Good chores for 6 year olds are short jobs with one to three steps that a child can finish in a few minutes: getting dressed, making the bed, putting toys and shoes away, clearing their plate and packing their school bag. Most 6-year-olds can handle three or four of these a day, with a grown-up nearby for the first few weeks. At this age the goal is the habit, not a perfectly made bed.
Many 6-year-olds genuinely want to help, but only when the mood strikes. The work at six is turning that eagerness into a routine before the novelty wears off.
In short: pick three or four chores from the table below, teach one at a time (show, do it together, watch, let go), and keep rewards small and close, like choosing the bedtime story. Expect to remind for weeks; at six you are building the habit, not the perfect result.
Start with chores about themselves
The easiest wins at six are jobs that take care of the child's own things. Getting dressed, putting shoes on the rack, dropping dirty clothes in the basket and leaving the school bag by the door all have three things going for them:
- The result is right there. The floor is clear, the bag is packed. A 6-year-old can see that it worked.
- They happen at the same moment every day. "After breakfast" or "when we walk in the door" is a reminder that doesn't need you.
Jobs for the whole household, like setting the table or wiping it after dinner, can come next, once the "me" jobs run on their own.
What chores can a 6-year-old do?
These match the chores KudosNest suggests for a 6-year-old, and they line up with published guidance: the American Academy of Pediatrics lists tidying their own space, simple table help, feeding pets and watering for ages 5 to 7, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry suggests feeding pets, making beds and clearing the table from age 4 or 5. You don't need all of them. Pick three or four, and add one more only when the first ones happen without a fight.
| Chore | How often | About how long | What "done" looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get dressed by yourself | Every morning | 5–10 minutes | Clothes on, socks and shoes on, pajamas folded under the pillow |
| Make your bed | Every morning | 2–3 minutes | Sheet pulled up, blanket on top, pillow at the top. Lumps are fine |
| Brush your teeth | Morning and night | 2 minutes | A little toothpaste, all teeth brushed, brush rinsed |
| Dirty clothes in the basket | Every evening | 2 minutes | Nothing on the floor, including under the bed |
| Put your shoes away | When you come in | Under a minute | Shoes side by side on the rack |
| Put toys away | Before dinner or bed | 5 minutes | Floor clear, each toy back in its bin or on its shelf |
| Pack your school bag | School nights | 3–5 minutes | Books, homework and water bottle in, zipped, by the door |
| Clear your plate | After meals | 1–2 minutes | Plate to the kitchen, scraps in the bin, cup brought too |
| Set the table | Dinner | 5 minutes | A plate and cup at each seat, then forks, spoons and napkins |
| Wipe the table | After dinner | 3 minutes | Damp sponge over the whole table, crumbs in the bin |
| Feed the pet | Daily | 2–3 minutes | The right amount in the bowl, fresh water, food put away |
| Water the plants | Twice a week | 5 minutes | Water poured slowly at the soil, stopped when it looks damp |
| Help put groceries away | Shopping day | 10 minutes | Light bags carried in, cold food in the fridge, boxes on a low shelf |
| Read for 15 minutes | Daily | 15 minutes | A book picked, a timer set, reading until it rings |
A few notes. For teeth, the CDC advises a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste, twice a day, and helping your child brush until they have good brushing skills. For the pet, measure the food yourself at first, or mark the scoop, so "the right amount" isn't a guess. For reading, being read to or reading together counts at six. And for groceries, keep glass jars and heavy bags for the adults.
If your child likes something to tick, you can print a chart for a 6-year-old and stick it where they will see it every morning.
How do you teach a 6-year-old a new chore?
Telling a 6-year-old to "make your bed" rarely works the first time, because they don't yet know what a made bed looks like to you. Teach it in four stages, and give each stage a few days.
- Show. Make the bed while your child watches, saying each step out loud: "Sheet up. Blanket flat. Pillow at the top." Three steps, no more.
- Do it together. You hold one side of the blanket, they hold the other. Let them do the last step on their own so the finish is theirs.
- Watch. They do the whole thing while you sit nearby. Bite your tongue. If the blanket is crooked, say nothing unless they ask.
- Let go. It's their job now. Check once, briefly, and move on.
Teach one new chore at a time. The AAP gives the same advice: introduce one new task at a time, because a long list can be overwhelming. Two new jobs in the same week usually means neither sticks. Picture cues help a lot at this age, because many 6-year-olds are still early readers: a drawing of a sheet, a blanket and a pillow does more than a sentence.
What's realistic at six, and what isn't yet
Realistic:
- Short jobs with a clear finish line
- Jobs tied to the same moment each day
- Needing a reminder, often for weeks
- Big enthusiasm on Monday that has faded by Friday
Not yet:
- Remembering a chore with no cue at all
- "Clean your room" as one job. That is ten jobs to a 6-year-old
- Anything with sharp knives, the stove or cleaning chemicals
- Your standard of finished
Mistakes parents often make at this age:
- Redoing the job in front of them. If you remake the bed while they watch, they learn that their effort doesn't count. If it really bothers you, fix it later, quietly, or let it go.
- Starting with a long list. Ten chores on day one feels like a fresh start to you and a wall to them.
- Using chores as punishment. "You hit your brother, so now you fold towels" teaches that chores are a penalty. Keep the two separate.
- Asking for "help" instead of naming the job. "Help me more" means nothing to a 6-year-old. "Put your shoes on the rack" does.
Points and rewards without nagging
Six-year-olds live in the near future. A reward at the end of the month might as well be next year. Rewards that work at this age are small and close: choosing the bedtime story, ten extra minutes at the park, picking Saturday's breakfast. If you use points, price a few rewards low enough that your child can earn one in a day or two.
Let the chart or app do the reminding. Instead of "Did you make your bed?" for the fourth time, try a question that hands the job back:
Try saying: "What's next on your chart?"
Then approve quickly. A chore done in the morning and noticed the same evening feels connected. A chore noticed three days later doesn't. Most families hold off on cash at six. If you are weighing it, our post on allowance and chores walks through the options.
FAQ
How many chores should a 6-year-old do? For most kids, three or four short daily jobs is plenty. Add another when the current ones happen without a fight.
My 6-year-old says "I can't." What do I do? Usually the job is too big. Break it into smaller steps, or go back to doing it together for a few more days.
What changes at seven? Many kids are ready to tidy their room with a short checklist and put clean clothes away. See chores for 7 year olds.
Still deciding between a fridge chart and an app? Our honest look at chore chart apps and paper charts can help. If you go digital, KudosNest, the app we are building, suggests chores by age and shows each one as step-by-step pictures, so a 6-year-old can follow "sheet, blanket, pillow" without reading. Your child taps Done, you approve, and the points go up. It isn't out yet (there's a waitlist), and at six a sticker chart works just as well.
Sources
- Chores and Responsibility — American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org), 2024
- Chores and Children (Facts for Families No. 125) — American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2018
- Oral health tips for children — US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024
