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A daily chore chart is a must in our home. Not only does it help our home stay organized and run efficiently, it’s taught my kids a sense of responsibility and other necessary tasks! Read on to learn what I think is the perfect solution (and how you can implement it!).
About twice a year I give our chore charts an overhaul. As the kids get older, they are ready for new responsibilities, and age-appropriate chores that maybe require a bit more difficulty than they did the year before.
With one child, my Zone Cleaning Chore Charts are a breeze to set up. If you have 3 or more kids (like me), it can get a bit more complicated.
So I hunker down with a mug of coffee, scratch paper, and my editable templates for an hour or so and crank them out. Trust me, once you get this chore system set up and start implementing this process, you won’t regret it!
A Daily Family Chore Chart Teaches Responsibility
As a homeschool family, I love opportunities to teach my kids life skills…and learning to be responsible on a daily basis is definitely an important one!
I remember visiting the home of one of my Bible study leaders a few years ago, when my kids were pretty little. I don’t remember exactly how it came up, but we started talking about chores and teaching our young children to do little tasks. She taught me that they were perfectly capable of taking a wet rag and wiping down a counter, or putting laundry into the washer, or dusting furniture. And most of the time (at that age), they thought it was a lot of fun!
I was pretty amazed because I hadn’t even considered giving my kids “chores” when they were little. And although I didn’t think I needed to be super serious about it, I realized that even younger kids could (and should!) learn some basic chores.
Once they turned about 6 years old I began using a daily chore chart to assign weekly chores, help them manage those chores, and teach responsibility and time management.
How I Set Up Our Charts for Daily Chores
I’m almost embarrassed to show that picture above, because it looks like a mess! This is just how I do it, though.
Honestly, it’s a pretty simple chart, but it can get complicated with multiple kids!
Since I’m planning out chores for three kids, I like to write everything down on paper first because I’m usually scratching things out trying to get chores to not overlap on each daily schedule.
So I’ll make a grid for each of my kids that corresponds to the printable, and I’ll get to work!
How to Fill Out the Daily Chore Chart (Step-by-Step)
If you haven’t done so yet, grab a copy of my Zone Cleaning chore chart templates here.
Once you have it, you can re-use this simple chore chart template over and over again every time you want to establish new chores for your kids or family members. They are easy to edit on your computer — then just print, laminate, and go!
Establish the “Zones”
When you open the daily chore chart, you’ll want to begin by identifying the four zones. These are “areas” of your home that you want your kids to focus on each week.
So, let’s say for week 1, you want to set the zone as the kitchen. That means the chores that week will mostly be kitchen chores (setting the table, emptying the dishwasher, wiping down cabinets, cleaning the windows….etc.).
If you have more than 4 “zones” in your home, you might assign more than one area to a zone. For example, for one of my daughters, Zone 1 is Kitchen and Bathroom. Those are just the areas I will have her focus on for that week.
I love this method because it means that chores don’t get “as” boring for my kids because they are doing something different each day of the week. They also get to experience many different responsibilities that go into taking care of a home! Plus, it ensures that each month, everything is getting hit at least once.
With multiple kids, I try not to have them all doing the same zone each week. Sometimes things overlap, but I do my best to spread things out and make sure things are not repeated on the same day. This can get tricky with multiple kids (hence the scratch paper above!), but once you get it all finished, it will be worth it!
Filling in the Chores
You’ll notice there is a section for AM and PM chores on the charts. I have our kids do their AM chores after breakfast in the morning, and their PM chores are done immediately after lunch. I personally leave Sunday blank so we can take a day of rest from chores!
The chores I choose typically don’t take much time to complete. When my kids were little, the goal was to just get them in the habit of certain tasks…but now that they are older kids (upper elementary), I am trying to teach them quality and care in their work.
The daily chore chart printable includes chore suggestions per age, but really it will depend on your personal needs. I go zone by zone, thinking about what needs to be done in that zone, and fill it in on the chart.
A Note About Non-Zone-Specific Chores
Some of the chores I include are not necessarily “zone specific” (i.e. laundry or picking up after our dog in the yard). I just add those in as needed. It’s a good idea to fill these in first (before zone specific tasks) so you make sure they get taken care of.
I especially do this for chores that need to be completed more often, or daily (such as the dishes, or cleaning up after the dog!). It’s ok if you add in additional chores that are like this that aren’t necessarily tied to a zone.
