Looking for ideas to make chores more enjoyable for my kids. We’ve tried a basic chore chart, but it’s gotten stale. Anyone have creative ways to motivate children to help around the house without it feeling like a chore? Thinking about some kind of game or point system, but not sure how to implement it effectively. Any suggestions from parents who’ve had success with this?
We’ve been trying something new at our house lately. I set up a ‘mission board’ in the kitchen with different tasks listed. My kid gets to choose which ‘missions’ to tackle each day. There are easy ones like making the bed, and trickier ones like organizing the shoe rack.
As missions get completed, we add colorful stickers to a chart. Once enough stickers accumulate, there’s a small reward - maybe extra screen time or picking the weekend activity. It’s still a work in progress, but I’ve noticed more enthusiasm about pitching in around the house.
I remember when my kids were younger and chores felt like a constant battle. We stumbled onto something that worked pretty well for us. We created a ‘Chore Challenge’ board where each task had a point value. The kids could see their progress and work towards weekly rewards they chose themselves.
One thing that really helped was letting them have some say in which chores they did. They’d still have to do a certain number, but having a choice made them feel more in control. We also mixed in some ‘surprise’ bonus point tasks to keep things interesting.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing, and we had to adjust things as they got older. But overall, turning it into a game with rewards they cared about made a big difference. The key was finding what motivated each kid and being flexible enough to change things up when interest started to fade. 
We use a ‘chore jar’ with tasks written on popsicle sticks. Kids pick a few each day. When the jar’s empty, they earn a fun outing.
Keeps things random and gives them some choice. No perfect system, but this works for now.
We’ve had some success with a simple ‘star chart’ in our house. Each chore gets a star sticker, and after collecting a certain number, the kids can pick a small reward from a list we made together.
What’s worked well is keeping the tasks manageable and age-appropriate. For my younger one, it might be something like putting away toys. The older one handles more complex tasks like loading the dishwasher.
We also try to make it fun by timing some chores or playing music. Sometimes we all pitch in together, which seems to motivate them more.
It’s not perfect, and we have to switch things up now and then to keep it interesting. But overall, it’s helped create more positive feelings around helping out at home.
We started using a simple system at home recently. My 5-year-old gets to pick a chore card each day. Some are easy like putting toys in the toy box. Others are a bit trickier like helping to sort laundry.
After doing the chore, we put a sticker on a chart. When the chart fills up, my child gets to choose a small treat or fun activity.
It’s working okay so far, but I wonder if there are ways to make it even more engaging? Has anyone tried turning chores into actual games or competitions? I’d love to hear ideas that go beyond sticker charts.