32 Age-appropriate chores for your 10 year old

Part of growing up is gaining more responsibility, and a good way for your kids to start learning that responsibility is by helping with the household chores. While you might have to work up to teaching your children how to wash dishes, there are plenty of age-appropriate chores that your kid can help with. 

You may or may not have already introduced your kids to the concept of chores. Either way, it's important to choose reasonable chores for a 10-year-old so you don't throw too much at them too fast. Here, we break down some chores for 10-year-olds that can make them (and you) feel good about helping out around the house.

Basic cleaning tasks: Starting off simple

Think about the chores you do each day. A lot of them are probably pretty simple! This is a good place to start for daily chores for a 10-year-old. Some of these tasks may include:

• Cleaning toys

• Washing windows

• Dusting

• Vacuuming

• Taking out the trash

• Wiping down surfaces and appliances

Some messier chores, like mopping or cleaning toilets, might be a little much at first but are good things to work towards.

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Organizing personal and shared spaces: Encouraging order

Many of the things you do to encourage order in your home you might not even consider chores. But these tasks likely aren't second nature to your kids yet, so you have to help them build the habit. Some of these activities may include:

• Making their bed

• Putting away toys

• Putting TV remotes and other technology back in a shared spot

• Putting away video games

• Putting away toothbrushes and other personal supplies to maintain a clean bathroom

Meal preparation: Cooking with assistance

What gourmand parent doesn't want a little sous chef? While cooking a meal may require some advanced skills, your 10-year-old can still help with meal time. Activities include:

• Basic ingredient preparation, like cutting butter

• Stirring or mixing ingredients

• Setting the table

• Clearing dishes from the table

• Loading the dishwasher

Getting your kid involved at mealtime can help make it more fun for everyone and start encouraging a love of time spent together.

Laundry duties: Understanding fabrics and care

Your 10-year-old is probably not going to start doing their laundry from start to finish, but you can at least get them working towards that responsibility. Show them how you do it so they understand how to take care of different types of fabrics and the kinds of detergents and softeners they should know. This might be a lot for the typical 10-year-old, so to start, try:

• Putting dirty clothes in a hamper

• Folding clothes

• Putting away clothes in their proper places

Few of us enjoy laundry, and your kid probably won't either, but exposing them to it early in life may go a long way.

Pet care: Responsibilities for animal lovers

There's a non-zero chance that getting a pet was your kid's idea, so include them in the responsibility of caring for the animal. Some simple ways kids can help with pet care include:

• Handling meals

• Changing litter boxes

• Bath time

• Short walks (with non-reactive, smaller dogs)

Some aspects of pet care will be a bit too complicated or challenging for them, but involving them in pet care at a young age will help them gain an appreciation of what it takes to care for others.

Gardening help: Connecting with nature

Whether you have indoor plants or a thriving garden outside, sharing your love of gardening is a great way to connect with your kids. Some gardening chores may include:

• Watering plants

• Pruning bushes

• Pulling weeds

• Raking leaves

• Planting new flora

Gardening is a great way to get your kid outside and get a little extra help.

Groceries: Learning to shop and organize

Grocery shopping is something even many adults struggle to do efficiently. Teaching your kids how to grocery shop is an enormously important skill, and it also helps you get through one of your most important weekly chores. Some ways you can encourage them to help include:

• Organizing the shopping cart

• Packing bags

• Developing an efficient shopping strategy

• Building a budget

For kids who don't want to go to the grocery store, encourage them to come along by gamifying the process.

Helpful tips for motivation: Making chores fun

On your own, chores can be a slog, but when you're doing them with a buddy, they can be a lot more fun. Show your kids that you're excited about doing chores with them, especially when they're things you enjoy doing, like cooking or gardening. Any time you have to do something less fun, try to end with a task that's more fun.

Chores as life skills: Long-term benefits

We all have to do chores as adults. Introducing kids to them when they're younger will normalize the basic labor we all must do to live adult lives. Not only that, but it will help them build autonomy and responsibility that will serve them well in school and extracurricular activities.

Reward systems: Encouraging consistency

Whether you're looking for chores for 10-year-olds or chores for 8-year-olds, a little incentive never hurts. Some reward ideas include sticker charts, special outings, or surprise treats. You can also begin paying your children for doing their chores, which is a great way to get them excited about them and start introducing them to the concept of money and budgeting. With Greenlight, parents can set chores and pay allowances, and kids and teens can keep track of their weekly chores, check them off, and learn about earning, budgeting, and saving. 

Teach the value of hard work. Assign chores and allowances, track progress, and help kids learn to earn and manage money with Greenlight. Try Greenlight, one month, risk-free.†

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