Chores for 5 year olds can be simple and fun by making them easy to learn and straightforward. Give your kid a boost of confidence in their ability to be a big helper.
Five years old is usually the age when kids like to be considered “big kids.”
They are really starting to emerge into their personalities. They’re no longer considered toddlers, and they’ve left the world of “I need mommy for everything,” behind, and they are embarking on a journey of learning to be independent.
Along with that independence, it’s time for parents to start thinking about how their little one can start doing chores for kids and begin to learn more responsibility.
Responsibility can mean chores, simple meal prep, independent grooming, simple pet care, etc.
You don’t want to overwhelm them at this age. Instead, it’s best to gently introduce your 5 year old to the world of chores and responsibility.
From my experience, 4-5 year olds are eager to help. They want to stay close by and shadow their parents as they learn how things work.
That makes this a great time to teach them and let them become your mini helper.
*We recommend products we believe moms will love. If you use the following recommended links, we may earn a commission. Learn more
How to Make Chores For 5 Year Olds Fun
Keeping chores fun and simple for young kids can be the thing that really makes them enjoy doing their chores. Even as adults, we do better with things that we enjoy as opposed to things that are boring.
Try some of these fun ways for making chores for 5 year olds fun:
- Make chore time a game – race your preschooler around the house and see who can complete an assigned chore first
- Race the clock – Set a timer and have a 4 or 5 year old pick up their toys before the timer tops.
- Act like a favorite character – Most kids this age like to play dress up. Why not let them dress as their favorite princess or a firefighter and role play acting like that character while doing a chore.
- Get active – As adults, we may not want to hop around but kids love to! Instead of walking from one room to the next let them hop like a bunny or frog. Make it even more fun by making animal sounds, too!
Use a little creativity and come up with some more ways to make chores fun for your child. Think of things kids their age like to do and incorporate that activity in to chore time.
Chores for 5 Year Olds
1. Vacuum
I don’t know what it is about the vacuum cleaner, but most kids love it. My own children argue over who gets to vacuum the floor sometimes. It’s a straightforward task, and one that can be demonstrated quickly and easily.
2. Dust
Dusting is another easy task for someone this age to complete. Show them how to carefully remove knick knacks and picture frames from shelves and dust before replacing the items. Bonus if you give them a fun mitten duster like this one! They’ll probably beg you to dust everyday!
3. Set the table
Be careful with glass and porcelain dishes, but still let them try with supervision. If you don’t think your child can handle the fragile ware just yet, then show them how to place the utensils, napkins and cups in their proper places.
4. Clear the table
Another one of the best chores for 5 year olds is clearing the table once everyone is finished.
Once everyone is done eating, allow your five year old to carry the dishes to the sink. Again, be careful of breakables.
If your house is like mine, everyone carries their own dirty dishes to the sink when they are finished eating. In this case, a young child will get the same experience by cleaning up her own dishes when she is finished eating.
5. Clean up room
Cleaning up a room is a chore that can start even younger than four or five, but five is the age when kids really are able to do more fine-tuning to the cleaning process. Show them how to not only put away toys, but to separate them into categories for organization.
You can demonstrate how to line up shoes neatly in their closet or make sure all the books are facing the right way on the bookshelf.
It may take a bit more time to help them, but cleaning their room is an essential skill to have. Their future college roommate will thank you.
6. Separate laundry
Separating laundry is an easy chore. Demonstrate how to divide clothes into the color categories that you choose. On laundry day, have them bring you the color pile that you are ready to wash.
7. Fold laundry
Once the laundry is finished washing and drying, let your five year old help fold and put them away. Start with towels since they are the easiest, then show them how to fold shirts and match socks.
They may not be ready for things like pants and button-up shirts, but they are learning a lot just by watching you!
Remember, don’t make chores for 5 year olds complicated. Start with their abilities and gradually add things as they gain more confidence and skills.
8. Help cook
Don’t underestimate your little chef!
He will more than likely enjoy helping you mix the dry and wet ingredients together while learning how to use measuring spoons and cups. He may even be ready to cut easy vegetables like cucumbers or celery with your direct supervision.
You know your child best and what he is capable of. Don’t be afraid to let him try!
9. Help unload dishwasher
When the dishes are clean, she can help put the utensils away and any plastic-ware that she can’t break. It’s an easy job she can handle while you put away the more fragile dishes.
10. Dry dishes
Along with unloading the dishwasher, drying dishes is an easy chore for a 4-5 year old to do. If anything is still wet coming out of the dishwasher, give her towel so she can dry it. Or if you are hand washing, she can be your drying side-kick.
It’s important to remember that not all children this age are the same in terms of maturity, ability, strength, etc. So when dishing out chores, keep in mind what your child is reasonably able to accomplish.
For instance, if you have a very large, bulky vacuum cleaner, you might want to save the vacuuming for someone who can muscle it around better than a five year old.
However, don’t underestimate what they can do! They are smart, curious kids with a lot of potential!
Benefits of Doing Chores
So many good things can come from teaching young children how to do chores:
- They’ll gain confidence knowing they learned something new and were able to complete it.
- The art of concentration can be learned from doing small, sometimes tedious chores like dusting around the spindles of a rocking chair.
- Children can gain invaluable skills that they will take with them into adult-hood, like recipes, self-care, care for other people’s property (and their own), and more.
Also remember this is a general list of chores for 5 year olds! Young kids are capable of so much. Use common sense when delegating chores, but also allow your child to help out whenever possible.
