Age Appropriate Chores for Kids: Free Printable

NEATLINGS Chore System has kids excited to do chores!
No kidding - it really works!

Typically I try to keep my blog posts short but I really have a lot to say on this topic so I'm going to indulge myself and write a longer one. If you are trying to figure out chores for kids in your home then this is one you want to read. Includes list of age appropriate chores for kids - Free Printable!

Kids want to know that they are needed and make valuable contributions to the family but they can't feel that way unless they have responsibilities and the best way to do that is with chores.

Need a little motivation? Then it might help to know that it has been scientifically proven by the Harvard Grant Study, the longest running longitudinal study in history (over 75 years and still running), that the number one indicator of children growing up to be successful adults is not IQ but if they did chores as children.

This is a list of age appropriate chores to help guide parents and give ideas on what and when your children may be ready for different chores/tasks. It is not expected that a child that age does all the chores. Adjust the tasks as needed.

If your looking for chores for your kids to do then you are in the same boat I was just 2 years ago. Read through this post and you will find some really helpful tips to not just give you a list of age appropriate chores but help you implement a system that will change your home life and get your children excited about chores.

Exciting news at NEATLINGS!

NEATLINGS is so different from any other chore system out there that:

• NEATLINGS gained the attention of Kevin Harrington, a SHARK, that appeared on the first two seasons of Shark Tank! His team reached out to NEATLINGS! I have a met with him and his team June 2017 and we are working to launch NEATLINGS to new levels!
• NEATLINGS Chore Cards made front page of a local paper!​​
• Has won a Parents' Choice Award and a Mom's Choice Award GOLD!
• NEATLINGS is Patent Pending!

When I first started my journey of wanting to teach my kids about chores I found it difficult to figure out what chores they could do. I have 3 daughters all close in age and I couldn't just say "let's clean" they needed me to help teach them what and how to do the jobs. Ideally I needed all 3 of them helping out at the same time or I would hear the whining (I really hate whining) of "why aren't they helping", "why am I the only one cleaning", "I'm not going to do it if my sisters aren't". With them all so close in age it was hard to get them all on board with the idea at the same time. Obviously I couldn't be in 3 places at once teaching each one at the same time so I needed to be able to assign tasks that they could do with not much supervision so that I could get two of them started and then take that time to teach the third child something new. Once I had the one child "taught" on how to do a job then I could work with the next child.

This all sounds easy enough doesn't it but it wasn't. It was impossible!  I didn't know how to juggle this without loosing my cool because I didn't have a good list of chores that they could do all by themselves. If you have little ones then you know what I mean. Those little people are so fast to get into stuff you can barely blink without things getting out of control. The reality was that I could get them all to chip-in if we were doing the same chore together which mostly just got us through the "let's pick up toys" chore but not much else. Most things just seemed easier to do them myself. We were stuck in this rut for years but until...

Things changed when my oldest turned 9. It hit me like a ton of bricks that half my time with her at home was over! I felt panicky, I was still practically doing everything for her and her sisters. After they went off to school I would run around the house and pick their dirty clothes up off the floor, make their beds, clear their breakfast dishes; how in the world had 9 years passed and I was still doing everything for them.

That's when I decided that I was going to figure this out! Other people successfully raised kids that helped out around the house - didn't they? I'm a smart person, I can do this too! Then the more I thought about it, I realized that I couldn't actually think of a single person whose kids happily help out around the house. Unless, of course the parent looses their temper, which I can say from experience does tend to work but you sure feel rotten afterwards so much so that the end result just wasn't worth that icky feeling of loosing your patience particularly with these precious little people.

Another thing that you should know about me is that not only do I hate whining but I hate having to repeat myself several times (i.e. nagging) and I hate loosing my temper (I always feel the mom guilt afterwards and I can't stand that feeling). Nagging to me means that I am having to say the same things multiple times and that the other person is essentially ignoring me. Now, I'm not talking about reminding somebody that is a whole different category and completely acceptable but if someone is outright ignoring me, or keeps saying that they'll do something but simply doesn't, then I find that just plain rude and disrespectful. 

So, not only did I need tasks that are age appropriate, but I needed a no whining and no nagging solution to getting my kids to do chores. My kiddos have different ages and abilities so I needed a flexible system that could be set up differently for each child and work for our whole family. Oh yeah and I needed something that would be easy for beginning readers as at the time I still had two early readers. On top of that I wasn't looking for more work for me to do as my day was already crazy full so I needed something that the kiddos could manage mostly on their own. I also didn't want a white board or chalkboard that would get smudged and that I would constantly have to update. I didn't want magnets or stickers that would get bumped and fall off a board and they can be dangerous for kids and pets if swallowed. I didn't want a toy prominently hanging on my kitchen wall. I didn't want anything heavy that would damage my wall if my kiddos pulled on it. I needed something that is self-policing so my kids wouldn't be tempted to 'borrow' each other rewards. I wanted something that was easy to change up when the routine got stale or our needs changed. Also, I needed a hook - something that would truly motivate them. My list kept getting longer and longer but I was determined to figure this out.

NEATLINGS is easy to hang and will lay flat against your wall. Makes a perfect addition to any home command center. It includes everything you need to make the perfect chore chart for your family!

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​Behavior Cards?

I have received an overwhelming number of requests to create behavior cards. Particularly from parents of children with learning disabilities whom tend to be visual learners.

