PouchChores for 17-year-olds
Quick answer
Many 17-year-olds can work through a move-out-ready skills checklist: cooking five or six meals, doing laundry, cleaning a bathroom, budgeting, booking appointments, reading a lease or contract with an adult, and basic repairs. Treat it as practice, not a test. Kids vary, so tick off skills over the year.
A checklist for the last year at home
The aim of chores at seventeen is practice for a home of their own. Instead of a weekly rota, give your teen a skills list and let them choose how to work through it.
A skill counts when they can do it alone, start to finish, without a prompt. A parent can still be in the house.
The skills list
| Skill | What "can do it" means | Good first step |
|---|---|---|
| Cook five or six meals | From a list, with shopping and cleanup | Pick three recipes they already like |
| Laundry | Sort, wash, dry, fold, iron basics | Start with their own bed linens |
| Clean a bathroom and kitchen | Gloves, ventilation, no mixed products, shown first | Do it on a Saturday with a timer |
| Make a monthly budget | Income, fixed costs, savings | Track one month of spending |
| Book an appointment | Doctor, dentist or haircut | Let them make the phone call |
| Read a simple contract | Phone plan or lease, with an adult | Read it aloud together |
| Basic repairs | Change a bulb, reset a breaker with an adult | Ask them to find the breaker panel |
| Plan a trip by public transport | Route, cost, time | Choose a real trip this month |
| Grocery shop on a budget | List, unit prices, leftovers | Shop for one dinner with a set budget |
Making progress visible
- Print the list and let your teen cross off each skill themselves.
- Aim for one new skill a month rather than a rush before they leave.
- Ask what skill they feel least ready for and start there.
- Celebrate a finished skill with something small, such as picking dinner.
Weekly practice chart, age 17
| Chore | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tidy own room | |||||||
| Cook one dinneronce this week | |||||||
| Own laundryonce this week | |||||||
| Clean the bathroomonce this week | |||||||
| Plan next week's budgetonce this week | |||||||
| Grocery shop with a listonce this week |
How to hand over the checklist
- Print the list and sit down for ten minutes with your teen.
- Ask which three skills feel easiest and which three feel scariest.
- Put one scary skill on the calendar each month.
- Offer help, then step back and let them lead.
- Review the list at the start of each school term.
Some skills need other people, such as a dentist or a landlord. Practice the phone call at home first, with you as the receptionist.
Money at seventeen
Seventeen-year-olds in the Netherlands typically get €25 to €40 a month, and 18-year-olds €40 to €50, per Nibud's 2025 survey. A bigger monthly amount that covers clothes, phone or going out can be a good rehearsal for managing money. See allowance for 17-year-olds and allowance for teenagers.
A first savings account is a good companion step: first savings account.
Repairs and cleaners
Repairs involving electricity, gas, ladders or power tools need an adult working beside them. Cleaning products need open windows and should never be mixed, and your teen should know which to use before starting.
Looking back
Compare chores for 16-year-olds. Your family can track the checklist in Pouch as weekly chores, or print the chart above.
Questions parents ask
What should a 17-year-old know before moving out?
Common basics are cooking, laundry, cleaning, budgeting, booking appointments and reading simple contracts. Use the checklist as a guide, not a test.
Should 17-year-olds still have chores?
Many families keep a shorter set, framed as practice for independent living.
Is 17 too late to teach cooking?
No. Many people learn at that age with a few forgiving recipes and an adult nearby.
How much allowance does a 17-year-old get?
For Dutch 17-year-olds Nibud (2025) shows €25 to €40 a month.
Sources
- Nibud, Zakgeld: Typical amounts Dutch kids get, and age 6 as a common starting point because kids can recognize the different coins.