Daily chores for 8-year-olds
Daily chores at 8: 22 jobs, jobs done every day, that an 8-year-old can do (16 alone) or start learning, about 152 minutes in all.
Daily chores at 8
| Job | Stage | Time | How often | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brush their teeth morning and night | On their own | 4 min | Daily | 5 |
| Put dirty clothes in the hamper | On their own | 1 min | Daily | 5 |
| Put toys away | On their own | 5 min | Daily | 5 |
| Feed the pet | On their own | 5 min | Daily | 5 |
| Get dressed by themselves | On their own | 5 min | Daily | 5 |
| Hang up their coat and put shoes away | On their own | 2 min | Daily | 5 |
| Refill the pet's water bowl | On their own | 2 min | Daily | 5 |
| Wash fruit and vegetables | On their own | 5 min | Daily | 5 |
| Clear the table after meals | On their own | 5 min | Daily | 5 |
| Make the bed | On their own | 3 min | Daily | 5 |
| Set the table | On their own | 5 min | Daily | 5 |
| Wipe the table and counters | On their own | 3 min | Daily | 5 |
| Bring in the mail | On their own | 2 min | Daily | 5 |
| Lay out clothes the night before | On their own | 5 min | Daily | 5 |
| 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 |
| Pack their school bag the night before | On their own | 5 min | Daily | 5 |
| Pack their own lunch | With you | 10 min | Daily | 10 |
| Take out the kitchen trash | With you | 5 min | Daily | 5 |
| Walk the dog | With you | 30 min | Daily | 15 |
| Wash dishes by hand | With you | 20 min | Daily | 15 |
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
- Make their own breakfast (alone from about 9)
- Load the dishwasher (alone from about 10)
- Pack their own lunch (alone from about 10)
- Take out the kitchen trash (alone from about 9)
- Wash dishes by hand (alone from about 11)
- Walk the dog (alone from about 12)
Most 8-year-olds can do alone
- Put toys away
- Hang up their coat and put shoes away
- Make the bed
- Pack their school bag the night before
- Wash fruit and vegetables
- Set the table
- Clear the table after meals
- Wipe the table and counters
- Unload the dishwasher
- Put dirty clothes in the hamper
- Refill the pet's water bowl
- Feed the pet
- Bring in the mail
- Brush their teeth morning and night
- Get dressed by themselves
- Lay out clothes the night before
How much time it adds up to
- Every job on this page
- 152 minutes
- Only the ones they do alone
- 67 minutes
- Suggested load at this age
- 15 to 20 minutes a day
⚠️ 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. Wash dishes by hand: Warm, not hot, water. Knives and glassware stay with a grown-up until they are confident. Feed the pet: A grown-up measures at first: overfeeding is easy. Keep human food the pet must not eat out of the way. Walk the dog: Depends on the dog and the route. A child walks alone only a dog they can hold back if it pulls, on a route you know, and once they are safe near roads.
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
- finishing what you start
- sorting by type
- looking after belongings
- a coming-home routine
- knowing where things live
- a morning routine
- pride in their space
- fine motor skills
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.