Chore charts for families and students

Key steps

1. When it comes to dividing tasks between family and friends, be reasonable! Choose chores appropriate for age and ability. 

2. Chores don’t have to be rewarded financially – stickers are a fun way to help motivate children.

3. Make your chore chart fun and visual, so that everyone can keep track of it and be involved. 

There are many jobs involved in keeping a household clean. One way to get everything done quickly – and to share the load between everyone – is a chore list or chart.

Everyone can contribute to cleaning the home – whether you’re a family with young kids or a group of students or friends living together – by using chore charts to help organise the tasks.

It’s a good idea to teach your kids from a young age about responsibility and how to look after their surroundings. Often children will be excited to help out and learn new things. But once the initial excitement is over, a family chore chart can help to make kid’s chores part of their daily routine. It’s a fun and visually engaging way to make cleaning easy for families and students to manage, too. Read on for our best tips for creating chore charts and organising your household chores.

Once you’ve created a chore chart for your household, don’t feel locked into this one system of doing things. It’s a good idea to mix up who does what chores every now and again to keep it interesting!

Tips for creating chore charts

1. Be reasonable in your expectations

Don’t expect a four-year-old to be mopping the floors! Choose chores appropriate for your family’s capabilities and ages, remembering to keep cleaning products out of the reach of small children. For younger children, start off with simple daily tasks such as learning to make their bed.

The same applies for students or friends – be aware that some tasks (like cleaning the oven) will take longer to do than sweeping the kitchen, and also bear in mind that some people may not know how to do certain cleaning tasks. Never fear – Cleanipedia is here to help you with your cleaning tasks: here’s our guide on fast cleaning tips for students.

2. Be an example

You can’t expect your kids to complete their chores if you fall behind with your own. Teach them to get their chores done by setting a good example. You could set aside a time each day where everyone does chores together to implement this. Everyone working together is also good to help motivate each other as a team. This is a great idea for students too – just find a time when everyone is home to have fun cleaning together.

3. Rewards

Some families may choose to exchange rewards for pocket money. Your family chore chart can indicate how much each chore is worth; this will act as an incentive for your children. However, chores don’t necessarily need to be rewarded financially. Rewards such as a sticker, an edible treat, or a fun activity can also motivate children to do their chores. For students, the option to all clean together could be rewarded with group drinks to celebrate your hard work.

4. Involve everyone in making the chart

The more everyone feels involved in making the chart and deciding on the chore list, the more they will feel ownership of their tasks. For students, make sure everyone’s voice is heard. With children, allow them to make some decisions but make sure you remain in control to make sure the chart is fair and reasonable.

5. Make chore charts visual

Having a visual aid will help everyone in the household remember their tasks and stay focused. In particular, a visual prop will help engage children and enable them to understand their new responsibilities – but these charts will also be useful for teenagers or adults, too. Remember people learn in different ways, so consider different types of chore charts for your household.

Chore chart ideas

Why not try one of these great ideas to help organise the chores in your household?

Surprise

A pot filled with chores written on folded up paper will add an element of surprise to choosing chores.

White board

White boards are easy to write on and allow you to change responsibilities with ease. One option is to stick photos of each household member to the board and use magnets to designate or track chores. Use a chalkboard for an old school feel.

Chore dice

Make chores into a game for kids. Write a different chore on each side of a paper die. Each roll of the die decides your chore for the day.

Pegs

Create a board with names and pegs with chores written on them. Each person’s chores are pegged beneath their name. The pegs can be removed once completed.

Apps

Great for technology-loving kids and students. They make cleaning more interactive and fun, plus they can help track progress and rewards. Use a specially created App, or track chores by using a spreadsheet in a share site like Google Drive or Dropbox.