Change it up with these 11 chores for 5-year-olds

Five-year-olds are certainly energetic! So, why not harness a bit of that energy into doing chores?

At around 5 years old, many kids are at an appropriate age to start learning about responsibility and the value of work. Doing chores can help with all of these — and can also help contribute to your busy household.

But of course, chores for 5-year-olds will be much different than for older kids. Read on for a list of age-appropriate chores and household tasks for this age group.

Are chores appropriate for 5-year-olds?

Absolutely! Five-year-olds are bright and full of energy — the perfect combination to start helping out with basic tasks like picking up their toys, sorting clean clothes, and helping clean their own room.

In most cases, even simple chores will require a good amount of help and supervision. And to be perfectly honest, they won’t always be done well — but just doing chores in general helps kids learn about hard work and develop other important life skills.

Chores also help kids learn about contributing to the family. To really maximize this idea, consider having the whole family do chores together. This helps teach kids about teamwork and working together to accomplish shared goals.

Of course, some chores aren’t appropriate for 5-year-olds. You probably don’t want your 5-year-old walking the dog alone — but you could ask them to let the dog out into the backyard. Likewise, 5-year-olds aren’t yet ready to watch after younger siblings — but they can certainly play with them while you tidy the house or complete other tasks nearby.

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In general, simple tasks that kids can perform without too much assistance are the ideal chores for 5-year-olds. As your kids get older, they’ll gain more independence and start expanding the tasks they can complete. No need to rush it!

11 simple chores for 5-year-olds

Here are some easy chores that your little ones can help with around the house. Keep your expectations reasonable, and stay nearby so you can assist if needed — or offer encouragement or praise. 

1. Pick up toys 🧸

Cleaning up the play area and picking up toys in their room is a great place to start. In many households, this is a daily chore to help keep things tidy. It’s also one of the chores for 5-year-olds that kids can tackle on their own, as they know where their toys live and should be able to put them away without much supervision or help.

2. Set the table or clear their dishes after meals 🍽️

Kids can help with setting the table by bringing cups, silverware, etc., out to the dining room table. For heavier items, like large dinner plates and any of the food itself, they might need some assistance. Be cautious with breakable items, too.

And while 5-year-olds probably aren’t coordinated enough (or tall enough) to do the dishes, they can help out a bit by bringing their dirty dishes into the kitchen after meals. You could also ask them to do the same with dishes from younger kids in the household.

3. Put away the silverware 🥄

Asking a 5-year-old to empty the whole dishwasher might not be practical, simply because they won’t be able to safely reach all your shelves. But putting away silverware once it’s clean is a doable task, and littles tend to enjoy it!

4. Help prepare simple meals 🧑‍🍳

Around this age, kids are ready to start helping out more in the kitchen. Baking is a classic place to start that’s easy and safe (since cutting is typically not required) — just be sure to keep them away from the hot oven.

But kids can also help with making sandwiches, cleaning produce, measuring ingredients, and all sorts of other little kitchen tasks. Plus, research has found many benefits to involving kids in cooking — and it may even inspire them to be a chef one day!

5. Sort laundry 🧺

Your littles can help with laundry day by sorting laundry into different categories — whites and colors, for instance. They can also help put away laundry items when they’re clean, but they may not be able to fold clothes well at this age.

6. Feed pets (with supervision) 🐶

At around this age, you could potentially ask your child to help with feeding pets and taking care of other daily pet care needs, like filling up the water bowl. However, these tasks require a bit more supervision, for example, to ensure they’re feeding the right amount of food to your furry friends and to make sure they don’t forget.

7. Get dressed 👕

At age 5, kids should be able to start getting dressed on their own and often can even pick out their own clothes. Depending on their muscle development and coordination levels, they may need help with trickier tasks like buttoning up shirts.

8. Clean up spills 🥛

As you know, spills happen frequently in a household with young children — but kids can get in the habit of cleaning up their own spills using a washcloth or a rag. You wouldn’t necessarily add this to a chore list or schedule, but it’s one of the chores for 5-year-olds that can happen in the moment, whenever a spill happens.

9. Wipe down the bathroom sink 🧽

You likely already have a step stool in the bathroom, so kids should be able to easily reach the bathroom sink for a quick cleaning. They can use a simple wash rag and a gentle cleaner, like vinegar and water or a nontoxic household cleaner. 

When you’re asking younger children to do any sort of cleaning task, be cautious with normal household cleaners, as they can be dangerous if swallowed or if they get into the eyes.

10. Line up boots and shoes 👢

When you get back in from outside, a great quick chore for littles is to put away their boots or shoes. Just this small amount of organization can really help keep your entryway tidy, and it can quickly become a habit for your kids.

11. Empty small trash cans 🗑️

While 5-year-olds are likely too young to take the main trash bin out or to empty the kitchen garbage, they can help keep things orderly by emptying smaller trash cans around the house into the main garbage or into a separate garbage bag.

How to make chores fun for younger kids

Chores help out the family and can also teach kids important life lessons while helping them to develop a strong work ethic. But they’re not exactly fun by themselves — and as you know, the attention span of a 5-year-old is not too long!

So, how do you make chores for 5-year-olds fun? Here are some ideas:

• Make a printable chore chart to display at home: Track progress with gold stars, stickers, or checkmarks. As kids get older, you can also use a digital tracker, like the Greenlight chores and money app for kids.

• Do chores as a family: Teaming up to tackle the tasks of daily living can make chores seem more fair, and this can also help make it a more fun experience for kids.

• Consider a reward system: It may help to get some little treats or rewards involved! While a chore reward system could just be stickers on the chore chart, it could also be a special dinner once a week if all the chores get done or smaller daily treats along the way.

• Consider tying chores to allowances: Many families give their kids an allowance, and combining chores and allowances can help teach kids the value of earning money. Age 5 might seem young to start learning about money. But actually, it’s about the perfect time to begin introducing basic financial topics — and providing an allowance is a great place to start.

• Offer extra chores for extra rewards: If you do use some sort of reward system, you could also consider creating a separate list of optional chores that your littles could do for an extra reward. The Greenlight app lets you offer extra tasks, with financial rewards built right in.

Finally, consider the types of tasks that might be the best chores for your child in particular. It’s normal for kids to enjoy certain kinds of tasks and dislike (or struggle to complete) others. It’s OK to modify chores to suit individual needs and preferences, particularly at this age.

Chores can help teach valuable life lessons

The truth is, learning important life lessons can start right in your living room. Kids can learn a lot just by helping out around the house. Use this list of chores for 5-year-olds as a starting point.

Learn more about chores, allowances, parenting, and money for kids on the Greenlight blog.

Ready to turn chores into something your kids look forward to each week? Sign up for Greenlight today!