I’ve been thinking about using a sticker chart or something similar to help my kids learn about responsibility. Has anyone tried this? I’m curious if these actually work or if they’re just a temporary fix. Looking for real experiences here - did your kids actually start doing chores or helping out more? Or did they just get excited about the stickers for a week and then lose interest? Thanks for any insights!
I tried a sticker chart with my 5-year-old last month. It worked great for the first week! He was so excited to put stickers on for cleaning up toys and helping set the table.
But then he started asking for rewards for every little thing. I’m not sure if that’s teaching responsibility or just creating a ‘what’s in it for me’ attitude.
Has anyone found a good balance with rewards? Or should I focus more on making chores feel like a natural part of our day? I want him to grow up helpful, but I’m still figuring out the best way to teach that.
I’ve used reward charts with my kids and found them helpful for short-term goals. They worked well for my 10-year-old when we were trying to establish a morning routine. She loved seeing the stickers add up!
For my 7-year-old, we had to get creative. He wasn’t into stickers, so we used a jar system where he could earn marbles for tasks. Once the jar was full, he got to pick a special outing.
These systems worked best when we kept them simple and focused on one or two behaviors at a time. We also made sure the rewards were things the kids really cared about.
After a while, the habits stuck and we didn’t need the charts anymore. Now we just have a family chore list on the fridge that everyone checks off. It’s become part of our normal routine.
We’ve played around with different ideas for chores in our house. One thing that worked well was turning cleaning into a dance party. My kid gets to pick the music, and we race to see who can put away the most stuff before the song ends.
I’ve found that making tasks feel more like games keeps my child engaged. Sometimes we pretend we’re secret agents on a mission to tidy up before guests arrive. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s made chores less of a battle in our home.
Consistency is tricky, but we keep trying new approaches when interest fades.
Charts worked okay for a while with my kids. They got excited about earning rewards at first.
After a few weeks, the novelty wore off. We shifted to a simple chore list on the fridge.
Now the kids mostly do their tasks without prompting. Took time, but the early practice helped build habits.
I tried behavior charts with both my kids when they were younger. They worked pretty well for my daughter, who loved collecting stickers and seeing her progress. She’d get excited about earning rewards and kept at it for months. My son, though? He couldn’t care less about stickers or charts.
For us, the key was finding what motivated each kid. My daughter thrived on visual progress and rewards, while my son responded better to earning privileges like extra video game time. The charts weren’t a magic solution, but they did help establish routines.
Over time, we moved away from charts and focused more on building habits. Now, as teens, they mostly do their chores without reminders. It took years of consistency, but the early groundwork with charts and rewards did help. Just be prepared to adjust your approach as your kids grow and their interests change. 