I’ve been trying to get my kids (7 and 9) more involved in household chores, but it’s been a struggle. They just see it as boring work. I was thinking about setting up some kind of reward system to make it more fun and motivating for them. Has anyone tried this before? What kind of rewards or games have worked well? I don’t want to go overboard with prizes or anything, just looking for simple ideas to make chores a bit more enjoyable. Any suggestions would be really helpful!
We’ve had some success with a simple points system for chores. The kids earn points for tasks they complete, then use them for small rewards they choose themselves.
My daughter loves to pick our weekend activity, while my son usually goes for extra computer time. Letting them decide their own rewards has been really motivating.
We also do fun challenges sometimes, like racing to put away laundry before a song ends. The kids get pretty excited about beating their old times.
It took a bit of tweaking to find what worked best for us. Don’t worry if the first thing you try doesn’t click right away. Keep it simple and be willing to adjust as you go along.
What kinds of rewards do you think your kids might enjoy? Finding things they’re excited about can make a big difference.
I remember when my kids were 7 and 9. Getting them to do chores was tough! We tried a few things, but what worked best was a simple point system. They’d earn points for each chore, then cash them in for small rewards or privileges they cared about.
The key was letting them choose their rewards. My daughter loved picking the movie for family night, while my son was all about extra video game time. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but it definitely helped.
We also mixed it up sometimes. Like, we’d have ‘beat the timer’ challenges for cleaning their rooms. They got really into trying to beat their own records. 
Don’t worry if the first thing you try doesn’t stick. We had to adjust our system a few times before finding what clicked. The important part was keeping it fun and not too complicated.
In our house, we’ve had some luck with a simple star chart for chores. My kid earns stars for tasks, then trades them for small rewards they pick. It’s been working pretty well so far.
We also mix things up with fun challenges sometimes. Like, who can put away the most toys in 2 minutes? Or folding laundry races. It keeps things interesting and adds a bit of excitement.
Finding what motivates your kids might take some trial and error. We had to adjust our system a few times before it clicked. What kinds of rewards do you think your kids might enjoy? That could be a good starting point.
I’ve been experimenting with rewards for my 5-year-old’s chores too. We started a sticker chart for putting away toys and setting the table. It worked great at first, but now the novelty is wearing off.
I’m curious how other parents keep the momentum going. Do you switch up rewards? Or phase them out completely?
One thing that’s helped us is making clean-up time a race against a timer. My kid loves trying to beat their ‘record.’ But I worry about relying too much on external motivation.
What’s worked well for your 7 and 9-year-olds? I’d love to hear some ideas that might work as my child gets older too.
We use a point system for chores. Kids earn points for tasks, then trade them for small rewards they pick. My son likes extra game time, daughter chooses movie night. Letting them pick rewards helped a lot. We also do timed cleanup challenges sometimes for variety.