So your baby is no longer a baby and has moved into the toddler phase. Or you have survived the toddler stage and your child is now ready to take on a little responsibility and you’re looking for appropriate chores for a 4-year-old.
No problem! In this post, we will go over a 4-year-old chore chart, a 5-year-old chore chart, and some basic toddler chores. You can do these around the house and they involve self-care routines.
So let’s get into it what you need to know about a 4-year-old chore chart.
When I first started thinking about adding chores into my son’s routine I was certain I was overthinking it. And I was. It doesn’t have to be this grand list of chores or a complicated one either.
It needs to be made up of things they can actually do, what you can make fun so they will actually want to do it and easy for them to achieve.
We all know at this age they will not hesitate to tell us no.
We should center chores on practical life skills and self-care. Things they already do or are learning to do. Only with chores, the expectation is for them to do it on their own and maybe with a bit of help from their grown-ups.
This teaches them responsibility and how to care for themselves. Adding an interactive responsibility chart for a 4-year-old will only help them get excited about completing each task.
Related: 8 Best Montessori Books For Toddlers
Chore Ideas For 4-Year-Olds
As I mentioned above, when thinking of chore ideas for 3- and 4-year-olds and good chores for 5-year-olds consider all things self-care. Tasks that have to do with daily life.
Our kids want to do everything we do. I mean everything we do, right? Four is preschool age, so it’s the prime time to get started with chores for preschoolers and a 4-year-old chore chart help guide them. They are ready. But sometimes we don’t even realize it.
Here are some age-appropriate chores:
- help load the dishwasher
- make their bed (this won’t be perfect and that’s ok)
- prepare their own snacks
- set the table
- make flower arrangements (if you like to purchase fresh flowers)
- get dressed
- clean up their area after meals.
- put away toys
- brush their teeth
- fill pet bowls with food
- pick out their own books for story time and put them away
- Put shoes on when it’s time to leave & put them away when arriving home
- unpack backpack
This printable chore chart for 4-year-olds will give you ideas and help your child gain responsibility and give them a routine.
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By now you’re probably wondering if kids should do chores every day, right? They should. Because it gets them into a routine, teaches them responsibility, and most of the chores for four-year-olds are their daily task, anyway. And chores also teach kids’ life skills, which is what you will find on my 4-year-old chore chart.
Turning their daily task list into chores will make it less daunting for you and them. There will be a lot less of “chores mom? I don’t want to do those.” Try to make it fun so they will look forward to doing them every day.
Starting small and being consistent is key.
My interactive chore chart comes with 4 routine charts. A morning, afterschool, bedtime, and a cleaning bedroom routine. My preschooler gravitated to his afterschool and bedtime routines first. He was always so excited to get home to start his afterschool chart but wasn’t really excited about the other two. LOL.
So that is what we worked with for a while first until he got the hang of things and realized this is what I’m supposed to do every day on my own.
Now he goes right to them and starts filling them in on his own. We put them exactly where he wanted them which made it easy for him to get to them and use them.
Related: Toddler Essentials For Everyday Use
What Are The Benefits Of Chores For 4 & 5-Year-Olds?
There are so many benefits to teaching 4- and 5-year-olds, some I’ve already mentioned above.
- Chores will teach them independence.
- Responsibility
- Caring for themselves and others
- Taking pride in what is theirs
- Practical life skills they will use in everyday life
- They’ll be eager to help others
- Learning teamwork by helping around the house
How Do I Teach My 4-Year-Old To Clean Up?
Starting with small and simple tasks is a great way to teach a 4-year-old to clean up. After deciding what task they will do to help clean up show them how to do the task and make them aware, the expectation is to do the chores daily.
Keep them engaged and make it as fun as possible. Ask them if they are proud of their efforts and also let them know how proud you are of their hard work.
ACCESSORIES FOR 4-YEAR-OLD CHORES
To help your 4-year-old complete their basic jobs around the house or your toddlers do their chores they will need some accessories to help them establish their routines.
These are some of our favorite must-have items for chores for 3-4-year-olds and age 5 too.
Let’s Play House Set- A fun favorite is the Melissa & Doug Let’s Play House set. Our son loves using the duster to clean up his area after doing arts & crafts. He also loves using the broom as part of cleaning up his area after meals.
It comes with:
- Broom and dustpan
- Mop
- Duster
- Brush
- Storage stand
Mini Cutter- A great way to help them prepare their own snacks and maybe even lunches is a mini cutter. Just stand back and watch their faces light up, they will feel like big kids preparing their own snacks.
It’s safe and fits their little hands perfectly. This is a Piccalio wooden cutter, they make fantastic products for kids of amazing quality.
Kitchen Helper Tower- Say goodbye to climbing on counters or pantry racks. One of our best purchases for making helping around the house easier for our kiddo and just making him feel like he’s a part of everything we do by standing at our level while using his kitchen helper.
A kitchen helper tower puts them at the right height to reach for items, to be at the same level as you when standing at the counter and it helps see things that are at a higher height. There are so many possibilities with a kitchen helper.
They will also learn how to get in and out of it on their own rather quickly. You can also purchase a guard if having one makes you feel more comfortable concerning safety.
Your baby is growing by the day and they’re ready to take on a little bit of responsibility of their own. Ease them into it and they will get used to doing their daily routine.
I hope you find my chore chart for 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, and toddlers helpful and it keeps them excited about doing their chores every day.
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4-Year-Old Chore Chart FAQs
What chores should a 4-year-old do?
There are many chores a 4-year-old can do and most of them center on self-care. Here are a few ideas:
- help load the dishwasher
- make their bed
- prepare their own snacks
- set the table
- make flower arrangements
- get dressed
- clean up their area after meals.
- put away toys
- brush their teeth
- fill pet bowls with food
How do you make a chore chart for a 4-year-old?
No need to make your own chore chart. I have a fun interactive chore chart to get you started.
What chores can preschoolers do?
When considering chores for preschoolers, think of practical life skills. Turn all of their daily life activities into chores for them to accomplish on their own. Brushing their teeth, unloading their backpack, and preparing their own snacks to name a few.
What should a 4-year-old be doing at home?
There’s so much a 4-year-old can do at home to keep them active and their imagination running. Arts & crafts and afterward clean-up becomes one of their chores. Helping set the table and loading the dishwasher are also things a 4-year-old can do around the house.
What age should you start a chore chart?
The goal of starting a chore chart for your child is teaching them responsibility so you want to start off with easy and basic chores.
Two is a great age because at this age they are learning to brush their teeth, put away their toys, go potty and so much more. They want independence and at this age; they want to do everything their grownups are doing. Take advantage of that and get them involved.
Should a 4-year-old clean their room?
You will be hard-pressed to hear anyone expert or not saying that a four-year-old shouldn’t clean their room. Starting with their own space is a great way to get them started with a routine and doing chores.
Teaching them to clean up their own room, by picking up their toys, making the bed, artwork, and books gives them a sense of responsibility. Things they can do certainly all on their own like big boys and girls.
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