25 realistic chores for 13-year-olds: A guide for parents
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Highlights
- Let your teen pick 2–3 consistent weekly chores to encourage ownership and accountability.
- Teens are ready for room-wide tasks like cleaning bathrooms or organizing closets.
- Advanced meal prep fosters independence. Think cooking full breakfasts or basic grocery runs.
- Set them up for success with checklists, rotating responsibilities, and praise for effort.
By age 13, teens are capable of managing complete chores from start to finish. They can handle meal prep, cleaning, and even yard care. With the right support, these tasks help them build real-life skills like time management, responsibility, and confidence.
This guide offers 25 practical chores categorized into key areas, each with easy-to-follow details so parents can guide without hovering.
25 best chores for 13-year-olds
Make the bed
Change bed linens
Tidy bedroom & closet
Vacuum or mop floors
Clean bathroom surfaces
Load & unload dishwasher
Wash dishes by hand
Wipe down kitchen & dining areas
Prepare simple breakfasts
Make their own lunch
Stock groceries
Wash windows
Dust & restock home supplies
Do laundry (start to finish)
Organize shared spaces
Walk/feed pets
Take out trash & recycling
Wash the car
Mow the lawn (under supervision)
Rake leaves & sweep garage
Help cook evening meals
Iron or care for clothing
Run small errands
Plan a family snack or meal
Assist younger siblings
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Daily & weekly room tasks
1. Make the bed
What it involves: Straightening blankets, fluffing pillows, and organizing any personal items left on the bed.
Why it matters: This daily task sets a tone of accomplishment and responsibility first thing in the morning.
How often: Daily
Tip: Encourage your teen to add their style, such as arranging throw pillows or blankets, to make the space their own.
2. Change bed linens
What it involves: Removing dirty sheets and pillowcases and putting on a clean set, including a fresh pillowcase and duvet cover.
Why it matters: Reinforces good hygiene habits and the importance of keeping a clean personal space.
How often: Weekly
Tip for parents: Have a second set of sheets ready to swap in. It keeps things simple and makes it easier to build the habit.
3. Tidy bedroom & closet
What it involves: Picking up clothes, organizing shoes, dusting surfaces, and putting personal items back in their place.
Why it matters: Helps teens develop organizational skills and a sense of pride in their personal space.
How often: Weekly
Tip: Turn on music or set a timer to make it more fun and less overwhelming.
4. Vacuum or mop floors
What it involves: Using a vacuum or mop to clean bedroom floors or shared areas like the hallway.
Why it matters: Teaches attention to detail and gives teens ownership over their environment.
How often: Weekly
Tip: Have them tackle one area at a time rather than the whole house at once.
5. Clean bathroom surfaces
What it involves: Wiping down counters, sinks, faucets, mirrors, and any spots that collect grime.
Why it matters: Builds awareness around cleanliness in shared spaces and shows teens how small tasks add up.
How often: Weekly
Tip: Use a checklist to help them stay consistent and thorough.
Kitchen & household chores
6. Load & unload the dishwasher
What it involves: Placing dirty dishes in the correct slots and unloading clean ones to their storage spots.
Why it matters: Fosters responsibility in maintaining daily routines and helps with task sequencing.
How often: A few times per week
Tip: Rotate responsibilities within the dishwasher task to keep things interesting, such as handling only glassware or silverware.
7. Wash dishes by hand
What it involves: Scrubbing cookware and dishes not suitable for the dishwasher.
Why it matters: Encourages thoroughness and attention to detail, especially with tougher messes.
How often: As needed
Tip: Offer gloves and gentle soap for comfort and safety.
8. Wipe down kitchen & dining areas
What it involves: Cleaning tables, counters, and chairs after meals or food prep.
Why it matters: Teaches pride in shared spaces and encourages cleanup as part of the routine.
How often: Daily
Tip: Use kid-safe sprays and encourage them to check under placemats and appliances.
9. Prepare simple breakfasts
What it involves: Making basic meals like toast, scrambled eggs, or smoothies.
Why it matters: Builds independence and gives them a confident start to the day.
How often: Daily
Tip: Create a menu with 3–5 options they can easily rotate between.
10. Make their own lunch
What it involves: Packing a balanced meal with protein, fruits or veggies, and snacks.
Why it matters: Teaches planning, nutrition basics, and time management.
How often: School days
Tip: Stock bins in the fridge or pantry with grab-and-go items to streamline prep.
Chores. Allowance. They’re different for every family. That’s why we let you call the shots. Want to tie allowance to chores? Pay a percentage based on chore progress — or only if they’re all done. Prefer not to? Your house. Your rules.
Deep cleaning & organization
11. Stock groceries
What it involves: Helping unpack and organize groceries by type and storage location.
Why it matters: Builds sorting and inventory skills and helps teens become aware of household needs.
How often: Weekly
Tip: Let them be in charge of a specific zone, like snacks or breakfast foods.
12. Wash windows
What it involves: Cleaning smudges and dust from interior windows using safe cleaners.
Why it matters: Helps develop an eye for detail and the value of keeping spaces clear and bright.
How often: Monthly
Tip: Provide microfiber cloths and let them start with their bedroom windows for practice.
