Paper Chore Chart and an App: Agree on One Record

Choose one place for the final record

The most important choice is this: where does it say that a chore is done and counts? In practice you have two options.

Model	Who records it	Works well when
The app is the record	The child marks the chore done in the app, and an adult approves it if the chore requires approval. Or an adult enters it directly.	The child can use a shared family device or their own device
The paper is the record	The child ticks the chart, and an adult copies the ticks into the app the same day	The child doesn't use a screen for this, or you want everyday chores to stay fully on paper

Both models can work. What doesn't work is letting both be the record at the same time. Then nobody knows whether a tick on the chart means the chore is already entered or still waiting.

In Kroni, a child can mark a chore as done, and you choose whether an adult has to approve it before it counts toward the virtual balance. Parents can also enter completed chores themselves, which fits well if the paper is your record and an adult copies over the ticks. The app doesn't read the chart, and a printed plan doesn't update when you change chores in the app. Real money, whether cash or a transfer, is handled outside the app.

Filled-in example: the Carter family (fictional)

The Carter family is made up. They chose the app as the record. The paper hangs on the fridge as a reminder, and the kids tick a box once they've marked the chore in the app. The amounts are only an example of what one family might agree on, not a recommended rate.

Weekly chart, Maya and Leo. Last updated: Monday, September 28. Valid through Sunday, October 4.

Chore	Who	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Example amount
Set the table for dinner	Maya	✓	✓						$0.50 each time
Empty the dishwasher	Leo	✓							$0.50 each time
Feed the cat	Maya	✓	✓						Unpaid, regular responsibility
Tidy bedroom	Leo						✓		$1.50
Take out cardboard and plastic	Maya								$1

Notice two things. The date sits at the top, so everyone can see whether the chart is current. And some chores are unpaid, because the family has decided that some things are simply part of living together. Which chores suit each child is something you judge yourself. What should kids be able to do at home? A complete list by age can offer ideas, but you know your kids best.

The short check-in for adults

The check-in is where paper and app meet. It takes a few minutes and is done by one adult on a set day.

The Carters' Sunday routine (example):

1. Look at the chart and the app side by side.
2. Find ticks on paper that aren't in the app and establish what was actually done. Today's work can be recorded using the available options. Note older discrepancies and agree how to correct them; do not enter old work as though it happened today. Review a task that is already pending in the app instead of recording it again.
3. Find chores in the app waiting for approval. Approve them, or give a friendly note about what's missing.
4. Check whether any chores on the chart are no longer relevant. Cross them off the next time you print.
5. Make any real payment outside the app, as you've agreed.
6. Print a new chart with a new date, or write a new date on the old one if nothing has changed.

Closing a week in an app doesn't mean everything is automatically approved or paid. The adult's review still decides.

Avoid old chores and double counting

A paper chart goes stale quickly. A chore you removed from the app two weeks ago may still be on the fridge, and your child does it in good faith. The date at the top is the simplest fix. Agree that a chart is valid for one week, and that the old one comes down when the new one goes up.

To keep the same chore from counting twice:

• One way in. If the app is the record, a tick on the chart means "I've marked it." If the paper is the record, the child doesn't also mark it in the app.
• One adult does the check-in. That way one parent isn't approving in the app while the other enters ticks from the chart the same evening.
• Mark it after copying. If the paper is the record, the adult can circle or underline a tick once it's been entered.
• Disagreements go to the record. If it isn't in the record, it doesn't count yet. That's not a punishment, just a reminder to log it.

If you're wondering how rewards and payment should fit into this, Reward Systems for Kids: Stars, Points or Money? What Works Best may help.

Copyable template: hybrid agreement and weekly chart

Copy the text below, fill it in and hang it next to the chore chart. The blank fields are meant to be filled in.

Our paper-and-app agreement

• Record of what's done and earned: ☐ The app ☐ The paper
• What a tick on the chart means in our home: ______________________
• Who does the check-in: ______________________
• Set day and time for the check-in: ______________________
• Who prints the new chart: ______________________
• The chart is valid for: ☐ one week ☐ two weeks
• Real payment happens (when and how): ______________________
• If we disagree, this decides: ______________________

Weekly chart. Last updated: ________. Valid through: ________.

Chore	Who	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Paid/unpaid

Check-in list (adult)

• ☐ Ticks on paper compared with the app
• ☐ Pending chores approved or commented on
• ☐ Outdated chores crossed off
• ☐ Any real payment made outside the app
• ☐ New chart with a new date put up

Getting started this week

Decide on your record tonight, ideally with the kids, so they know what a tick means. Print or draw a chart with today's date. Set aside ten minutes on Sunday for the first check-in. After a couple of weeks, see whether the split works for you, and adjust the agreement if it doesn't. If the app is your record, the paper doesn't need to change. It stays on the fridge and reminds everyone what the week holds.