Chores for 8-year-olds: A guide for parents

Running a household is no easy task, and every little bit of help can go a long way. As your kids get older, you can start divvying up a bit more responsibility.

Of course, you can start assigning chores to kids when they’re younger — but you’ll need to pick age-appropriate chores that your kids will be able to accomplish. For older kids, around 8-9 years old, you’ll have more options.

What are some good chores for 8-year-olds? In this guide, parents can find a list of chores that are appropriate for this age group.

How to choose age-appropriate chores for 8-year-olds

Kids of course develop at different rates, so there’s no “standard” capability level at age 8. With that said, 8-year-olds will typically have the ability to do simple cleaning tasks with little to no help, and may also be able to water plants, assist with cooking simple meals, and even get outside to pull weeds or rake the lawn.

The list of age-appropriate chores for 8-year-olds below will provide some inspiration, but here are some general tips to keep in mind:

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• Provide supervision or help when needed: Having kids help with chores serves two main purposes — to help you manage household tasks and to teach kids the importance of shared responsibility and hard work. Completing chores together can still help toward both of these goals.

• Make it fun and cooperative by tracking progress: Eight-year-olds are not known for their epic attention spans, so parents can help by making chores fun (or as fun as possible). It can help to create a printable chore chart to track progress with check marks or gold stars or to have a family “chore time” where everyone cleans up together.

• Consider tying chores to allowances: Eight-year-olds are also in a prime age group to start learning about money, and parents can help by providing an allowance. It doesn’t have to be a ton of money either. In 2023, the average allowance for an 8-year-old is $7.73 per week, but you may wish to require your kids to earn their allowance by completing chores (more on this later).

Finally, you’ll want to consider your kids’ individual strengths, preferences, and ability levels when assigning chores. The chores list below will give you some ideas to consider.

Household chores for 8 year olds

Chores for your 8-year-old? We’ve got you covered with 10 options as a helpful starting point for age-appropriate tasks.

1. Walk the dog 🐕 

Pet care is an appropriate chore for 8-year-olds, and as long as you live in a safe neighborhood, asking your kids to walk the dog is a great place to start. Other pet care tasks that your kids could help out with include filling food and water bowls and cleaning the litter box. 

2. Pack lunch for school 🥪

If your kids bring a packed lunch to school, they can start helping out with preparing lunches — or even make their own lunch all by themselves. Of course, parents may want to set some rules around what needs to be included, so that they still get a balanced meal.

3. Wash dishes 🍽️

Eight-year-olds should be able to help with clean-up after dinner. That might mean loading or unloading the dishwasher or hand-washing larger dishes.

4. Take out the trash 🚮

Emptying trash cans and taking the bin out to the curb on trash days could also be a good chore to assign. If the trash needs to go out very early in the morning or the bin gets quite heavy, you may need to help with that.

5. Do laundry 🧺

Your 8-year-old should also be able to help do their own laundry. This includes collecting dirty clothes, loading the washing machine, and folding clean clothes when they’re ready. Depending on your laundry room setup, you may need to help them with loading soap and starting the cycle.

6. Take care of younger siblings 🚸

Eight-year-olds are also able to start helping care for younger children. They are likely not old enough yet to truly babysit or be left alone with little ones, but they should be responsible enough to play with younger kids and to keep an eye on them while you cook meals, tidy the house, or tackle other to-dos at home. Of course, this also depends on the age of the young children and the age gap between your kids.

7. Set and clear the table 🥄

While you cook dinner, your kids can help prepare by setting the table with napkins, silverware, and dishes. They can also help clean up by clearing the table after dinner.

8. Clean bathrooms 🛁

Your child can also help keep bathrooms clean and tidy. Tasks might include cleaning the toilet, the sink, and the shower/tub. You might need to help them with hard-to-reach spots like the bathroom mirror or shower walls. Also, keep kids safe from chemicals by using non-toxic cleaners and/or by teaching them how to safely use cleaning products.

9. Help cook meals 🍳

Kids can also start helping out in the kitchen with food prep and even cooking. Easy and safe tasks include washing produce, mixing ingredients, and preparing sauces and sides. This is also an age where introducing knife skills could be appropriate, but be sure to start with a safe kitchen knife for kids.

10. Sweep and mop 🧹

Sweeping, mopping, dusting, and other routine household chores are also good options for 8-year-olds. These tasks are accessible for little ones and need to be done frequently in busy households. Add sweeping and mopping to your child’s chore chart to establish a good schedule for these frequent cleaning tasks. 

Linking chores and allowances

It can be hard to motivate kids to consistently complete chores, so many parents choose to provide incentives, like treats or gold stars. Others choose to link chores to allowances by requiring kids to complete certain chores in order to earn their allowance.

Surveys have found that 59% of kids have to earn their allowances by completing chores or earning certain grades, so if you go this route, you’re in good company. There’s no “right” or “wrong” approach here. The best approach will depend on your preferences and your family.

If you do decide to link chores and allowances, consider using Greenlight, an allowance and chores app for kids. Greenlight makes it easy to set up a chore schedule, and both kids and parents get their own versions of the app. And it’s much more than just chores — kids get their own debit card, saving and spending tools, and tons of resources to learn more about personal finances.

Chores can help 8-year-olds learn valuable skills

Age-appropriate chores can help teach kids the value of hard work, responsibility, and teamwork — and can also help parents manage a busy household. If you link allowances with chores, helping out around the house can also teach kids about earning, saving, and spending money.

Eight-year-olds are at a great age to start learning more about finances. Consider using Greenlight, the all-in-one money app for kids, to teach them the ropes.

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