Chores for 6 and 7 year olds
Six- and seven-year-olds can work through a short checklist on their own and remember a job from one day to the next. It's a good age to add a chore that helps the whole house, not only their own room.
Put away their own clean laundry
Drawers labeled by what goes in them.
Sort laundry by color
Lights, darks and towels, in three baskets.
Empty the small trash cans
Bathrooms and bedrooms into the kitchen bag.
Unload the silverware from the dishwasher
Sharp knives stay with you.
Sweep the kitchen floor
A kid-size broom and a dustpan.
Help pack their lunch
They choose the fruit and the snack.
Tidy the living room before dinner
A five-minute timer, everyone at once.
Rake leaves
Short sessions, a small rake.
What makes it stick at this age: A checklist they can see beats reminding them. Let them tick each one off themselves.
For the rest of the house
The printed list is yours to keep. Pitch In is a free app for the grown-ups and teenagers in the house: chores with names on them, a shared calendar, the grocery list and the bills, in one place everyone can see. It’s for 13 and up, so when your kids get there, they get their own list.