Chores for 3 year olds, with a picture chore chart

Chores a 3 year old can really do

Pick jobs that are over before the child loses focus. Each one should take under a minute and need no supervision after the first week. The point is the habit, not the result.

You will stand beside them for the first few days on the jobs that involve a pet or a spill. The rest they can do alone once you show them once.

These ten chores are a good starting list for a 3 year old.

For more on this, read How to get kids to do chores without nagging.

• Toys in the bin
• Clothes in the basket
• Wipe a spill
• Put shoes together
• Feed the pet with a scoop (parent beside them)
• Carry own plate to the counter
• Throw away a napkin
• Put a book on the shelf
• Match one pair of socks
• Put a cup in the sink

Print the picture chore chart and let your child point to the job. The picture is the instruction, and the sticker is the pay.

Why the chart has pictures and only three rows

A 3 year old cannot read. The picture is the instruction, so the chart uses a simple drawing of a toy bin or a plate. No words needed.

Three rows fits an attention span that runs about three minutes. More rows means more frustration and less interest.

The sticker goes on within a minute of the chore. The child sticks it, not you, because the physical act is the reward. This is operant conditioning at its simplest.

Use a 1.5 inch round sticker or a 1/2 inch star sticker. The boxes on every chart fit both.

Setting up the week

Do this tonight, before bed. It takes ten minutes and the first sticker happens tomorrow morning.

Here is the setup, step by step.

1. Pick 3 chores from the list above
2. Show the child the pictures on the chart
3. Do each chore together once, right now
4. Print and hang the chart at the child's eye height
5. First sticker tomorrow morning after the first chore

Hang it in the kitchen or the hallway, not the bedroom. The child should see it all day. Use the free printable charts in letter or A4, printed at 100 percent, not fit to page.

Rewards that make sense at 3

Same-day rewards only. An extra story tonight, choosing the song in the car, or a stamp on the hand all work. The end-of-week reward means nothing yet because a 3 year old cannot hold that idea.

The sticker is the reward. The extra story is a bonus. Do not skip the sticker even if the chore was messy.

When the child does all three chores for a few days in a row, add a second chart. Use a reward chart with the same three-row format. Do not add more rows.

If you want to try a small allowance later, that is a seperate step. See the allowance chart when the child is closer to 5.

What to do when it stops working

A 3 year old loses interest in about 2 weeks. That is normal, not a failure. The fix is to change the picture, not the system.

Swap one picture for a new chore from the list. Shorten the chart to 2 rows for a few days. Take a week off and come back fresh.

Do the chore together again, side by side. That re-teaches the routine without pressure.

Never take stickers away. A sticker is earned, not kept. Taking it back teaches the child that the whole game is unfair.