Chores with points: how to make it work at home

How to set it up

• List the chores with a clear name: «empty the dishwasher», not «help in the kitchen».
• Give each chore a value in points, higher for the longer or less loved ones.
• Decide the rewards together and what they cost: an extra hour of video games, choosing Saturday dinner, something they have been wanting.
• Agree on who checks that the chore is really done, and when.

Mistakes to avoid

Taking points away as punishment: it turns the game into a list of grievances. Changing the rules halfway through. And rewarding only quantity: whoever does things consistently, without reminders, deserves recognition even if they do fewer of them.

It works better when chores can also be chosen, and when every now and then there is a shared goal that is reached only if everyone does their part.

How it works in Achivia

In Achivia you can open a custom organization for your family or a shared home. Chores become quests with a reward in credits, which arrives when whoever assigned them confirms they are done. You invent the medals yourselves, with whatever names you like. And there are games to play together, with their own leaderboard.

One important thing: an Achivia account requires being at least 14 years old. The system is meant for families with teenagers, for couples and for roommates. With younger children a paper chart on the fridge works perfectly, with the same rules.

Achivia is in open, free beta, in Europe and the United States.

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