Change a light bulb at 12: practising with less help
At 12, most children can change a light bulb with less help each week: about 5 minutes, as needed, alone around 13.
Change a light bulb at 12, at a glance
- Stage
- Practising, with less help
- What they do
- doing most of the job themselves with you nearby to answer questions and finish off the hard part
- How you check
- check most times, and fix one thing at a time rather than everything
- Time it takes
- about 5 minutes
- How often
- As needed
- Points
- 5 (5 for a small job, 10 for a bigger one)
- Starts with help
- around 10
- Alone
- around 13
⚠️ Safety: Switch off first and let the old bulb cool. Use a sturdy step stool, never a chair on wheels, and leave ladders and ceiling fittings to a grown-up.
Other life skills jobs at 12
- Shop from a grocery list (with help)
- Manage their own weekly budget (with help)
- Look after a younger sibling for a while (with help)
A day of jobs at 12
- Daily jobs
- 3 or 4
- Weekly jobs
- 2
- Time
- 20 to 30 minutes a day
In TaskFamily, "Change a light bulb" becomes a job on your 12-year-old's own screen. The Trust Ladder moves each job from "check every time" to spot checks to full trust as they prove they can do it.
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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.