A Kids’ Chore System That Actually Works (Saturday Jobs Made Simple)

Updated May 2026 with new ideas and age-by-age chore lists.

A while back, after years of trial and error, we revamped the way we do Saturday jobs around here. And after eighteen years of mothering I realized magic happens when you have a simple, clear family chore system. One that outlines every detail of the work to be done.

No nagging, minimal complaining (because that’s what happens when expectations are in place), and a clean house. Which is a win in everyone’s book, right?

Why Kids Need a Clear Chore System

I thought this was pretty fascinating: A University of Minnesota study showed that one of the single best predictors of success for kids in their mid-20s (success being defined as completing education, building careers, maintaining healthy relationships), was whether they had participated in household tasks at ages three and four. Wow, that’s powerful.

Of course it’s never too late to start family chores, but the earlier kids learn responsibility like this, the more it shapes who they become. Establishing a system to help kids learn to work isn’t just to keep a clean house.

• It helps them feel the satisfaction of contributing to something bigger than themselves (a family).
• Through family chores kids learn to build the ability to start something and follow through.

Which is pretty great motivation for sticking with a chore system even on the hard Saturdays.

The study also specifically recommends weekly chore charts and involving kids in choosing their own tasks as part of the system — which is exactly what we’ve landed on after years of trial and error. Funny how research and real life line up sometimes!

Also, kids do so much better when they can see the whole picture of what’s expected. I learned this lesson one Saturday morning when I was frustrated that our kids weren’t sticking to their jobs. When I complained about it to Dave, he mentioned that maybe the problem was that our expectations weren’t clear. Did the kids really know first of all how to do those jobs? Did they know what their personal responsibility was? Most importantly, was there a finish line on the horizon?

And do you know what? He was exactly right. Our kids needed clarity. And perhaps a bit more training.

They also needed to know, no matter how long that chore list was, that when they finished it, they could move onto something else.

So we ramped up our system. And we made sure to

We incorporated these things I’ve always been a big believer in but have never quite put to work:

The “three p’s” of cleaning

1) PRINT out those jobs so that kids can see what needs to be done. This helps them to know there’s an end in sight. They can see the whole picture of what’s expected. For our Saturday jobs I typed in every detail of what I wanted accomplished in each “zone” of our house (see below). But keep in mind that this can be done for quick things as well. Things like the tasks that need to be done when people are coming over for dinner, when you’re packing for a trip, etc. Writing out a simple chore chart to let everyone see what needs to be done is golden, and it works.

2) Have PATIENCE.  It takes a long, long time to teach kids to do jobs the right way, and to stay calm through all the complaining.  It helps to remember these kids are young. It’s ok if it takes months to learn how do things like clean a bathroom. We have to be willing to go over all the details and work WITH them in many instances to they’ll know how to deep clean the way we want them to.

3) Be PERSISTENT.  Don’t give up.  Once a system is in place stick to it. Sure, it will need tweaks here and there. But having a system in place to work from is key. Show your kids it’s important enough to you to make it work for your family. Eventually those kids will know that’s just “what we do,” and we may as well just get it done.

For years we had long lists of Saturday jobs I would write down according to what needed to be done.  I’d draw my little circles for the kids to fill them in as they go. (This was a pretty awesome idea passed on by my parents.)

Then we figured out how miraculous it would be to print those things out each week. So we have done that for years and it works wonders.

Just this year I decided the kids needed more detailed instructions on the Saturday job lists.  Why not outline every single thing that needed to be done? So I wrote down every detail I could think of on those charts. Things like cleaning out the trash can after you take out the trash or washing inside the microwave, not just the outside, etc.  Since my kids are “old” now they can handle more details.

***note: These lists don’t include their bedroom and bathroom jobs they do automatically now.  But if that is something you think would help your kids, add those details too.

How to Set Up Rotating Chores for Kids

We printed out five lists, one for each child, and put page protectors on them. This makes them easily erasable so we can use them each week.

We assigned each child one list each month.  At the beginning of the next month we erased those names and rotated the jobs.

I know that seems simple, but it was revolutionary for our family. It suddenly stopped all the nagging. The need to constantly print out new charts each week vanished. And it stopped most of the complaining.

