Free Printable Chore Charts to Help Kids Get Organized (2024)

This free printable chore chart is the perfect way to help kids get organized and reach their goals over summer break or during the school year!

I hate to nag. It’s frustrating to me because I feel like I’m making the same requests over and over without getting results. It’s annoying to my kids because they always feel like I’m on their back about something. And it just doesn’t create the best environment in our house!

But at the same time, it’s important for me to teach my two boys to take responsibility and complete certain tasks each day. So how do I make sure that happens without the dreaded nagging?

Enter: chore charts!

Why Chore Charts Are So Helpful

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

You know I’m all about a good list, and chore charts are the ultimate list making tool for several reasons.

First, chore charts eliminate the need for nagging! Woohoo! Rather than me having to remind my kids of all of the tasks they are responsible for, the chart does the “telling” for me. It acts as a neutral third party and causes less friction than me getting on their case over and over.

I also love that the chore chart provides consistency. Checking the chart when they get home from school has become a habit, so they know exactly what they have to do each day.

Expectations aren’t constantly changing. They’re not wondering whether they have to do their chores or not. It’s all laid out clearly for them on the chart.

When we have set expectations in place, there’s a lot less fighting, chores are completed more consistently, and its a more positive all around experience for everyone!

How to Use Free Chore Chart Printables

To create my boys’ lists of responsibilities, I simply print out the chore chart printable provided below. I work with each boy to come up with some things that they want to work on, along with chores for them to complete around the house.

It will look a little different for each kid, but we try to have them contribute their ideas for the chart so they feel more personally invested in it and are more likely to be excited about it!

There is room to mark off chores each day, but if certain chores only need to be done once per week or a few times per week, we typically just X out the days they don’t need to be done.

What Chores and Activities to Include on a Chore Chart

So what exactly do we put on a chore chart? Well, the most obvious answer is chores! Here are some ideas of household tasks that kids can help with:

Possible Chores for a Chore Chart

• Load/unload the dishwasher
• Take out trash/recycling
• Set/clear the table
• Make beds
• Pick up their bedroom and/or playroom
• Help with laundry (collecting dirty clothes, switching the loads, folding, and/or putting away folded items)
• Dusting
• Sweep, vacuum, and/or mop the floors
• Clean out cars
• Wipe down baseboards, doors, light switches, and/or cabinets
• Clean windows
• Help clean the bathrooms (wipe down sinks, scrub showers, clean toilets, etc.)
• Lawn work (weeding, raking leaves, trimming, mowing for older children)

[Not sure which chores to choose? This post from The Happy Housewife has a great list of chore suggestions broken down by age.]

Possible Habits to Include on a Chore Chart

Along with chores, I will also include daily habits I want my kids to build on their chore charts. Here are some ideas of habits to include:

• Brush teeth
• Shower/bath
• Hang up towel after shower
• Put dirty clothes in hamper
• Some sort of movement/exercise
• Reading
• Math games or workbook
• Practice an instrument
• Outdoor time
• Hang up coat and put away shoes when entering the house
• Complete homework

Some of these items are small, trivial type things, but I have still included them on the boys’ chore chart for a few reasons.

First, there have been certain seasons where I have really worked to break bad habits like leaving wet towels on the floor or leaving shoes in the middle of the mudroom instead of putting them away. Putting these simple items on their charts acts as an extra reminder to replace the old bad habit with a new good habit (again, without me having to nag).

These small habits are also quick wins. Who doesn’t love checking off something from their list?! When some of the larger items may feel daunting, these little easy things are items they can get out of the way fast, all while building those all-important habits.

Obviously, I don’t include every item on these lists on my kids’ chore charts at the same time. But it is nice to be able to rotate things in and out so chores don’t get monotonous and so we can work on building different habits.

Reuse the Same Chore Chart Over and Over

Once we have decided what chores and activities to include on the chart, I like to run it through my laminatorso the boys can check off the goals they accomplish with a dry erase marker. This way, we can use one sheet over and over again without having to print a new chart each week.

Along with helping to keep the kids on track, the chore chart is also helpful to me because anytime they come to me saying, “I’m boooorrrrreeeddd!” I can point them to the chart, and immediately they have several ideas of tasks they can work on!

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They’re not just useful for kids! If I am trying to build new habits or have been having trouble staying on track with my daily habits, I’ll use these charts to help keep myself focused and motivated as well!

Download the Free Printable Chore Chart (in Two Cute Color Schemes!)

If chore charts would be helpful in your house, you can snag the free printables below. I’ve included two different color schemes so your kiddos can choose the one they like best!

I hope these chore charts will be as helpful for you as they have been for us! If we can eliminate nagging while building new healthy habits at the same time, I will always call that a win!

Chore Chart Printables: Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Chore charts are not just for kids. Adults can use chore charts to hold them accountable for those tasks they want to complete daily, weekly, or a few times per week.

Chore charts are a great way to see our most important recurring tasks in one place. AND we get the satisfaction of checking each item off the list as we complete it!

The “most” important chores will vary by household and life stage, but if I had to choose 5 chores to stay on top of consistently to help a home run more smoothly, they would be:

• Dishes
• Laundry
• Cleaning the Floors
• Cleaning Bathrooms
• Straightening Up/Dusting

This will vary by child, but I would say that many children can start helping with small tasks as young as age 2.

One of the first jobs I gave my older son Connor was to take the toilet paper out of the package and put it in the bathroom cabinet. It certainly wasn’t done perfectly, but he took ownership of the job and did it proudly. (He would even get offended if I did it myself or had someone else do it! That was HIS job!)

Getting little ones started with helping around the house from an early age can help form that habit that will grow as they get older!

How do you use chore charts at your house? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below!

Thank you so much for following along! Have a wonderful day!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.