10 to 15 minute chores for 8-year-olds
18 jobs that take ten to fifteen minutes that an 8-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 8
| 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 | With you | 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 | With you | 10 min | Daily | 10 |
| Make their own breakfast | With you | 10 min | Daily | 10 |
| Sweep the kitchen floor | With you | 10 min | Weekly | 10 |
| Clear out the school backpack | With you | 10 min | Weekly | 10 |
| Pack their own lunch | With you | 10 min | Daily | 10 |
| Vacuum a room | With you | 15 min | Weekly | 10 |
| Wipe the bathroom sink and mirror | With you | 10 min | Weekly | 10 |
| Change the bed sheets | With you | 15 min | Weekly | 10 |
| Clean windows and glass doors | With you | 15 min | Monthly | 10 |
| Take the bins out on collection day | With you | 10 min | Weekly | 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 8
- Clear out the school backpack (alone from about 9)
- Make their own breakfast (alone from about 9)
- Sweep the kitchen floor (alone from about 9)
- Load the dishwasher (alone from about 10)
- Pack their own lunch (alone from about 10)
- Fold laundry (alone from about 9)
- Change the bed sheets (alone from about 11)
- Wipe the bathroom sink and mirror (alone from about 10)
- Vacuum a room (alone from about 10)
- Take the bins out on collection day (alone from about 10)
- Clean windows and glass doors (alone from about 11)
Most 8-year-olds can do alone
- Tidy their bedroom
- Put groceries away
- Unload the dishwasher
- Match socks from the laundry
- Put clean clothes away
- Sort laundry by color
- Dust furniture
Time, added up
- Doing every job on this page once
- 205 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. Wipe the bathroom sink and mirror: Use a mild cleaner or a damp microfiber cloth. Keep strong cleaning products locked away from younger children. Clean windows and glass doors: Inside and ground-floor glass only. No ladders or upstairs windows for children.
A day of jobs at 8
- Daily jobs
- 3 or 4
- Weekly jobs
- 1 or 2
- Time
- 15 to 20 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 8-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.
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.