Daily Rewards Chart for Kids! (FREE Printable Download)

A whole new world, and a lot chaos

I’ve never been a chore chart person…until COVID-19 hit and all 5 of us had to start living, working, and schooling in the same house…at the same time. WHEW!

Before this crazy pandemic, I was always thought that kids should just do what they’re told, and that is that. For the first few weeks of being home, it felt like the kids weren’t doing anything I was asking them to, the house was a disaster at all times, and we were all feeling super stressed about it. Josh and I couldn’t follow them around throughout the day, making sure they did what they were told, which resulted in the things just not being done. 

Test and Learn – A Rewards Chart Experiment

As a part of my day job as a product manager and strategist, I work to understand human problems in a really deep way, developing hypotheses on how to solve those problems and creating small-scale tests to see if my hypotheses are correct. I decided to apply a similar method to solve my problem here at home!

Problem

How might working (or busy) parents of young kids get said kids to complete chores and schoolwork during the day while they work all while not destroying the house in the process?

The Hypothesis

By providing the kids with a fun, rewards-based system that sets daily expectations, the kids will develop positive habits around independently completing chores and schoolwork.

The Proposed Solution

A rewards chart! I know what you’re thinking – this is all super formulaic and silly for such a simple problem, but it’s what I know, so stick with me on this one. The basic idea is that there is a short list of things every day that the kids need to complete. If they complete all of the things on their chart, they get a prize from the treasure box. If they don’t – well, no treasure box for little Johnny, but he’ll have another chance at getting that prize tomorrow. 

I like these charts for a few reasons:

1. They’re simple for the kids to follow on their own
2. I can prioritize the top daily things that I want them to get done
3. They’re FUN! I mean, what kid wouldn’t want to work toward a “treasure box” surprise at the end of each day?

FREE Downloads!

Below are 2 versions –

1. A vintage-inspired, flower-y chart 
2. A dino version for my dinosaur obsessed friends

Pick your favorite, give it a try, and let me know how it works for you!