play upbeat music while everyone works together.
✔ Use a simple reward system (not bribing—just small incentives for diligence).
Making chores feel like a team effort instead of just another “to-do” will go a long way!
4. Should I pay my kids for chores?
This is such a personal decision, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. In our home, we want our kids to understand that chores are a way to serve the family, not just a way to earn money. However, I know some families like to use extra chores as a way to teach financial stewardship. You get to decide what works best for your family!
5. What if my child refuses to do chores?
First, take a deep breath. This is where consistency and patience come in. If your child is resistant, kindly but firmly reinforce expectations—chores are just part of being in a family. A helpful approach is using natural consequences (like extra chores if they don’t do their assigned ones in time). At the same time, be encouraging and gentle as they learn. Remember, you’re shaping their hearts and habits for a lifetime!
