10 Chores Your Five Year Old Can Do

Looking for some age-appropriate chores for your 5 year old? Read this post to find a list of chores your child can do and get your chore cards and chore chart.

5 year old chores

By the time your child turns five, he can really do chores that are helpful in the home.

This is such a blessing and benefit in the home!

It is so nice to have your little people start to help contribute to cleaning up after themselves and not just making messes. Let’s talk about what you can reasonably expect a five year old to do.

Chores for 5 Year Olds

Here is a list of chores you can expect a five year old to do.

Now, with these chores, always keep in mind that you need to teach the child how to do the chore and give time for the child to work at it, practice, and get better over time.

Just because “help clear the table” is on the list of age-appropriate chores won’t mean your five year old will know exactly what that looks like and be a pro the first time you have him help.

So look at these as skills to work on over the entire year five.

Also, be sure your child is doing the chores from the previous lists I have shared before adding on these chores. I have linked those at the end of this post.

Clear the Table

Have your five year old help clear the table. Decide on things your child can put away that you are okay with.

You need to expect some spills; food might fall from a plate. A dirty spoon might fall on the floor.

Remember the child is learning.

You can have your child move things from the table into the kitchen or go as far as having the child literally put stuff away where it goes. 

Straighten A Room

A five year old can straighten up a room. A five year old can even reasonably be expected to clean her own room.

It might not be as organized as you would clean it–that is highly dependent on the child’s personality. But it can still be done. 

Sometimes straightening or cleaning a room can be very overwhelming. If that is the case for your little one, give her a specific thing to do. After she does that, give her another specific thing to do.

For example, you might have her start by picking up all of the books and putting them away. Next, you might do all stuffed animals, etc.

Empty Garbage

This is a great chore for younger kids to do.

Once McKenna turned five, she was been in charge of emptying every garbage can in the house once a week. This is something you will need to help your child do several times (at least) before leaving your child to it. 

Once Brinley turned five, she took over the job of emptying garbages.

Prep Own Lunch

Your five year old can prep most if not all of her own lunch if lunch is simple enough. 

It is a great idea to at least have her job be to help you prep her lunch. Over time, she will learn more and more and be able to do it on her own.

Clean Base Moldings

I have a hard time getting base moldings cleaned as often as I like, so I love having a child do base moldings from time to time. This is a great task for a five year old.

Fold Laundry

I have my children help fold laundry starting at four or five. This is a task that requires your patience for sure. The children quickly improve at this skill.

In a couple of years (if not sooner), your child will be able to fold an entire load independently.

Fold Socks

A five year old can fold socks and sort them to piles of who the socks belong to. If you fold the way where one sock goes into the other, this is a skill that may take several months to develop–it is a motor skill. 

Put Laundry Away

A five year old can learn to put clothes on the hanger. If the bar is low enough in the closet or a step stool is available, the child can even hang those clothes back up in the closet.

The child can also put clothes away neatly that are folded.

I HIGHLY recommend teaching children these laundry skills at five. You have no idea how much time and mental load will be lifted off your plate when you can hand your child her basket of laundry and say, “Put your laundry away!” and you walk away.

So amazing.

You probably won’t get to that point with a five year old, unless the five year old is very much detail-oriented and takes care to be neat, but it will happen by six or seven. It is a goal worth working toward, from one mom to another.

Be a Runner

When I am organizing and decluttering, I LOVE having a child with me. I will hand an item to the child and have her run it where I need it to go. It saves me so much time.

It also is an opportunity for your child to observe and learn how to clean or organize something. They watch you do it and pick up on skills.

Build on Previous Chores

Your child has some chores already on her resume. You can build on those.

As a four year old, you introduced unloading the dishwasher. You may have started with the silverware. This year, add something else she can reach and have that be her job, also. 

5 year old chore list

Add More Chores Slowly

Do not look at this list and decide your child needs to do all of them tomorrow. You can add one skill a month over the course of being five.

I have ten items here for you. Pick the ten best months for you to work on a skill and focus on one a month. If your child catches on faster, you can add more quickly. 

When I am teaching a child to do a new chore, I like to have the child observe a chore for a while before asking her to do it.

Then I help the child with the chore for a while, then I observe the child doing the chore and correct if needed.

I finish up by giving instructions and then walking away so the child can work freely without me helicoptering around. 

>>>Read: A Beginner’s Guide to Teaching Kids To Do Chores

Chore Cards and Chore Chart

Chore cards and/or a chore chart are both great options for keeping your child on track when doing chores. It is so easy to hand the pack to your child and tell her to get going on her chores.

This pack of cards includes all of the chores your child can do at age five. It even has chores for all ages 2-7 years old, so it is a great pack to start with your littles and use on through the child years.

$5.99 – To purchase, click the Buy Now button below. You will then have an instant download sent to your email. It is that simple. By making a purchase, you are agreeing to my privacy policy.

 
Chore Cards and Chore Chart for 5 year olds
 

Conclusion

Teaching your little ones to do chores can take a lot of time and effort on your part. Is it easier for you to just do it yourself? Absolutely!

However, your child can and will get to the point that he can make a significant dent in the list of chores that need to be done around the house.

Having your child learn to do chores helps him learn to be responsible and have a sense of accomplishment. It also enables you to have more time to spend with your kiddos and family. It is a win all around!

Related Posts

This post originally appeared on this blog January 2018

10 Chores Your Five Year Old Can Do | Chores | Chores for children | #chores

Leave a Comment