If you are reading this there’s a good chance you’re a believer in getting children to do their fair share of chores while growing up.
Many parents naturally assume that a child needs to be a certain age – perhaps a teenager – before they can do chores.
But this couldn’t be further from the truth, because even kids as young as three can do chores, provided the tasks are age appropriate of course.
So if you are a parent of a four, five or six year old and want to give them some chores, the good news is your child is definitely old enough to do some!
Let’s take a look at some of the best ones for kids aged four to six.
Chores For Children Aged 4, 5 & 6
Chores are a wonderful way to help children learn about things such as responsibility, hard work and the feeling that comes with doing a job well done.
If you are looking for some jobs or tasks that younger children can do, here are some great examples that they could start doing straight away:
Making Their Bed
Probably one of the easiest and most important tasks a child can do because it starts the day off on a positive note, builds self esteem and provides a sense of accomplishment.
Unpacking Groceries
By the time your child has reached the age of 4 or 5 they will know exactly where all the groceries and dry food should go, so it’s time to put this knowledge to good use!
Helping Prepare Meals
Clearly a six year old isn’t ready to make a soufflé just yet, but things like washing vegetables, stirring ingredients together and slicing soft food with a plastic knife are all great ways to help mom and dad out in the kitchen.
Laying The Dining Table
Talking about food, another great chore for a young child is to help lay the dining table.
While you may not trust them with your finest china just yet, they could always carry things like napkins, condiments and cutlery to the table.
Clearing The Dining Table
Following on from laying the table, anything you trusted your child to carry to the table can also be returned to its next destination, whether that be the refrigerator, cupboard or dishwasher.
Loading & Unloading The Dishwasher
Both loading and unloading the dishwasher and great chores for a four, five or six year old.
You may want to supervise this task or ask them to only unload items that aren’t fragile, such as plastic children’s cups and plates, cutlery and saucepans.
Vacuuming Their Room
Not sure if your child can handle a proper vacuum cleaner yet?
The good news is that handheld versions like the one below are not only super practical, but can also be a great way to get your young child involved in household chores.
VacLife Handheld Vacuum, $49.99 from Amazon
Emptying Trash Bins Throughout The House
Even at age 6 your child might not be old enough to take the trash out of the house, but that doesn’t mean they can’t help in this department.
The small trash bins throughout your house are the perfect size for a child to empty, so once or twice a week their job could be to empty these bins.
Feeding Their Younger Sibling
Being a parent to one child is hard enough, but if you have more than one then any extra help is much appreciated.
Older teenagers can help babysit a younger sibling, but there is still a simple and age-appropriate chore for a four, five or six year old in this department too, which is namely to help feed their younger sibling.
Foods like yogurt and porridge are best suited, because they should be easy for a 4-6 year old to put on a spoon and move towards their younger brother or sister’s mouth.
Cleaning
Dusting, moping and sweeping are all essential skills that we all need to learn how to do.
So why not start your child young, especially as doing this job could really help keep the house clean once they learn how to do it right.
Play22 Kids Cleaning Set 12 Piece
Putting Away Their Laundry
Another simple and age-appropriate task for a young child is to help mom or dad put their clean laundry away.
Yard Work
From raking leaves and picking up sticks, to watering the plants, there are plenty of things a young child can do to help out in your yard or garden.
Your tools will probably be too heavy for your little one, but thankfully there are some cute children’s gardening sets out there to help them do a great job.
Dimple Garden Wagon & Tools Toy Set, 15Piece, $29.99
Six Tips For Giving A 4-6 Year Old Chores
1. Make Instructions Specific
“Lay the dining table” is a very different request to “can you please open the drawer and place a 5 forks and spoons on the dining table”, and clearly the second instruction is more likely to result in a positive outcome than the first.
2. Don’t Expect Perfection
Depending on the task, your little one isn’t going to be able to do the job as well as an older child or adult, so it’s best not to expect perfect results when a young child does a chore.
3. Supervise Difficult Tasks
Jobs like taking a pet for a walk should clearly be supervised, and you know your child (and in this instance the pet) better than anyone.
Some tasks will naturally need supervising, while others may not be appropriate, so pick and choose from the list above based on your child’s age, abilities and other circumstances.
4. Don’t Offer Rewards
You want your child to feel like they are helping out because it’s their contribution for living in the house.
For this reason it’s a good idea not to offer children rewards for doing chores, particularly because they may come to expect them each time in the future.
5. Remember To Praise Your Child
We all like to be acknowledged and praised when we’re doing a good job, and your son or daughter is no different!
This will create positive momentum and a good attitude – two things that are key to getting children to successfully do jobs around the house.
6. Be Consistent
Last up, to help keep momentum, enthusiasm and disciple high, it’s a good idea to be consistent in what you say and do.
Asking your child to do a chore every now and then might lead to confusion.
So having a regular routine – for example your child does waters the plants once a week or clears the dining table every evening – will help them understand the importance of what they are doing, and how important their contribution is.
See Also: Navigating Your Child’s Early Development