This might also be necessary if you only have one child helping with the chores…some tasks might need to be completed more than one week out of the month! A solution would be to make the AM chore this kind of task, and then the PM chore can be a more “deep cleaning” chore, related to the zone.
Daily Chore Chart Example
If you’d like to see an example of what our finished charts look like, here’s what mine ended up being after all that chicken scratch!
Just for reference, Luke is 10 and my twin girls are 8.
This will maybe be helpful in giving you an example of the chores I have my kids do. They are short, easy tasks that I feel are age appropriate and they can find success in accomplishing them.
As I mentioned, I made these editable, so you can either type in the tasks on your computer, or print them out blank and hand-write in your tasks.
Our Daily Chore Routine
When I print out our daily chore chart, I laminate them (I use this laminator and these sheets!) to make it a dry erase chore chart, and hang them up in our kitchen.
When my kids complete tasks, they “x” it out with a dry erase marker. This makes it really easy for me to see at a glance who has finished for the day.
And it’s a rule that chores have to be done in the morning before any time on electronics…and same for the afternoon. Once all schoolwork and chores are done, my kids can enjoy electronic time (best way to motivate kids around here!).
Other Ideas for Daily Tasks
Here are some examples of good daily household chores for young kids and older children. Use this list of chores to get started creating your own weekly chore chart!
Younger Children/Preschool Age (3-5 years):
- Putting away toys.
- Making their bed (with assistance).
- Helping set the table for meals.
- Dusting low surfaces with a duster or cloth.
- Sorting and folding laundry (with assistance).
- Watering indoor plants (under supervision).
- Feeding and taking care of a pet (under supervision).
- Wiping down low surfaces with a damp cloth.
- Helping to wipe down sinks with a damp cloth.
Elementary School (6-10 years):
- Making their bed independently.
- Sorting and folding laundry.
- Setting and clearing the table for meals.
- Sweeping floors with a broom or small vacuum.
- Putting away groceries.
- Emptying small trash bins.
- Dusting surfaces throughout the house.
- Assisting with meal preparation (under supervision).
- Feeding and taking care of pets (with supervision).
- Watering plants (under supervision).
- Wiping down appliances and cabinet doors.
- Organizing toys or books on shelves.
- Cleaning the mirror with glass cleaner.
- Restocking toilet paper or hand towels.
Middle School (11-13 years):
- Making their bed and tidying their bedroom.
- Washing dishes and loading/unloading the dishwasher.
- Vacuuming and mopping floors.
- Folding and putting away laundry.
- Taking out the trash and recycling.
- Cleaning and organizing personal belongings.
- Assisting with meal preparation and cooking.
- Cleaning windows and mirrors.
- Caring for pets (feeding, walking, cleaning cages, etc.).
- Changing bed sheets and pillowcases.
- Cleaning the toilet and bathtub/shower.
- Wiping down the bathroom surfaces.
High School (14+ years):
- Cleaning and organizing their bedroom and personal spaces.
- Doing laundry independently.
- Vacuuming, mopping, and deep cleaning floors.
- Cleaning bathrooms, including toilets, showers, and sinks.
- Cooking meals independently.
- Yard work, such as mowing the lawn or raking leaves.
- Polishing wooden furniture.
- Cleaning the refrigerator and wiping down shelves.
- Organizing pantry items and checking expiration dates.
Remember that the above lists are suggestions; adjust them based on your child’s abilities and give clear instructions!
Allow For A Learning Curve
For the first month after I assign new chores to my kids, I do monitor them a bit more closely to make sure they understand how to do everything and when to get it done. Once the habit starts to form, I back off a little bit and try not to micromanage too much!
The only time I’ll try to step in is if I notice my kids becoming lazy or trying to rush through chores without diligence. It’s important for them to know they’ll be held accountable, so make sure to check in with how they are doing each week.
And definitely give them encouragement and praise for jobs well done! I try to make sure I remind them what an important part of our family they are and how much it helps all of us when we all pitch in and contribute.
Your Own Daily Chore Chart
You can certainly make your own chore chart easily, but if you’d like a nice editable template, I would love for you to consider picking up the ones I made!
There are two different colors included (pink and blue). Laminate them once you print them out — using dry erase markers on them is a great way to keep track of what has been done!
I hope seeing some examples has given you a good idea whether or not this would work in your own home. It sure has made a positive difference for us!
GRAB THE DAILY CHORE CHART PRINTABLES HERE
And I’d love to hear from you – do you have any struggles in implementing a daily chore chart in your homeschool daily routine? What questions do you have? Drop a comment below!
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