15 Chores Your 5-Year-Old Can Do On Their Own

Chores are a necessary part of family life and a big part of ours, especially with 5 children. In this series, I am going to offer some advice on chores for kids and what are the best ones to assign them, based on age and ability. Read on to find out what chores a 5-year-old can do all on their own…

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Chores are a big part of our family dynamic. And sharing that part of our family life with our kids is essential.

Having my kids take on the responsibility of chores serves a lot of different purposes and has many benefits:

• It takes some of the pressure off me to keep a clean house.
• It gives my children the chance to take on responsibility and grow as a contributing member of the family.
• It gives me time to do things that only I can do, the ultimate goal of delegation.
• It gives my kids the chance to feel pride in their work.
• It keeps the feelings of entitlement and laziness at bay.
• It gives us all the opportunity to appreciate what everyone else does to keep the house going.

I know that not everyone feels the same way about chores. And let’s not even get into the debate about allowance…But I believe in chores for my kids and think that they’re an important part of family life.

So, what chores should kids be given?

With children in five different age ranges, I have created chore lists for each of them many times over the years. The responsibilities vary based on their ability, their preferences, and what needs doing.

I don’t want chores to feel like a punishment, so I try to assign them based on what each child is best at or enjoys. I figure that my kids, like any of us, will do a better job doing something they actually like.

My 7-year-old son, for instance, does the kitchen because he likes it and, honestly, does an amazing, detailed job. My 5-year-old likes cleaning windows, so they get the attention she is happy to lavish on them.

There are two things I learned about children doing chores that I hope each of you will take to heart:

1. Don’t expect perfection. Your children are not going to do it perfectly, or absolutely up to your standard, so don’t set both of you up for failure by expecting too much. This was a hard thing for me because I am not a lover of cleaning, but when I do it, I am all in.

But my need for perfect would undermine their pride and accomplishment. So be careful. Compliment and appreciate their work. Otherwise, you may turn them off from chores for the foreseeable future.

2. Show them what to do. It may seem obvious to you, but you can’t expect a child to know what you want without you showing them.

Remember that kids generally don’t think about why the toothpaste is no longer stuck to the sink. They don’t think about you scrubbing away while they’re in school. You’ll need to show them how the magic happens if you want them to do a decent job.

So, here is a list of 15 chores your 5-year-old can do on their own. I never assigned all of these at once, but at various times, a portion of this list would make it onto my children’s Saturday chore chart or as a daily to-do.

1. 

   Empty the dishwasher – Your child should be able to empty the dishwasher or drying rack and put things away. My daughter can’t reach the high cabinets so I have her organize and stack the plates and bowls on the counter for me to put away.

2. Clean counter and tables – After meals, give your child a spray bottle of a non-toxic cleaner (like this one, or a homemade vinegar solution) and have them wipe off the table. They can also do the counters the same way.
3. Fold laundry – Once you’ve shown your child how to fold laundry, they should be able to handle it from then on, with only a few corrections where needed. I usually handle the bigger clothes and bedding myself or enlist multiple kids, but basic clothes are no problem.
4. Sweep floors – I can be a little picky about this, but my 5-year-old does a decent job. I needed to show her how to get the corners and how to get everything in the dust pan, but otherwise, this was an easy one. Try to get a broom that’s short enough that it’s easy to handle, like this one.
5. Rake leaves/shovel snow – My 3-year-old even helps with this. Raking and pushing snow with a shovel is well within a 5-year-old’s ability and strength level. And they love working alongside the adults.
6. Vacuum – Depending on how heavy your vacuum is, this is also good for a child of this age. Show them your technique so they know how you like it done and let them push away. My son didn’t like the loud noise ours made, so he wore noise-reduction headphones when he did this chore.
7. Clean bathroom sinks – I don’t ask my kids to clean toilets because I prefer to use more caustic chemicals on them and don’t want them exposed. I may change that in the future, but for now, bathrooms are basically sinks and maybe cleaning the tub fixtures.
8. Make beds – My daughter does a nice job making beds, even arranging pillows and stuffed animals for her siblings. The only thing she can’t do on her own is put on the fitted bottom sheet (but, hey, even I can barely manage that most days).
9. Organize toys – If your child is especially interested in order, they might like this one. We have to organize our toys to keep them from becoming an insane pile of junk, so my 5-year-old separates things into the various buckets for each type of toy.

10. 

    Prepare easy meals – When I was nursing, the kids would sometimes wake up and be ready for breakfast while I was still glued to my rocker. So my 5-year-old was able to pour cereal for the younger ones (and older, too), get milk cups from the fridge, and pick out and rinse fruit in the sink. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are also doable.

11. Clean windows – This is a favorite and something that all the kids want to do. Just show them how to avoid streaks and send them off to the windows and mirrors around the house.
12. Dust shelves/blinds – Those little hands can make quick work of dust. I give mine a cleaning wipe for this task. If there are breakables on the shelves, I either do those myself or have her go around them, rather than try to lift and move them.
13. Gather trash – If you’re like me and have a garbage can in every room, then it helps to have someone run around and empty them out into one bigger bag before taking out the trash. Generally, these are lightweight things, like tissues and paper, so it’s easy (but helpful) work.
14. Feed animals – Whether it’s fish or dogs, if you can mark a scoop so your 5-year-old knows how much to give, they can handle this chore. Mine fed our dogs and I have a friend who lets her kindergartner feed their bunny and fish.
15. Polish banisters – Little fingers can sometimes do a much better job of going over those small curlicues and ridges that more ornate railings have. Give your child a rag and some homemade cleaner or polish (or just water) and send them over. I can remember doing this as a small child myself.

Giving your children a chance to be a participating and helpful member of the family can be life-changing. There may be whining here and there, but they’ll take pride in their work and learn some valuable lessons to take into adulthood.

Happy cleaning, all!

 

What chores does your 5-year-old do? Let me know if I missed anything on this list in the comments below!

 

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