Ages 3 to 5, roughly Nursery to Year 1 in England and Wales
Chores for 3 to 5 year olds
At 3 to 5, we suggest first jobs like putting their toys away, putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket, hanging up their coat, putting their plate on the side, giving the pet fresh water and watering the plants. From 4 or 5, try setting and clearing the table, making their bed, pairing the socks and sorting the recycling. The American Academy of Pediatrics lists similar jobs from 5, like tidying toys, setting the table and watering plants (source: AAP). Keep each job short, show them how, and do it with them at first.
In our experience, little ones want to help. The trick is jobs that take a few minutes, have a clear finish, and are the same each day. Most of the jobs below take five minutes or less.
What jobs can a child aged 3 to 5 do?
Jobs that start between 3 and 5 in Famoo's library, grouped by where they happen. Time is about how long it takes. Effort is how Famoo sizes it for points: small, medium or big.
No health or safety body sets exact ages for chores. The starting ages below are our suggestions, from Famoo’s own job library, checked against the American Academy of Pediatrics’ age-by-age chore lists (source: AAP). Some of ours start earlier than the AAP’s and some later. Every child is different: you know yours.
- Looking after themselves
- Bedroom and their own things
- Kitchen and meals
- Cleaning and laundry
- Pets
- Outdoors and bins
- School, reading and clubs
- Helping others
Looking after themselves
| Job | From age | Time | Effort | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lights out | 3 | 1 min | small | Into bed, lights off, sleep tight. |
| Wash your hands | 3 | 1 min | small | Soap, rub, rinse, dry. |
| Brush your teeth | 3 | 2 min | small | Two minutes, top and bottom. |
| Put your shoes on | 3 | 2 min | small | Left and right the right way round. Ask for help with laces. |
| Get dressed | 3 | 5 min | small | Clothes on, pyjamas folded. |
| Put your pyjamas on | 3 | 5 min | small | Day clothes in the basket. |
| Bedtime story | 3 | 15 min | medium | Choose a book and snuggle up. |
| Eat your breakfast | 3 | 15 min | medium | Sit down, eat up, plate to the side. |
| Have a bath or shower | 3 | 15 min | medium | A grown-up stays with you the whole time. Hang your towel up after. |
| Brush your hair | 4 | 2 min | small | Gently, from the ends up. |
Famoo gives no points for these by default. We think paying for brushing teeth turns looking after yourself into a deal.
Bedroom and their own things
| Job | From age | Time | Effort | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hang up your coat | 3 | 1 min | small | On your own peg. |
| Put dirty clothes in the laundry basket | 3 | 2 min | small | Socks the right way out. |
| Put your shoes away | 3 | 2 min | small | Pairs together, by the door. |
| Put your toys away | 3 | 5 min | small | Every toy back in its box. |
| Hang up your towel | 4 | 1 min | small | On the hook or the rail, spread out to dry. |
| Make your bed | 4 | 5 min | small | Straighten the duvet and pillows. |
| Put your clothes away | 4 | 5 min | small | Fold them into drawers or hang them up. |
| Tidy your bedroom | 5 | 20 min | big | Clothes away, floor clear, surfaces tidy. |
Kitchen and meals
| Job | From age | Time | Effort | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Put your plate on the side | 3 | 1 min | small | Two hands, after you finish eating. |
| Clear the table | 4 | 10 min | medium | Plates to the side, food in the bin, chairs in. |
| Set the table | 4 | 10 min | medium | Plates, cutlery and glasses for everyone eating. |
| Unpack the shopping | 4 | 15 min | medium | Cold things in the fridge first. |
| Wash the fruit and vegetables | 5 | 5 min | small | Rinse under the cold tap and dry. |
| Wipe the table | 5 | 5 min | small | A damp cloth, then a dry one. |
Cleaning and laundry
| Job | From age | Time | Effort | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pair the socks | 4 | 10 min | medium | Match them up and roll them together. |
| Sort the laundry | 5 | 10 min | medium | Lights in one pile, darks in another. |
| Tidy the living room | 5 | 10 min | medium | Cushions straight, cups to the kitchen. |
Pets
| Job | From age | Time | Effort | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Give the pet fresh water | 3 | 2 min | small | Rinse the bowl, then fill it. |
| Play with the pet | 3 | 10 min | medium | Ten minutes of their favourite game. |
| Feed the pet | 5 | 5 min | small | Fresh water and one scoop of food. |
Outdoors and bins
| Job | From age | Time | Effort | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water the plants | 4 | 5 min | small | Water the soil, not the leaves. |
| Plant some seeds | 4 | 15 min | medium | Fill a pot, poke a hole, seed in, a little water. |
| Sort the recycling | 5 | 10 min | medium | Rinse bottles and tins (a grown-up checks for sharp edges). Paper in its own bin. |
School, reading and clubs
| Job | From age | Time | Effort | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empty your lunchbox | 5 | 2 min | small | Wrappers in the bin, the box by the sink. |
| Fill your water bottle | 5 | 2 min | small | Fresh water, lid on tight. |
| Lay out your uniform | 5 | 5 min | small | Everything for tomorrow on the chair. |
| Pack your school bag | 5 | 5 min | small | Books, reading record, PE kit on PE days. |
| Read aloud to someone | 5 | 10 min | medium | A page or two to a grown-up, a brother or sister, or the pet. |
| Read for 20 minutes | 5 | 20 min | big | Any book you like. Tell someone what happened. |
| Go to sports or club practice | 5 | 60 min | big | Kit packed, water bottle filled, there on time. Have fun. |
Famoo gives no points for these by default. We think learning is its own reward, and paying per session pushes speed over care.
