Cleaning chores for 12-year-olds
Cleaning jobs at 12: 8 most children do alone and 1 to start with you, with the time, how often and points for each.
Cleaning chores at 12
| Job | Stage | Time | How often | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dust furniture | On their own | 10 min | Weekly | 10 |
| Empty the small trash cans | On their own | 5 min | Weekly | 5 |
| Vacuum a room | On their own | 15 min | Weekly | 10 |
| Wipe the bathroom sink and mirror | On their own | 10 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 |
| Mop the floor | On their own | 20 min | Weekly | 15 |
| Clean the toilet | On their own | 10 min | Weekly | 10 |
| Clean the bathtub and shower | With you | 15 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 12
- Clean the bathtub and shower (alone from about 13)
Most 12-year-olds can do alone
- Dust furniture
- Empty the small trash cans
- Wipe the bathroom sink and mirror
- Vacuum a room
- Take the bins out on collection day
- Clean windows and glass doors
- Mop the floor
- Clean the toilet
⚠️ Safety notes for these jobs: 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. Mop the floor: Wet floors are slippery. Mop toward the door and keep younger children and pets out until it dries. Clean the toilet: Gloves on, and never mix cleaning products (bleach and other cleaners can give off dangerous fumes). Keep the window open or the fan on. Clean the bathtub and shower: Gloves on, ventilation on, and one product at a time.
A day of jobs at 12
- Daily jobs
- 3 or 4
- Weekly jobs
- 2
- Time
- 20 to 30 minutes a day
What these jobs teach
- working top to bottom
- gentle handling of objects
- a weekly routine
- going round the whole house
- cleaning without streaks
- hygiene
- using products correctly
- working in lines
In TaskFamily these become jobs on your 12-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.