Free Printable Preschool Chore Chart

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I have always been passionate about children’s chores. That is why, when my son was old enough to hold something, I started giving him the chore of turning off the light when we would leave a room. He couldn’t have been more than 9 months old, but he had just enough strength to muster the task.

Children’s chores develop character and responsibility, and teach them the importance of family. This printable preschool chore chart was created for my children as a way to develop a routine in the morning and evening (night). The simple format is easy for children ages 2-5 to understand and allows them to take responsibility for their chores.

Ultimately, there are two reasons to consider a chore chart.

1. It provides a visual representation of the tasks that need doing.
2. Chores teach responsibility and family values

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In our bustling household, where laughter and playfulness often take center stage, we have sometimes struggled to find a perfect solution to teach our younger kids valuable lessons like chores and responsibilities. A chore chart system was implemented about a year ago, and it has radically changed our morning routine.

This free chore chart includes a variety of basic chores suitable for different age groups, ensuring that even the youngest members of the household can actively participate in maintaining the home.

The chart outlines specific weekly chores that are rotated among the children on a weekly basis, allowing them to develop a range of skills and a sense of versatility in managing household responsibilities. The weekly chore chart also serves as a visual reminder for the kids, helping them stay organized and accountable for their assigned duties.

We often start kids off too late on chores. Kids need chores. Even from a young age, they need to feel like they are a part of the family culture and are contributing to the household. Studies have even found that success in professional careers can be directly linked back to children doing and having chores as young children.

The younger you can start chores, the better.

The Time Commitment

Having children do chores does not necessarily mean that it is going to save you time as a parent. Children need direction, and often, you will be teaching the child the skill many times in a row before it takes root in their mind.

For example, it took an entire summer of teaching my 2-year-old how to water plants without having a giant mess! But eventually, he understood the fine and large motor skills it took to control the water. He now waters plants as a 3-year-old, wonderfully!

A similar example is gathering our chicken eggs. This task is an even more difficult chore for young children. Not only do they need to be strong enough to unlatch the door to the coop, but they also need to be able to find and pick up the eggs without breaking any.

Trust me, in the process of their learning, I lost a few eggs because they vastly underestimated the force with which they needed to set down the egg. They also need to be able to close and secure the chicken coop door so no predators can enter.

If they don’t do this chore correctly, we risk losing our chickens! Neither of my children has reached a skill level where they can do this chore successfully, but it is still on their chore chart because they help me with it, and hopefully, by next Summer, when my oldest is 5 years old, I will be able to pass this chore off to him.

Teaching children takes time and patience. Don’t expect your carefully curated chore chart to save you time as a mama at first. Practice patience, mama, it will eventually pay off!

Include your Kids in what you are doing

As you are doing your daily chore system, be sure to include your little kids! Teach them how to sort the laundry, let them grab the spoons from the dishwasher, and guide them as they try to grab the milk from the fridge!

These are teachable moments that soon will transition into tasks that they can do on their own and give them a sense of responsibility! If you are looking for your own chore chart, check out this decluttering chart, cleaning chart, OR our monthly planner, which includes detailed cleaning and chore charts and LOTS of planning!

Our detailed monthly planner includes lots of encouragement for time management and weekly tasks for the busy mom. It’s worth checking out!

Sometimes, for the mama who wants to do all the things, this can mean a mind shift needs to happen. Those interruptions of motherhood can often be your saving grace. It’s okay to be less efficient for a time because it’s in those moments that you are truly being a mother, not on the never-ending to-do list.

Rewards and Encouragement

Check out this fascinating study about chores and rewards! When children were given a toy as a motivator for doing their task or chore, they were less likely to engage in helping again.

What does this mean?

Give your child praise and encouragement for completing their chore instead of rewards and toys.

Chore Ideas for Preschoolers

This list of chores is not exhaustive and will vastly depend on the child and how they learn! Some of these may be way over your child’s head, and some of them you may need to adapt. Make sure you are choosing age-appropriate chores for your children. All our printable templates for chores come with a blank page for you to create your own version of these chores.

Here is the current chore list included:

• Feed animals
• Find vacuum
• Sweep
• Make bed
• Take our trash
• Read
• Put on pajamas
• Take vitamins
• Put away clothes
• School work
• Go potty
• Clean up toys
• Brush teeth
• Clean dishes
• Fold laundry
• Bath or shower
• Load dishwasher
• Unload dishwasher
• Vacuum
• Get dressed
• Feed fish
• Put on a diaper
• Read Bible
• Say a Bible verse
• Clean
• Clean bedroom
• Put away books
• Water plants
• Get eggs

For older kids who need more detailed chores, there is a blank sheet included and a Canva template below that you can customize.

Free Printable Preschool Chore Chart

The tasks on the simple chore chart are those that we have used. At the original time of writing this, my children are 3 months, 3 years, and 4 years old. To some extent, they can do what is on this list (with the exception of the baby!). Included in the printable is a completely blank page where you can insert your own tasks or chores for older children.

This is a great chore chart with different colors that help children distinguish between the different chores. The freebie is a simple chart. Below you can find more kids’ chore charts that I have created, which are available on Etsy and Gumroad.

Customizable Chore Chart

You can also use this Canva template to make your own squares. This means that you can create and customize your chore chart for all your family members!

Want more printable chore chart templates? I have two upgrades available that the whole family can use and enjoy!

How to Use the Chore Chart

I highly suggest that if you are going to use the printable preschool chore chart for daily chores, you invest in a laminator! They are not spendy at all, and I have countless things that I have used for them during my children’s childhood.

This is the laminator that I have. It is an Amazon basic and is usually priced around $30. This chore chart will last longer and be more effective if you can laminate the sheets.

Print the printable preschool chore chart, cut out the chore squares, laminate the sheets, and then place velcro on the squares of the chart as well as the back of the chore squares. You could also use magnets if you desire.

The introduction of a chore chart to our home has proven to be a great way to enhance organization, responsibility, and family harmony. We often remind our children that we all have family chores that we are doing and participating in.

We go through phases where we tell our children that chores are simply done because they are a part of this family, and no reward system will be used for completing the chores. Then we also go through phases where incentives are appropriate, and we use them carefully.

Although our chore charts are a practical aid in our home, they are also more than that! It’s a symbol of family unity and that we are all here to contribute to the well-being of our household. Chores are a good thing!

Want the printable preschool chore chart? Click the button below to be brought to the download!

If you have used this one and you are looking for a new chore chart, check out this one that is an updated version!

Don’t Forget to Save for Later!

Want more free printables? Find other Preschool and Early Child Development Printables and Resources below!