Four-year-olds want to help. They want to push the vacuum, crack the eggs and carry the laundry basket that's bigger than they are. Most of the time it would be faster to do it yourself. Try to let them help anyway, because this is the age when "I help at home" becomes part of how a child sees themselves, and that's much easier to build now than at eleven.
Here's what four-year-olds can realistically do, the guidance behind it, and a picture-friendly printable chart.
What a 4 year old can do
Four-year-olds can follow one short instruction at a time, carry light things with both hands, and they love copying what grown-ups do. Their chores should be short, safe and done alongside you.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry says 4 to 5 year olds can help feed pets, make their beds ("maybe not perfectly") and help clear the table after dinner. For 2 to 3 year olds it lists putting toys and groceries away and dressing themselves with help, which four-year-olds can do more and more on their own (AACAP Facts for Families No. 125).
The American Academy of Pediatrics says most preschool-age children can start pitching in with simple household tasks, and that this teaches life skills and cooperation and boosts their self-esteem (HealthyChildren.org, AAP).
The list: chores for a 4 year old
Their own things
- Put toys away in a basket or box
- Put dirty clothes in the hamper
- Help make the bed (pull up the duvet, put the pillow in place)
- Get dressed, with some help
Kitchen
- Help clear the table: their own plate and cup
- Help set the table: napkins and spoons first
- Help put unbreakable groceries away
Pets and plants
- Help feed the pet
- Water a plant with a small watering can
Daily routine
- Brush teeth with you
- Bath or shower time without a fight
- Pick tomorrow's outfit from two options
You'll find these chores on the printable chart at the top of this page. Download it as is or customize it first.
How to make it work at 4
At this age, the "how" matters more than the "what":
- Two or three chores a day, maximum. Each should take a minute or two.
- Tie them to routines. Toys away before bath, plate to the counter after dinner, clothes in the hamper at bedtime.
- Do it together. Four-year-olds learn by doing it with you, many times, before they do it alone.
- Make it a game. Race a song, count the toys as they go in the box, pretend the laundry basket is a basketball hoop.
- Use pictures. A chart with an icon for each chore lets a child who can't read yet check their own progress.
- Praise the trying. The AAP's advice is to praise effort rather than the outcome and not to expect perfection. A lumpy bed made by a proud four-year-old is a win.
The AACAP also recommends a star chart or reward system with specific goals for younger children, and making longer jobs fun and cooperative with songs or games.
What a day looks like at 4
Here's one sample day, as an example rather than a rulebook. Your child won't do all of it, and they shouldn't:
- Morning: pull up the duvet together, get dressed (with a little help on buttons), brush teeth with you.
- Breakfast: put the spoons on the table.
- After breakfast: help feed the pet. You measure the food, your child pours it into the bowl.
- Afternoon: water the plant with the small watering can. Plants don't need it every day, so this can be a special job for one or two days a week.
- After the weekly shop: put the unbreakable groceries away.
- After dinner: carry their own plate and cup to the counter.
- Evening: toys in the box, bath, dirty clothes in the hamper, then choose tomorrow's outfit from the two you lay out.
Written out like that, it looks like a lot. On a real day, a four-year-old might do the bed, the spoons and the toys, and that's a great day. What matters is that the same jobs come back at the same moments, so your child starts to expect them instead of hearing about them.
How to teach making the bed
Making the bed is a perfect first "real" chore at four: it happens every day, it's done in a minute, and your child can see the result. Teach it in small steps:
- Make the bed easy to make. One duvet and one pillow is much easier for small hands than sheets, blankets and a pile of cushions. Move the extra stuffed animals to a basket.
- Do it together, one of you on each side. You both grab the top of the duvet and pull it up at the same time. Say the steps out loud every time: "Pull up, smooth it, pillow on top."
- Hand over one step. After a week or so, the pillow is theirs alone while you do the duvet.
- Hand over the next step. Then the duvet is theirs too, and you're just there to watch and cheer.
- Leave it as it is. Lumps and a crooked pillow are fine. If you smooth it out after they've left the room, they'll notice, and a four-year-old who notices tends to stop trying.
The same pattern works for almost everything on the list: do it together, say the steps, hand over one part at a time.
When it doesn't go to plan
Some days it just won't work, and that's part of being four. A few common snags and what to say:
- They want the "real" job. Four-year-olds want to do what you're doing, like the vacuum or the eggs. Find the safe piece of it: they push the vacuum across the rug while you keep a hand on it, or crack an egg into a bowl while you fish out the shell. "You're in charge of the egg, I'm in charge of the pan."
- They forget every single day. That's normal at four. Let the picture chart do the reminding, and point at it instead of repeating yourself: "What does the chart say comes after bath?"
- An older sibling does more. Make growing jobs something to look forward to: "When you're bigger, you'll get to wipe the table too."
- Everyone is tired. Skip it. "Tonight I'll put the toys away and you can hold the box." One missed evening doesn't undo the habit.
Rewards for a 4 year old
Most four-year-olds don't need money for chores, and many parents prefer not to link the two this early. What works well:
- A sticker or coin per chore on a picture chart
- Small, immediate rewards: an extra bedtime story, choosing the song in the car, a trip to the playground
- Lots of specific praise: "You put every car back in the box. Thank you!"
Keep rewards small and the rules the same every day. If you want to explore the question of paying for chores later on, our guide on allowance for chores covers the options.
How Raccoon fits in
Raccoon Kids is rated 4+ in the App Store. Every chore has an icon and a coin value, which helps children who can't read yet find their chores and tap them when they're done. Coins add up toward rewards you pick, like an extra bedtime story or a movie night. The app's age-based presets use the same research as this list.
For many four-year-olds, a paper chart with stickers is perfect. If you'd like an app that grows with them, you can try Raccoon for free.
Other ages
Planning ahead? See chores for 6 year olds, chores for 7 year olds, or the full chore chart by age.
Sources
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Chores and Children, Facts for Families No. 125, updated June 2018.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Age-Appropriate Chores for Children, HealthyChildren.org, updated February 2024.