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A simple chore board system is one of the easiest ways to get kids helping out with household tasks. The one I'm sharing today is easy to put together and simple to implement into your family's routines. It's a great way to teach life skills to young kids. See how to create these DIY Chore Boards below.

While I tend to lean into the summer season for getting organized with the kids' daily chores, I am truly happier when we have a working system in place all year round. And this simple little chore board is absolutely perfect for that. It's a system that is not only easy to put together, but simple for even the youngest family members to use. See how to make these chore boards below.

DIY Chore Board

The beauty of this system is the choices and options it gives kids. Do some less-enjoyable chores go undone? Sure. But, it still works well overall. And I originally created this system in 2014. Since then we've had a bit of inflation and chores are *probably* worth a bit more than a quarter these days. So, I've updated this post to include a blank sheet of printable cards that you can fill in with your own ideas and prices. Or, feel free to go with a reward system that is better motivation for your own kids (stickers, small toys, etc.).

I've also included a handy list of age-appropriate chores, too.

How to Make this Chore Board

Supplies

small board (I used this 9x12" raw wood plaque from Amazon here for ours)
clothes pins (I grabbed stained clothes pins on Amazon here)
paint/brushes for your board (I share my simple technique below for a weathered, layered paint finish)
hot glue/hot glue gun
white cardstock for printing your chores
picture hanging hardware (I keep this kit on hand for these types of projects)

Directions

Start by painting your board. This can be simple or a bit more involved. Below is the layered finish I used:

I painted chalk paint as my "base coat".
After the chalk paint completely dried, I used a wax puck along the edges of the board. I can't seem to find the wax pucks anymore, but a wax taper candle works similarly.
Then I painted acrylic paint as the top coat. I used a contrasting color to the bottom coat.
After the top coat had completely dried, I gently sanded the edges (where I had rubbed that wax puck) to remove a bit of paint, for a slightly worn look.

I used my Silhouette to cut vinyl lettering and placed it on my board.

You can also purchase vinyl letter stickers here on Amazon, if you don't have a vinyl cutting machine.

Then I hot glued my clothespins onto the board.
You can print your chores onto the cardstock for durability.

Be sure to keep your boards in a well-trafficked spot in your home (ours are in the kitchen). They serve as visual reminders of tasks that need completing (or rewards waiting to be earned!).

How to Use this Chore Board

I think the reason this particular chore board works so well is because it gives children some choices, as well as variety, when it comes to selecting their tasks for the day.
We implemented ours into our daily routines, checking chores after each meal of the day.
We use ours with the cards provided below, but feel free to just write tasks and their worth onto index cards or similar.
Keep all of the available chore options on the "to do" side of the board.
Kids can select their task from the stack of chores.
After they complete the task, they move the card to the other "done" side of the board.
On a weekly (or whatever time period works best for your family) basis, we remove the "done" cards and add up what each child has earned.
Then we have our payday.
After that, all tasks are moved back to the "to do" side to start a new week.

Age-Appropriate Chores for Kids

No matter how young, it's great to get all family members involved in household chores. The ideas I've shared below are merely suggestions and ideas that have worked for our own family (and my kids are teenagers now, so I write these knowing what worked and what didn't). These are a great way to give children responsibility and ownership for helping run a household. Use your judgment as to whether these tasks will work for your own kids. I grouped chore assignments in categories for age-appropriate jobs. If you'd like even MORE ideas, I have a really thorough list of 101 Age-Appropriate Chores for Kids.

Toddlers:
Picking up and sorting toys
Sorting laundry by colors (with assistance; we always used this as a color-learning opportunity)
Wiping kitchen table with cloth and water after meals
Dusting baseboards
Helping to move laundry from the washer to dryer (if able to, especially with front loading systems)
Ages 3-4:

All of the above items, plus:
Helping make bed (learning to pull covers up, etc.)
Light dusting on non-breakable items (we always implemented these dusting gloves to make this chore fun)
Bringing laundry to laundry room or area
Taking laundry back to personal spaces and putting it away with some assistance (to me this always reiterates the "putting things away" idea)

Ages 5-6:

All of the above tasks, plus:
Sock matching while folding laundry + simple laundry folding
Setting table: be sure to use my free printable table setting teaching placemats here to help with this task.
Helping clear table after meals and projects
Putting away groceries
Wiping down table with sponge and water
Feeding pets
Watering plants
Sweeping floors; my kids used one of those lightweight battery-vacuums in our hard-floor areas at this age
Clean room

Ages 7-8:

All of the above chores, plus:
Mop (we use this "less splashy" mop so it's an easier job)
Vacuum House
Vacuum Automobiles
Fold laundry (especially towels and washcloths)
Emptying dishwasher (we started with just the utensil basket and eventually graduated to just the bottom rack, then finally making the chore the entire dishwasher, after mom was confident items wouldn't be broken easily)
Emptying household waste baskets
Putting their own laundry away (especially in drawers)

Ages 9-11:

All of the above tasks, plus:
Washing and drying dishes by hand
loading dishwasher
Helping with meal preparation
Clean bathroom (with kid-safe cleaners)
Taking garbage can out to curb for pick up (and putting trash bin away after pick up)

Ages 12 and up:

At this point, kids of these ages, (as well as teens) may be able to take on more adult-like chores (deep-cleaning, start-to-finish-laundry, cooking, and even lawn mowing/weed-eating).
Again, the above tasks are just the things that have worked for in our own family. It's always a good idea to experiment with things that will work well with your own household. In our household, some chores are better suited for one kid while others work better for the other kid. And, well, some that I just tend to do myself (I know, I know, I really need to be better on this one).

Download the free Chore Cards

I've included both blank cards (with the cute doodle frames) and the chore cards you see used throughout this post.

More Chore Systems for Kids

My free printable chore charts (in eight colorful designs) are always popular with parents (and kids!). They're simple to use and implement.
And this other set of free printable chore charts is also a good one. It's another easy-to-use system for families.
This Chore Sticks System from Living Well Mom utilizes popsicle sticks for a choice of tasks.
Over at Somewhat Simple, Stephanie shares a DIY Magnetic Chore Chart that is colorful and fun.
And this Rotating Chore Chart from Tips from a Typical Mom Blog gets the entire family involved.
This colorful Responsibility Chart for Children, from Jillene at InkHappi, is perfect to fill in weekly or monthly.
I also really like these detailed printable chore cards for kids from Practical Perfection. They're such pretty colors, too!