A Kid’s Guide to Doing Chores in Spanish

Doing chores in Spanish with your children is a practical way of empowering responsibility and making them feel part of the household. Not only that, it enables them to learn new vocabulary and tasks in Spanish that are easy to follow and share with others in casual conversation.

There’s always something to do around the house and finding the opportunity to combine house chores with Spanish learning can be easily done following this fantastic kid’s guide!

Download Your Free “Chores in Spanish” Activity Packet!

Benefits of Doing Chores in Spanish

Many kids juggle a busy schedule and they barely have time to take out the trash or to focus on household chores. In spite of this, giving your child chores in Spanish brings incredible benefits to their Spanish education and prepares them with other useful skills for when they become adults.

Doing chores:

• Teaches kids to be helpful and useful at home.
• Strengthens empathy as they begin to understand how much work their parents put into keeping their home a safe, clean, and harmonious
• Encourages a sense of responsibility
• Improves time-management skills to fulfil certain tasks at specific times
• Inspires your child’s mindfulness of time and resources. 

Imagine when your child gets invited to dinner at a Spanish-speaking friend’s house, they’ll be able to collaborate and offer to help with the dishes in Spanish. They’ll also feel more confident and fluent to engage in meaningful conversations. This is the type of guest we all want!

Knowing chores vocabulary is essential to a joyful household. It keeps the house spick and span, so it’s the perfect opportunity to include Spanish in the mix!

Chores in Spanish Vocabulary

Like with any other language, talking about  the meaning of chores in Spanish requires you to learn chores vocabulary, phrases, and words related to specific tasks. 

The translation for saying chores in Spanish is los quehaceres. The singular form is el quehacer, and in other countries like Spain, the words la faena,or la tarea are used. 

Los quehaceres del hogar (household chores) are divided according to the room or area of the house that needs work done. Let’s use this word in a few example sentences.

Tengo quehaceres después del colegio.
I have chores after school. 

Me gusta hacer mis tareas de la casa.
I enjoy doing house chores.

No puedo salir a jugar hoy, tengo quehaceres.
I can’t go out and play today, I have chores. 

Yo hago mis quehaceres todos los días.
I do my chores everyday. 

Common Chores in Spanish for Kids

The list of things to do around the house never seems to end, but as you get help with these tasks it grows shorter. Choose for your children those chores in Spanish that don’t require heavy lifting or the use of chemicals, or hazardous cleaning supplies. Make sure you ask them to help with kid friendly tasks that are according to their age. 

Some examples of chores in Spanish you can teach your kids are: 

English	Spanish
To wash the dishes	Lavar los platos
To wash clothes / do laundry	Lavar la ropa
To sweep the floor	Barrer el suelo
To Cook	Cocinar
To dust	Limpiar el polvo
To clean the windows	Limpiar las ventanas
To tidy up the house	Arreglar la casa
To water the plants and grass	Regar las plantas y el césped
To mow the lawn	Cortar el césped
To clear the table	Recoger la mesa
To set the table	Poner la mesa
To take out the trash	Sacar la basura
To vacuum	Pasar la aspiradora
To walk the dog	Pasear al perro
To feed the pets	Alimentar a las mascotas
To iron clothes	Planchar la ropa

Areas of the House

Depending on the area of the house your kids are assigned to do chores in, the nature of activities vary. There’s different pieces of furniture involved and specific items they should keep tidy. 

The common areas involved in doing chores are: 

English	Spanish
Living room	La sala de estar
Dining room	El comedor
Kitchen	La cocina
Laundry room	La lavandería
Bedroom	La habitación
Bathroom	El baño
Garden / backyard	El jardín / el patio
Garage	La cochera
Terrace / balcony	La terraza / el balcón
Porch	El pórtico

Read our practical blog post on extensive house and furniture vocabulary to complement this list. 

You can also use the following phrases to refer to chores in a specific area:

Los martes nos toca limpiar la cochera.
On Tuesdays, we clean the garage. 

Los quehaceres del baño toman tiempo y dedicación.
Bathroom chores take time and dedication. 

La limpieza de la cocina es importante. 
Cleaning the kitchen is important. 

Me gusta ordenar mi habitación.
I enjoy tidying up my bedroom. 

Items Used For Household Chores in Spanish

The most used items for household chores in Spanish are definitely cleaning supplies and utensils. These are called insumos de limpieza in Spanish. 

English	Spanish
Broom	La escoba
Mop	La mopa / el trapeador
Cleaning cloth / rag	El trapo
Duster	El plumero / el sacudidor
Brush	El cepillo
Detergent	El detergente
Soap	El jabón
Vacuum	La aspiradora
Hose	La manguera
Bucket	La cubeta
Plastic bag	La bolsa plástica
Pruner / lawn mower	La podadora
Rake	El rastrillo

Use these phrases to refer to cleaning supplies and items you need for doing chores in Spanish:

Necesito la escoba para barrer la casa.
I need the broom to clean the house. 

Pasar el trapeador en el piso es esencial para que la casa huela rico.
Mopping the floor is essential for the house to smell nice. 

Me pasas porfavor una cubeta y un cepillo para el inodoro.
Please pass me a bucket and brush for the toilet. 

Tienes que utilizar un sacudidor para quitar el polvo de las superficies. 
You need a duster for removing dust from surfaces. 

El rastrillo es para juntar las hojas del jardín.
The rake is for gathering the leaves in the garden. 

Verbs to Describe Chores in Spanish

The chores you do at home are diverse and specific. Let’s examine this list of verbs you can teach your kids for describing their chores around the house. 

