10 to 15 minute chores for 13-year-olds

24 jobs that take ten to fifteen minutes that a 13-year-old can do or start learning, with how often each comes up and what it is worth in points.

10 to 15 minute chores at 13

10 to 15 minute chores at 13
Job	Stage	Time	How often	Points
Match socks from the laundry	On their own	10 min	Weekly	10
Dust furniture	On their own	10 min	Weekly	10
Put clean clothes away	On their own	10 min	Weekly	10
Put groceries away	On their own	10 min	Weekly	10
Fold laundry	On their own	15 min	Weekly	10
Sort laundry by color	On their own	10 min	Weekly	10
Tidy their bedroom	On their own	15 min	Weekly	10
Unload the dishwasher	On their own	10 min	Daily	10
Load the dishwasher	On their own	10 min	Daily	10
Make their own breakfast	On their own	10 min	Daily	10
Sweep the kitchen floor	On their own	10 min	Weekly	10
Clear out the school backpack	On their own	10 min	Weekly	10
Pack their own lunch	On their own	10 min	Daily	10
Vacuum a room	On their own	15 min	Weekly	10
Wipe the bathroom sink and mirror	On their own	10 min	Weekly	10
Change the bed sheets	On their own	15 min	Weekly	10
Clean windows and glass doors	On their own	15 min	Monthly	10
Take the bins out on collection day	On their own	10 min	Weekly	10
Clean the microwave	On their own	10 min	Weekly	10
Keep track of their own homework	On their own	10 min	Daily	10
Clean the toilet	On their own	10 min	Weekly	10
Manage their own weekly budget	With you	15 min	Weekly	10
Clean the bathtub and shower	On their own	15 min	Weekly	10
Iron clothes	With you	15 min	As needed	10

On their own means most children this age manage it alone; With you means they start it with a grown-up alongside. Points are on a 5-for-a-small-job scale.

Start together at 13

Iron clothes (alone from about 15)
Manage their own weekly budget (alone from about 15)

Most 13-year-olds can do alone

Tidy their bedroom
Clear out the school backpack
Put groceries away
Unload the dishwasher
Make their own breakfast
Sweep the kitchen floor
Load the dishwasher
Pack their own lunch
Clean the microwave
Match socks from the laundry
Put clean clothes away
Sort laundry by color
Fold laundry
Change the bed sheets
Dust furniture
Wipe the bathroom sink and mirror
Vacuum a room
Take the bins out on collection day
Clean windows and glass doors
Clean the toilet
Clean the bathtub and shower
Keep track of their own homework

Time, added up

Doing every job on this page once: 280 minutes
Longest single job: 15 minutes
Shortest single job: 10 minutes

⚠️ Safety notes for these jobs: Unload the dishwasher: Sharp knives and heavy or breakable dishes stay with a grown-up at first. Little ones can start with cutlery (no knives) and plastic items. Make their own breakfast: Start with cold breakfasts (cereal, yogurt, fruit). Toasters and kettles come later, once they have been shown how and you have watched them a few times. Load the dishwasher: Knives go in point down or are left for a grown-up. Show them which items must never go in the dishwasher. Clean the microwave: Let any steaming bowl cool before it comes out, and unplug or switch off before wiping inside. Iron clothes: Irons get hot enough to burn. Teach them to stand the iron upright, keep the cord out of the way and switch it off straight after. Wipe the bathroom sink and mirror: Use a mild cleaner or a damp microfiber cloth. Keep strong cleaning products locked away from younger children.

A day of jobs at 13

Daily jobs: 3 to 5
Weekly jobs: 2 or 3, including one they own start to finish
Time: 30 to 45 minutes a day

What these jobs teach

breaking a big job into steps
deciding what to keep
working to a checklist
handing over letters and forms on time
keeping track of homework
organization
sorting and categorizing
knowing where food is kept

In TaskFamily these become jobs on your 13-year-old's own screen, with points, repeat days and the Trust Ladder to move each job from "check every time" to spot checks.

Free for one household. Premium is $5.99 a month or $49 a year for the whole family, never per child.

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Keep reading

Ages and times are typical, not rules: children develop at different speeds, and you know yours best. The chore library is TaskFamily's own. The guide text is drafted with AI from these numbers and checked automatically before it is published.

⏱️ 10 to 15 minute chores for 13-year-olds