13. Dust & restock home supplies
What it involves: Wiping down dusty surfaces and refilling items like toilet paper or soap dispensers.
Why it matters: Encourages awareness of home maintenance and shared responsibilities.
How often: Weekly
Tip: Assign them a specific “zone” to keep stocked, like bathrooms or the laundry room.
14. Do laundry (start to finish)
What it involves: Sorting, washing, drying, folding, and putting away clothes.
Why it matters: Teaches full-cycle ownership and builds independence with personal care.
How often: Weekly
Tip: Use labeled baskets and easy-to-follow laundry instructions.
15. Organize shared spaces
What it involves: Tidying common areas like the living room, entryway, or mudroom.
Why it matters: Reinforces teamwork and respect for spaces everyone uses.
How often: Weekly
Tip: Make it part of a weekend reset and rotate tasks among siblings.
Outdoor & car responsibilities
16. Walk/feed pets
What it involves: Feeding pets on schedule and taking them on supervised walks.
Why it matters: Builds empathy and commitment through consistent care.
How often: Daily
Tip: Let them track feedings or walks on a whiteboard or app.
17. Take out trash & recycling
What it involves: Emptying bins, tying bags, and sorting items into garbage or recycling.
Why it matters: Reinforces routine tasks and environmental awareness.
How often: Weekly
Tip: Assign specific days so it becomes a dependable routine.
18. Wash the car
What it involves: Rinsing, soaping, and drying the exterior of the car.
Why it matters: Helps teens feel productive and see the impact of their effort.
How often: Monthly
Tip: Provide a checklist for steps — rinse, soap, rinse again, dry.
19. Mow the lawn (under supervision)
What it involves: Using a push mower safely with adult guidance.
Why it matters: Fosters responsibility and physical activity.
How often: Weekly in growing seasons
Tip: Teach proper mower use and walk through the area for safety first.
20. Rake leaves & sweep garage
What it involves: Gathering leaves into piles or sweeping out large floor areas.
Why it matters: Reinforces seasonal chores and physical effort.
How often: Weekly or seasonal
Tip: Offer snacks or downtime as positive reinforcement.
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Life-skill chores & supportive roles
21. Help cook evening meals
What it involves: Assisting with prepping ingredients, measuring, and helping cook.
Why it matters: Builds kitchen confidence and a deeper appreciation for family routines.
How often: Weekly
Tip: Start with small tasks like salad or pasta prep and work up from there.
22. Iron or care for clothing
What it involves: Ironing clothes or learning to fix simple tears and buttons.
Why it matters: Encourages self-reliance and pride in presentation.
How often: As needed
Tip: Start with pillowcases or hand towels for safe practice.
23. Run small errands
What it involves: Walking to a nearby mailbox, store, or completing simple errands with supervision.
Why it matters: Builds trust, independence, and responsibility in the real world.
How often: Weekly or as needed
Tip: Ask them to guess how long the errand will take, then check the actual time together. It’s a simple way to build awareness and time management skills.
Make it a two-in-one lesson: Errands are perfect practice for responsible money habits. If you have a family debit card, give kids an errand list and budget. You can even set up specific spend controls and approved stores.
24. Plan a family snack or meal
What it involves: Choosing a recipe, writing a list, preparing and serving a snack or small meal.
Why it matters: Encourages creativity and confidence in planning.
How often: Weekly
Tip: Offer guidance on budget or ingredients to help with decision-making.
25. Assist younger siblings
What it involves: Helping with homework, reading, or keeping them engaged in activities.
Why it matters: Builds leadership, patience, and emotional intelligence.
How often: As needed
Tip: Give positive feedback for calm problem-solving and initiative.
Both you and your kids download the Greenlight app — with tailored experiences. They check off chores, you automate allowance. They spend wisely, you set flexible controls. They build healthy financial habits, and you cheer them on.
How to choose chores for your 13-year-old
At this age, your teen is ready for more autonomy. But they still need structure and encouragement to stay on track. Chores should feel like meaningful contributions that help them grow.
Tips to make it work:
Let them choose 2–3 core chores they handle weekly. Giving your teen some control helps build buy-in and personal responsibility. The goal is for them to own these tasks, not just complete them under pressure.
Use checklists, charts, or an app like Greenlight to track progress. Tools like these provide visual reminders, help teens self-manage, and reduce the need for constant nudging from parents. Automate the whole process with a chores and allowance tracker.
Offer a rotating list of extra chores to avoid boredom. Variety keeps routines from getting stale and teaches adaptability. You might rotate weekend-only chores or seasonal responsibilities, like leaf raking or snow shoveling.
Recognize effort, not perfection, with praise or allowance. Acknowledge initiative and consistency, not just flawless results. This builds confidence and motivation without creating unnecessary pressure.
Connect chores to life skills, like time management and accountability. Reinforce the idea that handling responsibilities now builds habits that will serve them in school, work, and life.
With Greenlight, you can assign chores, set rewards, and give your child real-world earning experience. It’s a win‑win for busy families and growing teens alike.
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This blog post is provided "as is" and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. Some content in this post may have been created using artificial intelligence; however, every blog post is reviewed by at least two human editors.
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