Children who do chores at home are found to have have better prosocial behavior, higher life satisfaction and more positive self-affirmation. In addition, kids who perform chores have higher math scores and are more likely to be described as calm. As adults, those who grew up doing chores have better mental health and are more successful in their career and friendships.
On the other hand, excessive chores can lead to depressive symptoms in children as well as bullying behavior.
Chores in kinder predict prosocial behavior, math scores and life satisfaction in third grade (n=9971)
“We analyzed data from 9971 children entering kindergarten in the United States in 2010 to 2011. During kindergarten, parents reported the frequency with which their child performed chores. In the third grade, children responded to a questionnaire regarding their perceived interest or competence in academics, peer relationships, prosocial behavior, and life satisfaction. Children also completed direct academic assessments for reading, math, and science. Results: The frequency of chores in kindergarten was positively associated with a child’s perception of social, academic, and life satisfaction competencies in the third grade, independent of sex, family income, and parent education. Compared with children who regularly performed chores, children who rarely performed chores had greater odds of scoring in the bottom quintile on self-reported prosocial, academic ability, peer relationship, and life satisfaction scores (odds ratio = 1.17, 1.25, 1.24, and 1.27, respectively). Performing chores with any frequency in kindergarten was associated with improved math scores in the third grade. Conclusion: In this longitudinal cohort study, performing chores in early elementary school was associated with later development of self-competence, prosocial behavior, and self-efficacy.”
Children with chores are more likely to feel good upon waking, be calm and have good self-affirmation (n=1719)
“In July 2014, we questioned the students and parents of five elementary schools. 1719 of these subjects were analyzed. Children who do not help with household chores were more likely to eat fewer vegetables, to have likes and dislikes of foods, to skip breakfast, and to have snacks. Children who do not help with household chores were less likely to exercise, sleep well, spend less time with television, and spend less time on playing videogames. Children who do not help with household chores were less likely to have high health satisfaction levels, to feel good when waking up, to be calm, or to have good self-affirmation. Conclusion: The results of this study show that a good home environment relates to children‘s good dietary behaviors, positive lifestyle factors, and good health.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27181346
Heavy chore workload may increase depressive symptoms in children (n=1449)
“The current study aims to examine association between children‘s depressive symptoms and the domestic choresworkload (i.e., the frequency and the amount of time doing domestic chores). A total of 1449 children in family-based care were included in the analysis: 579 orphaned children who lost one or both parents due to AIDS, 466 vulnerable children living with one or both parents being infected with HIV, and 404 comparison children who did not have HIV/AIDS-infected family members in their families. Children affected by HIV/AIDS worked more frequently and worked longer time on domestic chores than the comparison children. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that domestic chores workload was positively associated with depressive symptoms.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22970996
Participating in chores at 3 or 4 predicts success in mid-20s (n=84)
“Rossmann explored outcomes for 84 young adults based on an in-depth study of their parents’ style of interacting with them, their participation in family work at three periods of their lives (ages three to four, nine to 10, and 15–16), and a brief phone interview when they were in their mid-20s. Variables such as parenting styles, gender, types of household tasks, time spent on tasks, and attitudes and motivators connected to doing the tasks were analyzed for their relationship to outcomes for the children. Using measures of individual’s success such as completion of education, getting started on a career path, IQ, relationships with family and friends, and not using drugs, and examining a child’s involvement in household tasks at all three earlier time, Rossmann determined that the best predictor of young adults’ success in their mid-20s was that they participated in household tasks when they were three or four. However, if they did not begin participating until they were 15 or 16, the participation backfired and those subjects were less “successful.” The assumption is that responsibility learned via household tasks is best when learned young. How the tasks are presented also influences children’s abilities to become well-adjusted adults. The tasks should not be too overwhelming, parents should present the tasks in a way that fits the child’s preferred learning style, and children should be involved in determining the tasks they will complete, through family meeting and methods such a weekly chore chart. They should not be made to do the tasks for an allowance. The earlier parents begin getting children to take an active role in the household, the easier it will be to get them involved as teens.”
http://ghk.h-cdn.co/assets/cm/15/12/55071e0298a05_-_Involving-children-in-household-tasks-U-of-M.pdf
Among those who grew up in poverty, industriousness in childhood predicted mental health better than family cohesion or warm maternal relationships
“Launched in 1939, the study had a control group of nondelinquent boys who grew up in similar circumstances—children of poor, mostly foreign-born parents, about half of whom lived in a home without a tub or a shower. The Glueck study data suggested that industriousness in childhood—as indicated by such things as whether the boys had part-time jobs, took on chores, or joined school clubs or sports teams—predicted adult mental health better than any other factor, including family cohesion and warm maternal relationships.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/06/what-makes-us-happy/307439/
Chores increase positive mental health in adulthood
“Rende (2015) notes that chores have been shown to decrease risk of drug and alcohol abuse, reduce behavioral problems, increasing school engagement, increase positive mental health in adulthood and increase family cohesion due to the shared responsibility. Research by Kennedy-Moore (2013), has also shown that childhood chores lead to increased competence with necessary life skills, increase in instilling values and even general well-being.”
