Guide

Chores, points and pocket money: a simple system that sticks

Updated 14 November 2026 · 3 min read

Most families try a chore chart at some point, and many give up a few weeks later. The systems that last tend to be simple: a short list of jobs, a clear reward, a quick check by a parent and a regular payday. Here’s how to set one up, whether you use a whiteboard on the fridge or an app.

Start with a short, age-appropriate list

Three to five regular chores per child is plenty to begin with. Pick jobs your kids can finish on their own, so you’re not redoing them. Some ideas by age:

• Under 6: put toys away, put dirty clothes in the basket, help feed the pet.
• 6 to 9: make the bed, set or clear the table, unpack the school bag and lunchbox.
• 10 and up: empty the dishwasher, take the bins out, hang out the washing, vacuum a room.

Every child is different, so treat these as a starting point. Add a job once the first few have become habits.

Use points first, then turn them into money

Points make it easy to weight jobs by effort: making the bed might be worth 1 point, mowing the lawn 10. Kids can see their points add up through the week, and you decide what a point is worth.

Work backwards from what you want to pay. If you’re happy to pay up to $5 a week and the chores add up to about 50 points, a rate of 10 points per dollar fits. If you later want to change the amount, change the rate rather than every chore.

Make parent approval part of the routine

1. Kids mark a chore done when they’ve finished it.
2. A parent checks it, ideally the same day while it’s fresh, and approves it or sends it back.
3. Only approved chores earn points.
4. A missed chore simply earns nothing. Keeping it positive, rather than taking points away, avoids arguments.

Approval is what makes the system feel fair. Kids learn that “done” means done properly, and nobody is paid for a bed that was only half made.

Have a regular payday

Pick a payday, such as Saturday morning or Sunday night, and stick to it. Pay in cash, by bank transfer to a kids’ account, or straight into savings, and keep a record of what was paid so there are no disputes later.

Some families split each payment between spending and saving. Whatever you choose, being regular matters more than the amount.

How HomeHum does chores and pocket money

HomeHum has chores and pocket money built into the family calendar, so they sit alongside school, sport and everything else.

• Create a chore with an emoji and points, for one or more kids. Each child does it, and earns the points, separately.
• Choose which days it repeats, every week or fortnight, or set it for one date.
• Kids tick off their chores on the kitchen tablet or their phone. The kitchen display can show each child’s chore board with this week’s points and pocket money.
• A parent unlocks parent mode with the parent PIN to approve or reject chores, one by one or all at once.
• Points turn into dollars at the rate you set, from 1 to 100 points per dollar.
• On payday, record how you paid (cash, bank or savings). A payout can never be recorded twice, even from two phones at once.

HomeHum works out the amount and keeps the record; it doesn’t move any money itself. Children don’t need their own accounts: they’re added to the family by an adult.