Chores are, by definition, not exactly something that anyone really wants to do, but rather something they have to do. While it is important to give children chores to help them learn and grow (and help out around the house), it is just as important to teach them that working provides rewards. We go to work (or in my case, go to my computer) and perform a series of tasks for which we are paid. We then budget that money to pay bills, buy food, put gas in the card, and if we’re lucky, buy something fun. Learning about budgeting at an early age helps kids develop lifelong skills that may one day really help them out in a crunch.
Keeping track of your kids chores and earned rewards can be a major chore itself. My Job Chart, the free online chore chart, makes it much easier. The easy to use service allows parents to assign chores to each member of the family, track the completion of those chores, and provide rewards based for kids to choose from. It is far more than just a simple chore chart, as parents can assign different point values to each task and a total point worth to each reward. For example, you may give assign 5-10 points for easy nightly tasks like brushing teeth or doing homework, slightly larger values for weekly chore that are a little more demanding, and high values to tasks that are performed once in a while but take much longer to do, like cleaning out the garage. You can add your own tasks or choose from an already available list, so it’s completely customizable to your family and your child’s age.
As your kids complete their chores, they log in to the system and check them off on the job chart. They can easily see the points they’ve earned over time, and when they have enough points, they can choose a reward. Like the chore values, you also decide which rewards they can choose from and how much each reward should cost. There are family rewards, such as extra TV time, a trip to the zoo, and even a trip to Disneyland. Kids can cash out early on something small or save up their points until they have enough for a larger reward. You can also set it up to allow kids to earn “retail rewards,” which are powered by Amazon. To inspire kids to share, set up “share rewards” so they can opt to donate some of their points to charity.
The flexibility and easy to use features of My Job Chart make it a great resource to teach kids about earning, saving, spending, and sharing money. The fact that you can choose rewards that don’t cost you a dime, like a day at the park or video game time, makes it really great for parents who can’t afford to or do not wish to spend a lot of money on allowances.
Check out the video below to learn more about My Job Chart and see how it works.
How MyJobChart.com Works! from Gregg Murset on Vimeo.
