A chore chart can help everyone understand their responsibilities and who is responsible for what. Make sure the chore chart is visible to all, ideally posted in a prominent location such as on the fridge.
You can separate the tasks into categories of daily, weekly, or monthly tasks depending on your family’s needs.
Organize by Age
One of the best ways to organize a family chore chart is by age. This will help keep chores a reasonable size for kids of all ages and allows you to gradually shift chore responsibilities as children get older. Did you also know that a clean home is essential for staging your home if you want to sell it?
For example, kids ages 2 to 4 can learn how to put away toys and clean their rooms while older children can work on deeper cleaning tasks like vacuuming the carpet or washing the curtains. You can also divide chores into categories like “days,” “weeks,” and “months” to make it easy for children to find their chores and follow through on them.
Once kids are ready to do more responsibility-dependent tasks, you can switch up their chores so that everyone is doing a mix of everyday tasks and occasional deep cleaning tasks. If kids do a good job with their chores, you can even reward them with a small treat or extra time to stay up later.
Chores can be boring for kids and it is important to create a system that doesn’t punish them for not following through on their tasks. You can do this by rewarding them with a small, simple prize like an extra 30 minutes of screen time or an ice cream treat after they complete their chores. It is also important to model the desired behavior for your children so that they understand how important it is to stick with their chore lists.
Chore charts can be very easy to set up and you can find a variety of printable ones online. You can even make your own with a few supplies from your home like an empty poster board, some washi tape (or basic painters tape), and some markers. To make your own chore chart, cut the correct number of lines or boxes on the poster board and then use washi tape to mark them as either done, to do, or completed. You can then hang the chart up on your fridge, bulletin board, or anywhere else that is visible to everyone in the household. Make sure to adjust the chart on a weekly basis for any changes in your family’s schedule or routine.
Organize by Day
Whether they’re young or old, all members of the family should contribute to household chores. It’s an important part of fostering the sense of responsibility and teamwork that comes with taking care of the things around you, and it helps kids learn valuable life skills they can carry into adulthood.
But getting a chore chart in place and actually sticking with it can be a challenge. In fact, one study found that it takes an average of 66 days for new behaviors to become habits! If your family chore chart isn’t working, you may need to make a few adjustments. Here are some tips to help you get back on track with your household chores:
Make the Chart Visible
A common problem with family chore charts is that they’re out of sight, out of mind. If your kids don’t see the chart, they won’t remember it. So make sure the chart is in a central location where it’s easy for them to see it, like on the refrigerator. You can also use specialty magnets that have names and tasks printed on them so your kids can check off their chores as they’re completed.
Make the Chart Fun
Chores should be age-appropriate, but they don’t have to be boring! Many children respond to incentives, such as a reward system or timed competitions. You can also make your child’s chores more exciting by turning them into a game or a challenge that they need to win. For example, if they complete all of their chores before bedtime that month, they can earn a special reward.
Keep It Simple
A complicated chore chart isn’t going to inspire your family to use it. If the chart is overly complicated, it’s more likely to be ignored or forgotten about. Choose a simple, colorful design that will be easily visible and easy to understand. If your kids are old enough to read, you can even make the chart interactive by adding a section for comments or questions.
Organize by Week
A family chore chart can help reduce the burden of household tasks on parents while teaching kids about responsibility, teamwork and time management. By assigning age-appropriate chores, creating a simple chart, involving all family members, rewarding completed chores and being flexible based on the needs of your family, you can create a successful system for completing household duties.
Some families believe in using a rewards-based reward system, while others simply want children to contribute to the running of the home by doing chores. There is a happy medium between these extremes, and it’s up to parents to determine what method of chore completion will work best for their kids.
Regardless of the approach taken, it’s important to involve children in determining which chores are to be assigned and what they should look like, as this helps them feel more invested in the process. It’s also a good idea to include some “easy win” chores that only take a minute or two to complete, as these can be quickly checked off the list and give kids a sense of accomplishment.
Chore charts should be clear and simple so that all family members can easily understand and use them. Having a whiteboard, printed sheet or digital platform that’s visible to everyone at all times is key. It can be helpful to place a chart in a high-traffic area that family members pass multiple times a day, such as the fridge.
Assigning a chore to each family member is a great way to avoid the problem of someone forgetting or avoiding their assigned tasks. A family-wide chore board with days of the week across the top and chores along the side can be used to ensure that all chores are done on a daily basis. The names of each family member can be written in the boxes to mark them off once they’ve been completed.
There are a number of printable chore charts available online, many of which can be customized to fit your family’s needs. Try a free chore chart template that lets you customize the number of chores per person and includes room for writing in rewards, or choose one of the other printable templates below with different layouts.
Organize by Month
While some families may be hesitant to use chore charts because they don’t think kids can handle the responsibility, most find that using chore charts is an effective way to get everyone involved in household tasks and teaches children essential life skills. By assigning age-appropriate tasks, creating a simple chart, involving all family members, rewarding completed chores, and being flexible, you can easily create a system that works for your whole family!
Start by listing responsibilities on your chore chart in the lower left hand corner. In the top row, skipping the upper leftmost box, write out the days of the week. For each day of the week, assign a chore to your family member. When a task is complete, they can mark it off with a checkmark or by initials (and for older kids, even tiny stickers).
If you have multiple family members that will be sharing a chart, consider color-coding the chores to make it easier for them to keep track of who is responsible for which tasks. You can also use a shared chart with a central location, like on the refrigerator, and hold it in place with magnets. This makes it easy for everyone to see when a chore is due and provides a fun way to motivate each other!
Some families like to use a money system to encourage chore completion. This can be a great way to teach kids about budgeting and the value of hard work. It can also be a good motivator for kids that don’t have a lot of free time outside of school and extracurricular activities.
Be sure to set realistic expectations with your children and let them know that they will still need to do chores even if it’s not their “turn” on the chore chart that day. If they have too many chores on their plate, it will cause stress and discourage them from being able to focus on other things.
Remember to be patient with your family as you implement the new chore system. It can take time for children to learn how to be responsible and it takes adults a little longer as well! But by setting realistic expectations, assigning age-appropriate chores, making a simple chart, involving all family participants, providing rewards for chore completion, and being flexible, you can have a successful system that will help your entire family grow and thrive!
