Chores for teenagers

Which chores make sense for a teenager?

Discuss a real household result the teen is willing and able to help with: putting away their clean laundry, resetting an agreed shared shelf, checking a short list of household supplies, or sorting their own papers for adult follow-up. Agree on the scope, timing, adult support and what happens if the plan changes.

An older teen may still want a checklist or shared start; a younger teen may already know a particular job. Ask which part they would like help with.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' teen time-management guidance suggests asking which planning tools a young person would like to try instead of requiring a particular system.

The agreement below can be spoken, written on paper or kept in a tool the teen already uses.

Looking for chores for a 14- or 16-year-old?

Start with a job from the table below and agree on its boundaries together. A 14-year-old could put away an agreed basket of their clean clothes; a 16-year-old could check a short list of reachable household supplies before an adult shops. These are examples, not different requirements for those ages: either teen could choose either job, share it with an adult or choose something else.

Ask three questions: "Which part will you take?", "What help or materials do you need?" and "When should we check the result together?" Use the shared-job agreement to record the answers and the adult's commitments.

Choose a useful contribution together

Use the space and materials the household has. With limited storage or a shared room, agree where items will go before starting. Bring the work within reach, share physical actions or choose another job as needed.

A shared-job agreement the teen helps write

Use these prompts to negotiate one contribution. The adult has commitments too.

Purpose and scope

This helps ___ by ___. It includes ___ and does not include ___.

Timing and planning format

The result is needed by ___. The teen proposes ___ as a work window and wants to keep the plan ___.

Adult commitments

___ will provide access, materials or help by ___. Decisions or purchases that remain with the adult are ___.

Permission and privacy

We may move or inspect ___. We will ask before touching ___, and share the status only with ___.

A changed plan

If time, materials or help change, tell ___ by the agreed check-in at ___. If something unexpected happens later, tell them then; a missed check-in does not close off help.

Completion and review

The finish is ___. Report finished, partly finished or blocked by ___. We will decide what remains together and revisit the arrangement at ___.

Look at the actual week, including school, rest, paid work, travel and family commitments. Ask, "Where does this fit, and when do you need me available?" Agree on a smaller job, a pause or a different adult share when needed.

A fictional example: the supply check before shopping

Ari agrees to check the household's spare toilet paper and tissues before an adult's Friday shopping trip. Ari will write what is present in the agreed reachable cupboard; the adult decides whether anything needs buying.

If an assessment or another commitment changes Ari's work window, they can propose checking together on Thursday instead. If that also becomes impossible, the adult covers this check and they revisit the next one.

Keep a contribution separate from punishment or spending

Agree whether a job is an ordinary household contribution or a separately offered extra job before it begins. For optional paid work, use the contribution and extra-job agreement rather than adding a payment rule after the fact.

When something is unfinished, establish what remains and who can help now. Food, care, rest, affection, needed clothing and transport, and family inclusion stay unconditional.

For competing family workloads, the rotation guide compares assignments across people. For an already-agreed job that needs a different starting cue, use the reminder-handoff guide.