What are normal chores for a 10-year-old?

The American Academy of Pediatrics keeps the younger list for 8 to 10-year-olds. That means making their bed, setting and clearing the table, emptying bins, sorting laundry and feeding a pet. It adds hoovering, helping make dinner, making their own snacks and walking the dog. Putting away their own laundry and the shopping are on the list too. The academy suggests adding one new task at a time, because a long list can be overwhelming.

What chores should a 12 to 14-year-old do?

For 11 and 12-year-olds, the American Academy of Pediatrics lists cleaning the kitchen, changing the beds and unloading the dishwasher. It adds doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom and cooking a simple meal with an adult around. Its page on teenagers adds hoovering shared rooms, cleaning up after cooking, pet care and helping with younger brothers and sisters. It gives no separate list for 13 and 14.

What should children do before screen time?

Whatever your family agrees in advance, written down. Most families pick homework and two or three short chores. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests chores at the same time each day. It also suggests a list where everyone can see it, such as on the fridge. It says badgering or scolding does not work, and praising the effort does.

Do chores actually do children any good?

There is evidence of a link. A study in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics in 2019 followed 9,971 American children. Those who did chores more often at age five or six rated themselves more capable socially, at school and in life satisfaction three years later. Doing any chores was also linked to better maths scores. The study shows an association and cannot prove the chores caused it.

Guides · How to

Chores before screens: which chores at what age, and how do you make it stick?

"Have you emptied the dishwasher?" At five, at six, at seven, and the game is still on. This guide covers the chores that suit each age and what research says they do for children. It ends with a first-then rule that holds without you asking.

Written by the Kairoo team · Published 25 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 · 9 min read

A girl of about ten in a school cardigan unloading the dishwasher and putting plates away in a family kitchen

Key fact

9,971

American children followed from age five or six: those who did more chores felt more capable three years later

Source: White and colleagues, 2019

In short

Agree in advance that two or three chores that suit their age come first, check once when they say they're done, and then screens start.

Make it a first-then rule, agreed in advance: two or three everyday chores first, screens after, at the same time each day. Asking each evening makes every chore a new negotiation. A rule you wrote together takes the decision out of the moment. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests jobs like hoovering, helping make dinner and putting away their own laundry at 8 to 10. At 11 to 12 it adds cleaning the kitchen, changing the beds and unloading the dishwasher. The habit is linked to how children see themselves. A 2019 study followed 9,971 American children from age five or six. Those who did chores more often felt more capable at school and with friends three years later. That is an association. It does not prove the chores caused it.

Key facts

9,971 American children followed from age five or six: those doing more chores felt more capable three years on (White, DeBoer and Scharf, 2019).
From 8 to 10: hoovering, helping make dinner, putting away laundry; at 11 to 12, cleaning the kitchen (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2024).
Four things help children take on a dull task: a reason, their feelings heard, a choice, and less pressure (Joussemet, Landry and Koestner, 2008).

Ten past five. The dishwasher finished an hour ago. "Can you empty it, please?" "In a minute." At six you ask again, a bit louder. At seven you do it yourself, and you are cross with everyone, including you. The chore takes four minutes. The asking took the whole evening.

Why doesn't asking every evening work?

Each ask is a new negotiation. Your child decides whether this one counts, and you decide whether to push. Five asks give five chances for "in a minute". By the last one, the argument is bigger than the job.

The advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is blunt about this. Its guidance on chores says badgering or scolding a child does not get them to take on responsibility. It says encouragement and praise for the effort work better.

Research on how children take rules on board points the same way. A 2008 review by Joussemet, Landry and Koestner separates two ways parents can take charge. Clear, consistent rules support a child's development. Pressure that pushes them to feel or act a certain way, such as guilt, works against it.

What is a first-then rule?

It is a simple rule: first the chore, then the screen. The order is the same every day. You agree it once, in advance, and write it down.

The AAP suggests three things that make it work:

The same time each day. Chores straight after school, or before dinner. A fixed slot means nobody has to remember to ask.
A list where everyone can see it. On the fridge, or in your child's room. The list does the reminding.
One new task at a time. A long list can be overwhelming, especially for a child who hasn't done chores before.

Two or three short chores is plenty for a weekday. Homework can sit in the same rule. Our guide to homework before screens covers that part.

Which chores suit ages 8 to 10 and 11 to 14?

No UK body publishes a chores-by-age list. The best-known one comes from the AAP in the United States, adapted from its book on caring for school-age children. These are its suggestions, in British words.

What chores can an 8 to 10-year-old do?

From the younger list, which they can keep doing:

making their bed
setting and clearing the table
emptying the bins
sorting dirty washing
feeding a pet

New at this age:

hoovering
helping make dinner
making their own snack
walking the dog
putting away their own clean laundry
putting away the shopping

What chores can an 11 to 14-year-old do?

The AAP's list for 11 and 12 adds:

cleaning the kitchen
changing the beds
unloading the dishwasher
doing and folding laundry
cleaning the bathroom and toilet
cooking a simple meal with an adult around
watching a younger brother or sister with an adult at home

It has no separate list for 13 and 14. Its page on teenagers adds hoovering shared rooms, cleaning the kitchen after cooking, looking after a pet and helping with younger children.

