A guide for parents
Free printable chore chart for kids (PDF)
By Léo, dad and maker of Famipal · Updated November 10, 2026
Looking for a simple chore chart to print for your kids? Here it is, free and with no sign-up. Below it: what separates a chart that’s forgotten after ten days from one that actually sticks.
In short: a two-page A4 PDF. On the front, the weekly chart: 9 rows for chores, a box for each day, a points column and the reward to win. On the back, chore ideas by age, from 3 years old to the teens.
Download the PDFWhat’s on the chart
How to use it
- Pick 3 to 5 chores with your child. Not ten. Write them in their words: “feed Biscuit” means more to them than “look after the pet”.
- Give each chore some points. Longer jobs are worth more. The week’s total goes at the bottom.
- Choose the reward together and write it in the box at the bottom. An outing, a board game, picking Sunday’s dinner.
- Put it where everyone walks past. The fridge, the bedroom door. In a drawer, it stops existing.
- You approve, your child colours it in. It’s their chart. Colouring the box matters almost as much as the chore.
Why so many charts fizzle out after two weeks
On the first Monday everyone’s keen. Then the novelty wears off, usually for the same few reasons:
- Too many chores at once. Your child sees an impossible list and gives up.
- A reward that’s too far away. At 7, “the end of the month” is forever. A small weekly reward works better.
- Nobody checks. If the boxes are never approved, the chart turns into decoration.
- The same chart for months. Swap a chore now and then, or offer a “big kid” job.
Printing a fresh chart every Monday helps too. It becomes a small ritual, and everyone starts again from zero.
Which chores at which age?
The back of the PDF has five ideas per age group. A few to get you started:
- Ages 3 to 5: tidy up toys, put dirty clothes in the basket, water the plants.
- Ages 6 to 8: set and clear the table, make their bed, pack their school bag.
- Ages 9 to 12: empty the dishwasher, take out the recycling, help cook dinner.
- 13 and up: run a load of laundry, cook a simple meal, do a small shopping run.
Show once, do it together once, then let them do it. And praise the effort, not a perfect result. The full age-by-age list is in our guide to age-appropriate chores.
What about pocket money?
For everyday chores, Swiss budget experts advise not paying for them and giving pocket money separately. It’s all in our guide to pocket money by age in Switzerland. The points on the chart do a different job: they make the effort visible and lead to the week’s reward.
Printable chore chart
A weekly chart to fill in, with chore ideas by age on the back. Free, no sign-up.
Download the PDFFrequently asked questions
Is the chart really free?
Yes. No sign-up, no email address. Print as many as you like.
One chart for several kids?
One chart per child works better. Each has their own chores, points and reward, and you avoid sibling comparisons.
Does it print well in black and white?
Yes. It’s made for an ordinary printer: white background, thin lines, very little ink.