Chore Chart for a 12 Year Old: Printable and Ideas

By twelve, most kids can do nearly any job in the house if someone shows them once. The chore chart changes with them: fewer reminders, more ownership, and a list that treats a 12-year-old as the near-teenager they are. Below you will find a printable with eight jobs, a sample week, and ideas for the first jobs that run themselves.

The printable chart

The printable has eight jobs, Monday to Sunday boxes and points per task. It is a menu: pick three or four daily jobs and spread the rest across the week. It suits a sixth or seventh grader. A blank row or two at the bottom is a good place for something your child asks to take on.

For a child who has used a younger chart, this one deliberately looks plain and adult. Put it on the fridge, or skip paper entirely and keep it on their phone.

What a 12-year-old can really do

Twelve-year-olds can plan a job, do it without supervision and fix their own mistakes. They are strong enough for the vacuum, the trash and the lawn, and careful enough for the stove with an adult nearby. About 30 minutes a day on school days is a fair load, and a bit more on weekends.

Laundry is the hand-off job

If you choose one job to give away entirely at twelve, make it laundry. It has a clear start, a clear finish and it builds the habits a teenager needs: noticing, planning and following through. Show the steps once (sort, wash, dry, fold, put away), write them on a sticky note by the machine, then let your child choose the day. Check that the basket is empty by Sunday evening and nothing more.

When towels get forgotten in the washer once, that is part of learning. Say "I smell wet towels" and walk away. Our page on laundry chores for kids by age has the step-by-step for each age.

A sample week with points

A 12-year-old might earn this: bed (5) and table (5) every day, 70 for the week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday the dishwasher (30). Tuesday and Friday the trash (20). Their own laundry on Thursday (15). Saturday a bathroom clean (20) and a simple dinner (20), and every other Sunday the car (20).

That comes to about 175 points in a regular week. With a medium reward at 100 (a movie pick, an extra half hour before bed) and a big one at 300 to 500 (a day out, a small purchase), your child can afford something every few days and a big goal in under three weeks. Bonus points of +2 for jobs done without a reminder reward exactly the habit you want at this age.

When twelve gets difficult

Moods swing, homework piles up and chores feel like a poke from a parent. A few things help.

• Talk about the chart at a calm time, not when a job is overdue.
• Give a window instead of a deadline: "before 7."
• Skip reminders and use the phone notification instead. A buzz feels less like nagging.
• Keep consequences small and predictable: no points, and screens after the job.

If daily friction is high, our guide to getting kids to do chores without yelling is a good place to start, and when your child turns 13 the guide to how to get teens to do chores picks up from here. Coming from the other direction, the chore chart for an 11 year old has a few softer jobs.

Doing this with Famiyo

Famiyo is a free family app for iPhone and Android that combines a shared family calendar, chores with points and a rewards shop; kids join with a code, no email needed. For a 12-year-old, this takes the chart off the wall and onto the phone they already carry. You create each chore, choose who does it, set the points, and make it repeat. Your child gets a notification, ticks the job off, and spends points in the rewards shop. You choose whether they check off on their own or wait for your approval, and you get a notification when a job is done.

Our list of the best chore chart apps compares your options.

Print the chart, circle the three jobs your 12-year-old will own, and put laundry day on the calendar tonight.