These are starting points. Your child may be ready for more, or for less. The AAP says to praise the effort and expect a learning process while they get the hang of it.

What does research say chores do for children?

The best-known study is American. In 2019, White, DeBoer and Scharf at the University of Virginia published a study of 9,971 children. They started school in the United States in 2010 and 2011. Parents said how often their child did chores at age five or six. Three years later, the children rated how capable they felt.

Children who did chores more often felt more capable with friends and at school, and were more satisfied with life. This held after allowing for sex, family income and parents' education. Children who rarely did chores were a little more likely to score in the bottom fifth on those measures. Doing any chores at all was linked to better maths scores.

This is an association. Families where young children do chores may differ in other ways the study could not measure. The children were also younger than the 8 to 14-year-olds this guide is about, and we found no comparable UK study. It is one good reason to keep chores going.

How do you get them to agree to it?

Joussemet and colleagues give clearing up and homework as examples of tasks children don't enjoy but need to take on. Their review describes four things that help a child accept a rule like this:

Give the reason. "Everyone who lives here helps keep it going."
Hear how they feel. "I know emptying the dishwasher is boring."
Offer a choice. Which two chores, and in which order.
Keep the pressure low. Fewer reminders, no guilt.

The review is clear that this sits alongside firm rules. You still set the structure. Your child gets a say inside it.

How do you check it's done without nagging?

Decide what "done" looks like before the day it's needed. "Dishwasher empty, everything in a cupboard" is clear. "Help in the kitchen" is not.

Then check once, at the agreed time. Early on, have a quick look. As the weeks go by and it keeps getting done, take their word for it. That trust is part of the point.

If it isn't done, screens wait. No lecture is needed. The rule you both agreed does the talking, and you can stay friendly.

What about earn-screen-time charts?

Many families use charts where each chore earns minutes on a screen. The AAP's chores page mentions tangible rewards like stickers or pocket money tied to completed chores. It also calls screen time a privilege.

A first-then rule works differently. The chores decide when screens start. How much screen time they get stays as you agreed it, on its own.

What happens on days with no chores?

Agree it in advance. Some families keep weekends chore-free. Others have one day off a week, or lighter chores in the school holidays. On a no-chores day, screens start at the usual time.

Days when your child is ill, or home late from a club, need an answer too. Write it into the rule so it is never argued at five o'clock.

If the harder moment is stopping rather than starting, read what to say to "five more minutes". To put chores, homework and screen times into one plan, read how to write a family screen time agreement. Or start with the free agreement.

Kairoo

Chores first. Without asking all evening.

In Kairoo the agreement you both sign can put chores or homework first. Your child ticks them off, you decide whether their word is enough, and games and fun apps can stay locked until they're done.

Your phone and your child’s don’t have to match. Kairoo works between iPhone and Android, and your child’s app is also available on iPad.

Or start with the free agreement · Free, no card needed.

Questions parents ask

What are normal chores for a 10-year-old?: The American Academy of Pediatrics keeps the younger list for 8 to 10-year-olds. That means making their bed, setting and clearing the table, emptying bins, sorting laundry and feeding a pet. It adds hoovering, helping make dinner, making their own snacks and walking the dog. Putting away their own laundry and the shopping are on the list too. The academy suggests adding one new task at a time, because a long list can be overwhelming.
What chores should a 12 to 14-year-old do?: For 11 and 12-year-olds, the American Academy of Pediatrics lists cleaning the kitchen, changing the beds and unloading the dishwasher. It adds doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom and cooking a simple meal with an adult around. Its page on teenagers adds hoovering shared rooms, cleaning up after cooking, pet care and helping with younger brothers and sisters. It gives no separate list for 13 and 14.
What should children do before screen time?: Whatever your family agrees in advance, written down. Most families pick homework and two or three short chores. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests chores at the same time each day. It also suggests a list where everyone can see it, such as on the fridge. It says badgering or scolding does not work, and praising the effort does.
Do chores actually do children any good?: There is evidence of a link. A study in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics in 2019 followed 9,971 American children. Those who did chores more often at age five or six rated themselves more capable socially, at school and in life satisfaction three years later. Doing any chores was also linked to better maths scores. The study shows an association and cannot prove the chores caused it.
Should children earn screen time by doing chores?: Many families use charts where each chore earns minutes of screen time. The American Academy of Pediatrics' chores page mentions rewards like stickers or pocket money for completed chores. A first-then rule works differently. The chores decide when screens start, and the amount of screen time stays as agreed. Research on how children take rules on board (Joussemet, Landry and Koestner, 2008) points to giving the reason and offering choices.

Sources

Age-Appropriate Chores for Children, HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics), 9 February 2024
Associations Between Household Chores and Childhood Self-Competency, Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 40(3), 176-182 (White, DeBoer and Scharf), April 2019
Household Chores for Teens, HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics), 9 February 2024
A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Parenting, Joussemet, Landry & Koestner, Canadian Psychology 49(3), 194-200, 2008

Last reviewed 25 October 2026. Kairoo checks these pages when the rules or the research change; if you spot something out of date, tell us at hello@kairoo.family.