https://www.apadivisions.org/division-35/news-events/news/household-chores
Chores that are too difficult or dangerous are associated with increased bullying
“This study examined effects of type of and cumulative burden of childhood adversities on bullying and cruelty to animals in the United States. Data were derived from Waves I and II of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. For bullying, these included being made to do choresthat were too difficult or dangerous, threatening to hit or throw something, pushing, shoving, slapping, or hitting, and hitting that left bruises, marks, or injuries. With respect to cruelty to animals, swearing and saying hurtful things, having a parent or other adult living within the home that went to jail or prison, and adult/other person fondling/touching in a sexual way were significant. The final models indicated that the cumulative burden of childhoodadversities had strong effects on the increased likelihood of bullying behavior but not cruelty to animals.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21602208
Chores are one of three most frequently reported sources of stress in sixth-graders; total stress associated with increased risk of smoking
“We compiled a checklist of stressful life events relevant to multiethnic youth and administered it to 1,074 sixth-grade students in urban Los Angeles. RESULTS: The most frequently reported stressful events were similar across ethnic groups and generations in the USA: test taking, chores, and arguments with friends. The events reported as the most severe were disturbances in family life, such as: death, arguments between parents, and illness or injury. Total stress was associated with ever smokers, smoking intentions within the next year and in high school over the entire sample.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15570681
In 1992, the average child spent 7 hours per week on housework
“Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, this study tests two competing theories of children’s labor participation. The first, dealing with child socialization,proposes that parents assign household chores to children as a socializing experience (e.g., to promote responsibility). The second posits that children are used as a labor source whenever structural constraints prevent adults from performing the necessary chores, and alter the demand for household labor. The results indicate that children average 7 hours of housework per week, representing 12% of all household labor. Both theories receive support, yet the pragmatic aspects of households (e.g., adult labor force participation) receive greater confirmation.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24263797
List of most common chores performed by kids aged 6 to 14:
- Cleans up after own play: 99%
- Picks up own bedroom: 99%
- Puts own laundry in hamper: 99%
- Makes self a snack: 96%
- Picks up area shared by others: 96%
- Organizes own belongings for school: 95%
- Sets or clears the table: 93%
- Puts away own clothes: 92%
- Organizes after-school belongings: 91%
- Makes own bed: 90%
- Makes self a cold meal: 90%
How much exercise per week is best for longevity?
Whoa. So much to pick apart here. One of my big question marks is the study that shows that kids who do chores eat more vegetables, are less picky, happier when they wake, healthier, more active, watch less TV and snack less. I can’t tell if the conclusion they draw is that doing chores makes for an all around better outcome or if it’s just correlated.
I imagine that it’s more about parents who consistently require their children to help at home also provide healthy and consistent meal choices, restrict less healthy behavior and foods, and have more consistent bedtimes and routines overall.
I think it’s so important for kids to have some responsibilities at home AND it’s so hard to stay consistent! Sometimes I just want to do it myself because it’s easier, but I totally agree that it benefits my kids. They do sometimes even seem proud of their contributions and (even more rarely) show some more appreciation for the work their parents put into the household.
I’ve always been conflicted about at what age and how much to make them do things. I like some of the ideas on that list. And the BIG question……should they get paid for any of it?
Thanks for commenting! Yes, that is the trouble with so many parenting studies – it’s mostly observational, rather than controlled in a lab. So, it’s difficult to tease out correlation from cause. I’ve read about studies which found that paying kids for chores actually decreases their motivation, but it certainly begs more research!
Ultimately, I suspect chores come down to having authentic relationships, and no one, adult or child, is truly happy letting someone else carry their load. We all want to feel needed, capable, and appreciated. I think paying them would undermine those feelings.
That said, when I just want to sit down to eat… I often find myself setting the table for the sake of simplicity!
This is a great summary of the current research on kids who do chores. It is a relief to know the apparant benefits but it also doesn’t change my attitude towards chores in the first place. I have an only child and I’ve required him to pick up after himself after playtime or tidy his room since he was 3-4 years old. I know my motivation was to prevent him from becoming “self entitled” or “spoilt”, as many a myth about only children abound! It’s also because I grew up in a country where it is common in middle class families to have a live-in maid to do all the chores. Ever since I quit my career to stay home full time, my son has been making fun of Mum being the “maid”, but it’s partly my own fault for lashing out at times at my husband and kid for treating me as a maid (my own I resolved issues from losing my financial independence). All these factors aside, I stand by my conviction that chores are inherently a good idea, but it’s even more important for me as parent to learn to let go of my helicopter-control and let my kid learn to take responsibility for his own life as well as in the household. He complains bitterly at having more tasks added to his plate in 2020, (I put him in charge of checking the garbage collection schedule after I missed the truck this morning) but I’ve noticed that after about 6 months of doing that chore, it becomes an obligatory habit and he doesn’t complain about it each time. Happy new year and may 2020 bring more knowledge and wisdom!
Thanks for the comment! Yes, I completely agree – I think it comes down to having a fair relationship within the family… no one is happy being a drain on somebody else! That said, it’s often soooo much easier just to do the task myself! So, thanks for the reminder!! Happy new year! 🙂
I wrote a children’s book on HOW I USE MY KID POWER AT HOME showing my 4 year old grandson ( who is now 16) helping his mother in 20 different ways. I decided to publish it this year because of all of the mental health and discipline issues with young children and the racial issues ( my family is bi-racial) This gathering of research is very inspiring and affirming of the need for parents to take this time out of their busy lives to focus on the need of children to know they are needed in a family!