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Chore philosophy

Whether children do household jobs and why: childhood is for play and school, self-care only, unpaid contribution to the family, paid work, or working alongside adults from toddlerhood.

Should children do chores?

In short: Parents choose between 5 main approaches: Childhood is for play and school; Self-care only; Unpaid family contribution; Paid work; Working alongside adults from toddlerhood. Evidence: evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational. Best settled: toddler.

Evidence
Evidence leans one way
Best settled
Toddler
Part of
The family system

Chore philosophy: what are the options?

Parents usually land on one of these 5 approaches.

  1. 1. Childhood is for play and school

    The child is not expected to do housework.

  2. 2. Self-care only

    The child looks after their own things only.

  3. 3. Unpaid family contribution

    The child helps the household because they are part of it, without pay.

  4. 4. Paid work

    The child is paid for housework.

  5. 5. Working alongside adults from toddlerhood

    The child helps with real tasks next to you from the toddler years.

Chore philosophy: what does the evidence say?

Evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational. (Leans (thin))

The oft-quoted claim that chores predict adult success is usually credited to Harvard, but sources tracing it say the Harvard adult-development study never looked at chores; the real source is a University of Minnesota analysis by Marty Rossmann of 84 young adults from Diana Baumrind's California longitudinal study. It found that doing household tasks at ages 3-4 was the best predictor of mid-20s success (education, career start, relationships, no drug use), that starting only at 15-16 backfired, and it advised against making chores an allowance job. It is a small, observational sample, so treat it as suggestive; Harvard's caring project says expect routine helping without reward

Sources

What else is worth knowing?

Chores are regular household tasks a child is expected to do. Families hold different views on whether children should help, why, and whether they are paid. Toddlers are often keen to help, and some cultures build on that from the start.

Questions to ask each other

  • What chores did we do and how did we feel?
  • Do chores teach responsibility or are they just labor?
  • Should chores be paid, unpaid, or both?

More in Money, chores and responsibility

First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.