English	Spanish
To sort	Ordenar
To dry off	Secar
To wash	Lavar
To throw	Botar
To vacuum	Aspirar
To sweep	Barrer
To mop	Trapear
To remove	Quitar
To clean	Limpiar
To pick up	Recoger
To hang	Colgar / tender
To have	Tener
To iron	Planchar
To fold	Doblar
To stretch	Estirar
To mow / to trim / to cut	Cortar / podar
To water	Regar

La basura se debe botar dos veces por semana.
The trash must be thrown out twice a week.

¿Puedes quitar los juguetes del suelo?
Can you remove your toys from the floor?

La ropa se debe tender bajo el sol.
Clothes should be hung in the sun.  

Al parar la secadora se debe doblar la ropa. 
Clothes need to be folded once the dryer stops.

Las plantas se riegan por la tarde.
Plants need to be watered in the afternoon. 

¿Me ayudas a lavar los platos después de comer?
Can you help me wash the dishes after eating?

How to Ask Your Kids for Help Around the House

Doing chores definitely requires extra effort and patience from you as a parent or Spanish educator. This is necessary because kids get easily distracted with other things, sometimes they require constant reminding . Make sure to ask for help whenever you need it and reinforce in your kids the ability to do the same. 

Requesting a person to help you or using commands in Spanish is essential to getting the job done. When it comes to chores in Spanish, using these chores sentences means they’re non negotiable. Make sure to use these commands as a way of reminding children that chores are obligations and duties that have to be followed around the house. 

There’s different combinations you can use for asking and reminding the children there’s stuff to do before having fun. Let’s take a look at a few of them. 

Tener que (have to) + verb + complement

Tienes que limpiar tu escritorio.
You have to clean your desk.

Tenemos que lavar los platos después de cenar.
We have to wash the dishes after dinner.

Tengo que poner los platos en la lavadora todas las noches.
I have to put the dishes in the dishwasher every night. 

Tengo que pasear a mi perro por la tarde.
I have to walk my dog in the afternoon. 

Deber (must) + verb +complement

Debes quitar el polvo antes de barrer y trapear. 
You must dust before sweeping and mopping.

Debes cortar la grama antes del domingo.
You must mow the lawn before Sunday.

Debes colgar la ropa luego de plancharla.
You must hang the clothes after ironing.

Debes guardar tus juguetes al terminar de jugar.
You must store your toys when you finish playing.

Recordar (to remember) + verb + complement

Recuerda regar las plantas cada tres días.
Remember to water the plants every three days.

Recuerda sacar la basura por favor.
Remember to take out the trash please.

Recuerda limpiar el filtro de la aspiradora.
Remember to clean the vacuum filter.

Recuerda darle de comer al gato dos veces al día.
Remember to feed the cat twice a day. 

Learn more: How to Make Requests in Spanish

Other Types of Requests

You can also use these sentences as a way to ask for help with different chores around the house:

¿Me ayudas a limpiar la cocina?
Can you help me clean the kitchen?

¿Puedes barrer el pórtico?
Can you sweep the porch?

No olvides hacer tu cama antes de irte.
Don’t forget to make your bed before leaving. 

Ayúdame a doblar ropa porfavor.
Please help me fold clothes. 

Activities You Can Do At Home or in the Classroom

Teaching your kids how to do chores in Spanish doesn’t have to be boring! 

The following resources can help you bring your lessons to life: 

To-Do List Calendar

Create your own list of chores to do around the house on specific days for your kids. You can use a calendar template to detail what day of the week each chore should be completed. This also allows your kids to stay organized with other extracurricular activities and with school work. 

Labeling

Make your own labels along with your kids to signal and mark those cleaning supplies and specific areas of the house that need cleaning. Make sure you place labels only in Spanish so your kids can get familiarized with the spelling and phonetics of each word. As you move from area to area, say the words in Spanish out loud and practice them along with the kids. 

Spanish Chore Cards

Incorporating Spanish chore cards to your kids daily routine is a practical way of reminding them the chores that need to be done on a daily basis. The cards are illustrated and specific to each task, they enable kids to identify their duties in a visual way and it teaches them the responsibility of fulfilling their chores before engaging in another task. 

Songs and Videos

If you’re anything like me and enjoy doing chores and housework with some music, the following songs are a great resource for reinforcing vocabulary and doing chores in Spanish in a dynamic way. 

¡A limpiar!

This clean up song is dedicated fully to the art of cleaning in Spanish. It’s a joyful tune and the video uses plenty of vocabulary, illustrations, and animation for those visual learners. 

Mis quehaceres

This video about daily chores in Spanish is short, practical, and focuses on daily chores your kids sometimes do without even noticing. 

Word Scramble

Word scrambles are fun and engaging for young Spanish learners. Use our word scramble worksheet as a tool for teaching your kids how to write and spell the different verbs related to chores you do at home. 

Sentence Building

Use our chores in Spanish sentence building worksheet as a resource for teaching your kids how to describe their tasks and duties around the house. Knowing the structure of a sentence equips them to express themselves confidently and naturally like a native Spanish-speaker. 

Start Doing Chores With Your Kids!

Feel free to come back to this list of activities and vocabulary whenever you need to motivate your kids into doing chores while they learn Spanish.

Take advantage of the ability your kids have to learn fast. This applies not only for teaching the chores, but also for teaching them fluency and complex grammar. Teaching your child to be responsible by doing chores and learning Spanish expands their global awareness and brings them one step forward to talking about diversity, culture, and beyond. 

Your kids can also sign up for a free trial class with our certified Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. Learning Spanish also opens doors to becoming a successful multilingual student. Spanish facilitates learning other romance languages like French, Italian, or Portuguese. 

The earlier you start creating the habit of learning Spanish in your kids, the better chances they’ll have of communicating with Spanish speakers in their community and traveling the world smoothly as adults.

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