Helping others
| Job | From age | Time | Effort | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Say something kind | 3 | 1 min | small | Tell someone in the family one thing you like about them. |
| Help without being asked | 5 | 5 min | small | Spot something that needs doing and just do it. |
Famoo gives no points for these by default. We think kindness to family should not be bought.
What does a good routine look like at 3 to 5?
These are the routines Famoo suggests for 3 to 5: at most five steps each. A missed step is just not ticked.
Morning routine
7am to 8.15am, every day. About 23 minutes of steps.
- Get dressed 5 min
- Eat your breakfast 15 min
- Put your plate on the side 1 min
- Brush your teeth 2 min
After nursery or school
3.30pm to 4.30pm, school days. About 4 minutes of steps.
- Hang up your coat 1 min
- Put your shoes away 2 min
- Wash your hands 1 min
Evening routine
6pm to 7.15pm, every day. About 42 minutes of steps.
- Put your toys away 5 min
- Have a bath or shower 15 min
- Put your pyjamas on 5 min
- Brush your teeth 2 min
- Bedtime story 15 min
Once a week
- Pair the socks: Sunday
- Water the plants: Wednesday
Printable chores chart for 3 to 5 year olds
Prints on one A4 page. Use your browser's Print, or the button. Tick a box when a step is done; grey boxes are days off.
| Job | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning routine (7am to 8.15am) | |||||||
| Get dressed | |||||||
| Eat your breakfast | |||||||
| Put your plate on the side | |||||||
| Brush your teeth | |||||||
| After nursery or school (3.30pm to 4.30pm) | |||||||
| Hang up your coat | |||||||
| Put your shoes away | |||||||
| Wash your hands | |||||||
| Evening routine (6pm to 7.15pm) | |||||||
| Put your toys away | |||||||
| Have a bath or shower | |||||||
| Put your pyjamas on | |||||||
| Brush your teeth | |||||||
| Bedtime story | |||||||
| Once a week | |||||||
| Pair the socks | |||||||
| Water the plants | |||||||
From famoo.app/chores-by-age
Get the Famoo app Family life, sorted together. The family calendar, jobs and lists, shared by everyone at home.
app.famoo.app
Is it safe? Notes for 3 to 5
Nothing on this list needs cleaning products, a hob or a knife. Keep cleaning products, laundry capsules, dishwasher tablets and medicines locked away or high up, out of sight and reach, in their original containers (source: NHS, CAPT). Put them back straight after use. Child-resistant caps slow children down, but they are not childproof (source: CAPT).
Stay with your child the whole time they are in the bath: babies can drown in as little as 5cm of water (source: NHS). The NHS says this for babies and toddlers; we suggest the same for any child under 5. Tins can have sharp edges, so we suggest a grown-up checks them before a child rinses them.
How do I get a 3 to 5 year old to help?
- Start with one job, not a list (source: AAP). Put your toys away is a good first one: a clear finish, every day.
- Do it together the first few times. Then watch. Then let them do it on their own.
- Use pictures: draw or stick one next to each job on the chart. The AAP says a chart gives children a sense of achievement (source: AAP).
- Praise the effort, not the result (source: AAP). A wonky bed is still a made bed.
- We think brushing teeth and getting dressed are part of growing up, not jobs to pay for. Keep them in a routine.
Questions parents ask
What chores can a 3 year old do?
We suggest simple jobs with a clear finish: put toys away, put dirty clothes in the basket, hang up a coat, put shoes away, put their plate on the side after eating and give the pet fresh water. Each takes a minute or two.
What chores can a 4 or 5 year old do?
On top of the 3 year old jobs, Famoo suggests these from 4: set and clear the table, make their bed, pair the socks, hang up their towel, unpack the shopping and water the plants. From 5: wipe the table, sort the laundry and recycling, feed the pet and tidy their bedroom. The AAP lists similar jobs from 5 (source: AAP).
Should I give a 4 year old pocket money for chores?
That is your call: MoneyHelper says pocket money is up to you, and paying for chores is one approach (source: MoneyHelper). Famoo gives points for jobs that help the home, like setting the table, and none by default for looking after themselves, like brushing teeth. You choose what points are worth, if anything.
Turn this list into a points chart your kids can tick in Famoo
Every job on this page is ready-made in Famoo, with the same times and steps, and a suggested routine for 3 to 5. Pick the jobs, choose who does them, and your child ticks them off on their own view of the app. You decide what points are worth.
Famoo is in beta, so things may change. Sign up with Google in a minute.
Where this comes from
We opened and read each source below to check it says what we say it does. No health, safety or money body sets exact ages for chores, so the starting ages are our own suggestions. Where a line on this page has no source, it is our view as parents, and we say so.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org: Age-Appropriate Chores for Children, last updated 9 February 2024. Checked 30 October 2026.
- NHS: Baby and toddler safety, reviewed 19 February 2026. Checked 30 October 2026.
- Child Accident Prevention Trust: Poisoning prevention. Checked 30 October 2026.
- MoneyHelper, Money and Pensions Service: Pocket money and saving. Checked 30 October 2026.
- GOV.UK, Department for Education: The national curriculum (school years and key stages). Checked 30 October 2026.
Some words and pictures on this page were drafted with AI. Not yet checked by a person. The starting ages, times and steps come from Famoo’s own job library. The ages are where we suggest starting, not rules: you know your child.
