Thirteen-year-olds can cook pasta, fix the Wi-Fi and argue better than most adults. Getting them to empty the dishwasher is a different matter. That's not because they can't. At thirteen, chores become a question of fairness and respect as much as skill: they want to be treated as a member of the household, not as the family's helper. Frame it that way and the conversation changes.
This page covers a fair, realistic chore list for a thirteen-year-old, what the pediatric guidance says, and how to deal with the pushback. The free printable chart is right below.
What a 13 year old can handle
With some practice, a thirteen-year-old can do almost everything in the house. Two sources frame it:
- The American Academy of Pediatrics' guide to household chores for teens lists vacuuming shared spaces, washing and vacuuming the car, mowing, mulching and weeding, clearing walkways of snow, grocery shopping (once they drive), cleaning the kitchen after meal prep, pet care and helping with younger siblings (HealthyChildren.org, AAP).
- The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry says those 12 and above can wash the car and help with younger siblings, and teens can help with grocery shopping and running errands (AACAP Facts for Families No. 125).
The AAP's teen guide makes a point worth passing on to your teenager: chores teach life skills they'll need when they live on their own, and they're a way of contributing to the family.
The list: chores for a 13 year old
Their own life
- Do their own laundry, start to finish
- Change their sheets every other week
- Keep their room livable
- Manage homework, gear and schedule
Kitchen
- Clean the kitchen after dinner
- Load and unload the dishwasher
- Cook a simple meal once a week
- Help with the grocery shopping, put everything away
Cleaning
- Clean the bathroom weekly
- Vacuum shared rooms
- Take out the trash and recycling
Outdoors and family
- Mow the lawn (walk-behind mower, after instruction)
- Yard work and, in winter, clearing snow
- Wash the car
- Pet care: feeding, walking, grooming
- Help with younger siblings
You'll find these chores on the printable chart at the top of this page. Download it as is or customize it first.
Make it fair, and make it theirs
Teenagers are sensitive to fairness. A few things that make chores easier to accept:
- Agree on the list together. Show them what needs doing in the house and let them pick some of their jobs.
- Give whole areas. "The kitchen after dinner is yours" feels more grown up than a list of small instructions.
- Set a standard, then trust them. Agree once on what "done" means, then check the result, not the method.
- Everyone has jobs. If parents and siblings visibly do their share, the "why me" argument loses steam.
A sample week for a 13 year old
Thirteen-year-olds' weeks are often packed, so the jobs need fixed slots. One realistic version, using only chores from the list:
- Daily: the kitchen after dinner on agreed nights, and the dishwasher in the morning so it's empty for the day.
- On trash day: trash and recycling out the night before.
- One weekday evening: vacuum the shared rooms.
- Saturday morning: their laundry, start to finish, and the bathroom while a load runs.
- Sunday: pet care jobs that take longer, like grooming, and every other week a change of sheets.
Mowing or washing the car can come in as a paid extra on a weekend with fewer plans. If a tournament or a big test takes over a week, move a job rather than drop it, and agree on the new slot before the week starts.
How to teach a 13 year old to clean a bathroom properly
Most thirteen-year-olds have "cleaned the bathroom" before. Fewer have done it in a way that actually leaves it clean. Teach it once, properly:
- Clear the surfaces. Toothbrushes, bottles and towels off the counter, so there's something to wipe.
- Spray first, then wait. One all-purpose cleaner on the sink, the tub or shower and the outside of the toilet. Letting it sit while they do the mirror does half the work.
- Mirror next, with a cloth that doesn't leave streaks.
- Sink and faucet, then rinse.
- Toilet from top to bottom: tank, handle, seat, under the seat, the rim, then the bowl with the brush. Clean to dirty, never the other way around.
- Floor last, because everything else drips onto it.
- Finish the job: empty the trash, fresh towel, new toilet paper roll if needed.
Tape the steps inside the cabinet door for the first few weeks. Use one cleaner, never mix products, and keep gloves in the cabinet. Then check the result once together, and after that just now and then.
Handling pushback
Some resistance is normal and healthy at thirteen. What helps most:
- No daily negotiations. Same jobs, same days. The less there is to argue about, the less arguing.
- Link chores to privileges, not punishments. "Kitchen first, then your phone" is calmer than taking things away after the fact.
- Short conversations about why. The AAP's point that chores build skills for independent life tends to land better than "because I said so".
- Let "later" happen, with a deadline. "The bathroom by Saturday dinner" gives a thirteen-year-old control over the when, and you only need to check once.
- Allow trades between siblings. If both agree and both jobs get done, a swap is fine. It turns a complaint into a negotiation they run themselves.
- Watch for bigger patterns. The AACAP notes that if a child is unable or unwilling to do chores and the struggle keeps growing, it can be a sign of other conflicts worth raising with your pediatrician.
Safety at 13
- Mowing: the AAP's minimum is 12 for a walk-behind mower and 16 for a ride-on (HealthyChildren.org). Teach it once, with shoes on and no passengers.
- Cooking: simple meals are fine; stay reachable while they use the stove until you're confident.
Chores for 13 year olds to earn money
Thirteen-year-olds often want their own money, and it's a great age to learn how earning works:
- Extra jobs pay, base chores don't. Their laundry and the kitchen are part of family life. Mowing, washing the car or a bigger project can earn money.
- Points into rewards. Chores earn points they trade for money or privileges like a later curfew on the weekend.
For reference, Greenlight reported that thirteen-year-olds using its app received about $11.59 a week in allowance in 2025 (Greenlight). That's one company's customer data. See allowance for chores for amounts and rules.
How Raccoon fits in
Raccoon Kids works on your teen's own phone: chores with coin values, a photo as proof when a job is done, your approval from anywhere, and rewards you set together. The age-based presets are built from the same research as this list.
Not every thirteen-year-old wants an app for chores, and a printed list works fine. If yours does, try Raccoon for free.
Other ages
See chores for 12 year olds, chores for 14 year olds, or the full chore chart by age.
Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Household Chores for Teens, HealthyChildren.org, Shelly Vaziri Flais, MD, FAAP, updated February 2024.
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Chores and Children, Facts for Families No. 125, updated June 2018.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Lawn Mower Safety: Information for Families, HealthyChildren.org.
- Greenlight, Average weekly allowance by age, company data for 2025.