Three and a Half to Five
Focus on tasks that won't make your life more difficult, i.e. you might not want to ask your toddler to measure out the flour or the olive oil because it's going to take a long time to clean it up if they spill.
What kids in this age range can handle is helping to fold dishcloths from the laundry, unloading the dishwasher (you handle the knives and let them do the forks and spoons) and wiping down chair seats and tables with a sponge.
In terms of food preparation, no one needs their lettuce torn up perfectly, so let them give that a try while you work on the rest of dinner.
Other time savers? Have them water the plants. Give your child his or her own watering device with a red line clearly indicating where to fill it up to and let them at it. Kids like to Swiffer, too, so don't be shy about letting them help out with the floors, or trying out the hand-held vacuum.
Six to Eight
Get your kids stripping their own beds, helping to separate the lights from the darks, and even folding their own laundry. In terms of cleaning, they can handle operating a light vacuum at this age, and dusting furniture and baseboards.
In this age group, McCready said kids are also capable of making the salad portion of dinner. If their motor skills aren't as refined as you're comfortable with, a plastic knife can work for cutting the cucumbers and tomatoes.
Nine to 12
This group can be changing light bulbs for you, bathing the family pets and washing the car. Even better? They should be able to help their younger siblings with homework. There's a good chance they've done arithmetic without a calculator more recently than you have.
13 to 15
McCready said this age group can be changing the bed sheets by themselves. They can organize drawers and closets for you, and even handle cooking dinner for the whole family one night. With a little guidance, you can put them in charge of preparing a family meal one day a week,
"You say, 'Tuesday is your meal. You've got to include a meat, a vegetable, a fruit,' whatever parameters you want to put on it," McCready said. "You have to do a little bit of training, but if you do it, it's worth it."
When in doubt about any task, McCready advises taking a step back.
"Think about, if I provide a little bit of training, could she do this? Could he do this? In so many cases, the answer is yes."
