Preschool Jobs
For The Classroom & Home

What kind of preschool jobs are appropriate for children to partake in at home and in the classroom?

Everyone wants their children to learn responsibilities. Let’s face it, the more help you have around the classroom and at home, the less work for you right? The key is finding the best way to incorporate these tasks without the children feeling like they are doing work. Fortunately, most preschoolers love being helpers. It makes them feel “grown up” and gives them a sense of accomplishment and independence.

Classroom Jobs

There are several ways to integrate classroom helpers. One way is to have multiple daily classroom helpers. Choosing five or so different jobs, such as line leader, snack helper, calendar helper, etc. can help children feel important in their world. Most teachers find it useful to have a chart or poster available to remind both the teacher and the children of the daily jobs.

Examples of preschool jobs in the classroom:

• Line leader
• Snack helper (passes out snacks)
• Calendar helper (puts up date on calendar)
• Table washer
• Sweeper
• Door holder
• Plant waterer
• Pet feeder
• Lights on/off

Another way is to assign one child per day to do several jobs. This child can be the “star” or “assistant” of the day. They will be the one who is the line leader, calendar helper, snack helper, whatever other jobs you decide.

Whichever option is chosen, both are beneficial. The children will enjoy being helpers in their own classroom and the teachers will have a little bit of the burden taken off their shoulders. What’s not to love about that?

Preschool Chores

What if you're a parent? What kind of preschool jobs can children do at home to teach them responsibility and a sense of belonging to a family that works together?

Our family started when the kids were about 2. I started asking them to help with small chores around the house. They loved having "jobs" - it made them feel special and grown-up.

Now that they are a bit older, they have a job chart. They know what each of their responsibilities are and when they do them, they get a sticker on their chart. At the end of the week, we count how many stickers they have and they get 5¢ for each.


This is a great way to teach children about money and finances as well. We have it set up so that they can receive up to $1.00 each week. We ask them to set aside 10¢ (or 1/10 of their earnings) for charity - church giving or saving up for donation.

Of the remaining, they are allowed to have 25¢ to spend however they'd like that week. It may not seem like much to us, but they love having their own money to spend when they want - and it gives them immediate gratification for the work they've done around the house.

The rest of the money they've earned is put into their piggy banks. Often they have their eyes on a larger toy, game, or book that they really want. Instead of us just buying it for them, we ask them to save up enough money and then re-evaluate whether they still want it. We've found that when it comes time to spend their hard earned money, they start prioritizing what's really important to them!


Here are some examples of preschool jobs that my children have at home:

• Making their beds
• Setting the table
• Picking up their toys
• Putting away their clean laundry
• Helping pull weeds in the yard
• "Dusting" the furniture (just a damp cloth)
• Brushing their teeth

Giving your children preschool jobs isn't child labor - it is teaching them responsibility and how it takes everyone in the household working together to function as a unit!