Most importantly, things started really getting done!

I pull those little puppies out and stick them on the counter on Friday night. Honestly, I think since the kids like to know what’s in store, they pull them out if I forget.

And on Saturday morning they get to work. They know exactly what they need to do before they hang with friends or watch a movie or lallygag (why is “lallygag” such an awesome word??).

Accountability is key

They mark off everything they need to do, then check in with me so I can inspect their work. Sometimes this is the trickiest part, but so good for kids to be accountable. And so good for moms to use care holding the kids responsible for a job well done. I think there is a whole section about this in The Parenting Breakthrough if you want to check it out. It is one of my favorite parenting books.

The great thing about the page protectors is that we can wipe off the “done” marks and those handy-dandy job lists are ready for next week.

Claire and Lu were the only ones around when I pulled my camera out the other day, so here they are all smiles that they finished. Claire had already erased her checkmarks, ready for next week!

At first Lucy’s jobs stayed the same, and her list was a little shorter because I’m trying to make sure she’s trained properly.

She’s getting pretty darn good at her original list so I am starting to train her on another list.

I still need to tweak these lists…some still need more details, but man it’s making our Saturdays pretty awesome.

Tips for Teaching Kids to Do Chores Well

Remember that it is so important to teach kids how to do the work before we just expect them to do a good job. I still remember (and appreciate) some specific things my grandma taught me to do, step by step. One was how to wring out a washcloth. I know easy-peasy and simple, but I love that she took time to show me each step to do it well.

As parents we can “certify” our kids to be experts at jobs. Whether it is lining the dishes up just so in the dishwasher, how to clean a garbage disposal, or how to trim a hedge, taking time to really teach them to be “certified” in specific tasks is excellent training. And helps them take pride in their work.

I also love the idea to take a moment to step back with your child and admire a job well done. There is something pretty special about a pause after hard work.

Teaching kids to work is a tough job.  But once they start to get things down it feels a little bit like magic to me.  Sure, as soon as I feel like I’ve got things down to a science everything falls apart and we have to re-vamp. I mean, let’s be real, our daily job charts have remained blank for five weeks now.

But we’re sure trying!

And right now this system has made Saturday jobs that work in our family.

Chores for Kids by Age

Here are just a few ideas to remind you how capable our kids are.

Chores for Kids Ages 3-5

At age 3-5 kids are so capable to do things we may not think to include them in. Here are some ideas young kids can easily help with:

• Set the table (Lucy was for sure our expert at this!)
• Help put away groceries
• Wash and prep produce for dinner
• Water plants
• Wipe down low surfaces like baseboards or cabinet fronts
• Make snacks – a three-year old can totally whip up a peanut butter sandwich
• Sort laundry, fold laundry (yes, it takes some teaching, but they can learn!)
• Clean out any trash from the car

Chores for Kids Ages 6-10

At age 6-10 kids can step it up a bit more:

• Teach them to do their own laundry (fully capable!)
• Vacuum out a car and clean windows
• Sorting and taking out recycling
• Help plan and prep a simple dinner
• Raking leaves
• Shoveling snow
• Sweeping, mopping, dusting

Chores for Teenagers

Teenagers are capable of pretty much everything we can do. It’s all about expectations:

• Cooking meals (so awesome if teenagers prep and cook one meal each week, what a great preparation for life!)
• Detailing a car
• Cleaning out the garage
• Grocery shopping
• Yard work
• Yeah, they can do anything:)

Remember that the goal by the time these teens leave home is that they’re fully equipped to take care of themselves and a household. These Saturday jobs are the training ground for that.

The Secret to Getting This to Work

The secret of all this isn’t the list itself — it’s the consistency. Once kids know that Saturday jobs are just what we do, the resistance fades. It takes a few weeks of holding firm, but I promise it’s worth it.

And if your system falls apart for a few weeks like ours does sometimes, just dust it off and start again. That’s the beauty of having a system — it’s always there to come back to.

Happy cleaning!

Some great resources to help train kids to work:

• Use your timer on your oven!
• The Parenting Breakthrough (such a great book to help parents learn to train kids to work)
• Hard work and Independence