I am ready to take on this great opportunity and need YOUR HELP!

If you are a parent that could use behavior cards for your child(ren) then I would love to hear from you and learn what behavior cards would be helpful for you and your family?

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How in the world do you get these little people from no chores to happily doing chores? ​I am thrilled to say that after a ton of research I figured it out! I created a system that works amazingly, I don't need to nag or speak loudly, my kids are happy to do their chores and they are learning new things. This system meets every single one of the things I wanted and has none of the things that I didn't. 

Also, a HUGE unexpected bonus is that I actually find that I have more time in my day. This means more trips to the park, more family time, less stress for all and even some time for me!

What is this magical chore system - you ask?

Chore cards are the heart of the system. OK so I'm not going to bring  you through my whole thought process of how and why I created these chore cards the way I did but I am going to hit some highlights. The chores on the printable Chores By Age list are the same chores that are part of NEATLINGS chore cards and chore chart system. Except the chore system also comes with some additional blank cards so you create your own chores if needed. 

First thing that you need to know. I split all chores up into two different categories. They are either self-care (& well-being) chores or they are household chores. ​

Here is the definition that I used to separate them into the two group.

• Self-care chores: are tasks that each child needs to complete on their own such as clean bedroom, practice instrument, brush teeth, etc..
• Household chores: are chores that typically only need to be done once to be considered done such as take out trash, plant care, feed pet(s), etc..

The household chore cards come in teal. This is a shared deck of chore cards.

Then the self-care chore cards come in six different colors and have coordinating reward ticket cards. The different colors are very important, as each child gets a different colored self-care deck. This creates a self-policing system as one child can't "borrow" a siblings reward tickets. 

Additionally, when these cards are displayed in a public space such as in a pocket chart on the wall then with just a simple glance the parents can easily see who has done what and what still needs to be completed.

Then, each card has a writable space which allows you to be specific and consistent with your exceptions and/or add additional instructions on each card.

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NEATLINGS Chore Chart System

You can set NEATLINGS up many different ways. This images shows we are using it today at our house!

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Household chore cards

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Self-care chore cards

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Finally, there is an area on each card which allows you to select if the card is a 'Responsibility' or a chore that your child can earn 'Work For ___ Tickets' with a blank space to fill in how many tickets can be earned.

There is a divide of thought on whether parents should pay their children for doing chores. However most would agree that although there are many tasks that a child should do as basic self-care or as their contribution the family; when a kiddo chooses to do more or go above and beyond basic expectations that they have earned the ability to be rewarded. This is also an amazing system to use when your child wants to earn some money, special toy, outing, special time with a parent, playdate or sleepover  or really just anything that is appealing to them. This system allows you the flexibility to decide for your own family which chores are simply a child's responsibility and which will allow them to earn rewards. NEATLINGS Chore Chart System has a very simple yet flexible reward system that will appeal to children of any age.

Many families use the chore cards without the entire NEATLINGS Chore Chart System. You can purchase them separately but I personally think the NEATLINGS Chore Chart System is the easiest way to go but if you prefer something a little different. You can find ideas on how to use the chore cards on a previous blog post titled 7 ingenious ways to use chore cards or read below to learn more about NEATLINGS Chore Chart System.

These chore cards are the heart of the system but there is so much more that makes this an amazing chore system.

Chore Chart System

NEATLINGS is more than just a static list of tasks; it is more like a database. It is a modular customizable system that can be set up many different ways, configured differently for each child, and gives parents the flexibillity to clearly differentiate the reward level for each chore.

NEATLINGS has a flexible reward system

NEATLINGS has completly rethought the chore chart and created a system that is:

• expandable to work for any size family
• flexible responsibility and reward system
• configurable in a multitude of ways
• can be set up differently for each child
• works for toddler to teens

NEATLINGS is a Modular, Customizable System. You can set it up an endless number of ways and never have to relearn a new system. Typical chore charts get old and stale after awhile and it is important to change things up. NEATLINGS allows you to endlessly change your system to meet your families changing needs without ever loosing anything in the process. Here is a great link that has several helpful tips for implementing and many Chore Chart Configuration Ideas that will help you create a chore chart to work for any size family that will be perfect for your family.

It can be configured differently for each child. This is very important especially for families with multiple children. Your children have different ages and abilities and NEATLINGS allows you to set the chart up differently for each child. One child may be working on basic self-care chores such as brushing teeth or getting dressed while slightly older children may be ready to take on greater responsibility such as putting away their clean clothes and making their beds while older children may be ready to clean bathroom and fold laundry. This chore system lets you tailor the system to each child's age and ability.

There are so many benefits of having children do chores. Here are just a few:

• It is scientifically proven that kids that do chores when they are young have a higher rate of professional success  as adults.
• There is less stress in a household that is clean and picked up and where everyone chips in.
• Parents have more time and less stress when the kids happily help out, this means more family time for all.

Want to learn more? Watch our video to learn what makes NEATLINGS so different from other chore charts and why it works!

Improve your family life today with NEATLINGS Chore Chart System!

Download your free NEATLINGS Chores by Age list here: 

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Thanks for taking the time to read through this blog post. I hope you have found some very useful tips and feel motivated to create a system that will work for your family!

As always feel free to comment below. I always love hearing from you!