Chores for 8 Year Olds
There are many age-appropriate chores for 8 year olds. Getting your 8 year old to do chores will probably help them more than it will help you, but it is important to start the chore habit.
Children can take on more responsibilities as they grow older, but at the age of 8 they can start with basic skills such as loading the dishwasher or wiping down the countertops, setting the table, dusting, and sweeping. There are many more chore ideas in the chore list below. There are chores that an 8 year can do partially but cannot yet do independently. For example, you can ask your 8 year to feed your dog but you cannot rely on them to feed the dog every day since they are likely to forget. Some parents prefer to delegate household tasks as soon as possible while others want children to wait until they are old enough to do them independently. Whatever chores you decide to give to your child at this age make sure that they are capable of doing. If they cannot do them independently then be there to help them and to supervise.
Please note that even if specific tasks are appropriate chores for an 8 year but your child is not ready then wait until your child is ready.
Chore List for 8 Year Olds
Here are some age appropriate chores for an 8 year old:
- Unload silverware and cutleries (avoid or supervise children when handling sharp objects)
- Hang the laundry or move clothes to the dryer
- Sort clean clothes according to types
- Fold clean laundry and put it away
- Clean up after a meal
- Return milk carton for items into the fridge
- Line up shoes
- Hang coats, jackets, and hoodies
- Move groceries to the kitchen
- Pick their outfit
- Fold washcloths, rags, and socks
- Vacuum the floor
- Empty small trash cans
- Water plants and weed gardening beds with supervision
- Wipe the sink after brushing their teeth
- Change toilet paper roll
- Set the dining table
- Clear up plates after a meal
- Dust shelves, bookcases, and picture frames with more precision
- Pull garden weeds unassisted
- Peel potatoes with a child-safe tool
- Unpack groceries from shopping bags
- Routinely make their beds
- Feed pets
- Independently water flower beds with a pitcher marked with water limit
- Organize shoes and books according to color coding or sizes
- Rake a big pile of leaves
- Plant flowers with a small shovel under supervision
- Sort recycling
- Make a small snack
- Help with meal prepping including simple cutting or finding ingredients
- Start tying their shoelaces
- Clean up after a bath; hanging wet towels or drying the bathtub
- Clear space at a table after any activity
- Independently dry non-breakable dishes
- Bring in the mail
- Sweep porches
- Make own snacks with more varieties
- Scoop pet waste in the yard
- Clean fingerprints or smudges on the wall
- Vacuum the entire house
Chore Charts for 8 Year Olds
We offer a selection of free printable and customizable chore chart templates for 8 year olds.
Chore Wheel
Create this DIY personalized chore wheel. You can customize it online before you print it. Type in your family name and the chores that you want to allocate and then print and assemble according to the instructions.
It’s a fun and fair way to delegate chores!
Benefits for chores for 8 year old kids
Chores help an 8 year old child establish a routine and structure. They can also serve as a way for the child to learn responsibility and grow out of their sense of entitlement.
Chores give eight year olds the opportunity to learn responsibility and how they can contribute to the family. They also give them a sense of accomplishment from the work they do. Children who are assigned household tasks usually find it easier to take on other responsibilities, like taking care of their siblings or doing their homework.
A child’s desire for independence will encourage them to complete a task. This feeling of autonomy will lead to an increased sense of self-worth and accomplishment which will help them tackle new tasks with more confidence in the future.
Chores also allow children to develop organizational skills and learn how to take ownership of tasks.