Study reveals that 3–4-year-olds are better at tidying their bedrooms than teenagers

• Almost half (42%) of UK children do not have assigned household chores, with one in 10 UK parents stating it’s because they don’t agree with them
• Over a quarter (27%) of UK parents always tidy up their children’s rooms, with a third of them preferring to do it themselves
• Dads are stricter than Mums when it comes to chore assignment, with 65% of Dads stating they give their children household chores compared to 55% of Mums

The data comes as part of a recent poll of 2,000 UK parents by retailer Next, which looked at how many UK children have regular household chores and how tidy their bedrooms are.

58% of UK children have assigned household chores according to parents, with the most common being to clean their bedroom (66%) and make their own bed (60%). This is followed by putting away clean clothes (42%). The most popular age group for household chores are teenagers with over 70% of those aged 13-16 having assigned chores.

In reverse of this, 42% of UK children have no assigned household chores, with more than 1 in 10 (12%) UK parents stating that they don’t agree with it. Meanwhile a third (32%) of UK parents state that they prefer to do the chores themselves, with some commenting they would have to re-do if their child did them.

The most common reason for teenagers not having chores is to allow them to focus on schoolwork (65%) instead. In terms of their bedroom, only 8% of UK children aged 3-16 tidy their bedrooms independently, with teenagers worse at doing so compared to 3–4-year-olds. For children aged 13-16 only 10% of them clean their room independently compared to 11% for 3-4-year-olds.

How many UK parents tidy their children’s bedroom?

Next commented on these findings, saying: “All parents are familiar with the difficulties of getting their kids to tidy up and keep their bedrooms clean.

“It’s clear from our research that the UK is split on the idea of household chores for children, with focuses put instead on schoolwork, socialising, or simply just being allowed to be a kid.

“But chores don’t have to be seen as work or punishment. Instead, they can be highly rewarding for children, teaching them valuable life skills and everyday lessons on organisation and independence.

“No parent wants their kids to grow up too fast, but a little helping hand along the way for any parent is always appreciated.”