Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post through Canopi and ChoreMonster. ALL thoughts and opinions are my own. You know I wouldn’t lie to you.
Chores. Nobody likes them. I really don’t like them. Every person in my household (down to my 3 year old) has learned that if they have run out of clothes in their closet or drawers to look in the dryer. Chances are the clean underwear or pants you need are in the dryer. I’m not gonna lie when I say that a small part of me wanted to get our new dog because I wanted someone else to clean up the Cheerios off the floor and under the dinner table.
When it comes to chores and my kids its more of a “do as I say and not as I do” situation. Implementing chores has been a struggle. We’ve tried straight up allowance, chore chart, chore calendar, threatening and pleading. A few times I offered 10 cents for every Lego that was picked up and put away. That worked a few times and I probably paid out about $20. For some reason nothing seemed to stick. Money has never been a huge motivator so usually chores are hit or miss around here.
Enter ChoreMonster. This is an online tool to help motivate kids and let’s them keep track of the chores they need to do and the rewards they can receive. For parents its a fun way to customize the chores and prizes. For kids who aren’t really motivated by monitary allowance (like mine) you can come up with unique rewards and set how many points each reward is worth. My guy is motivated by fun things to do and one on one time with us. Yes, his ideal family game night takes place after Harry has gone to bed.
For some reason ChoreMonster has kind of clicked with Addison. I say kind of because he as yet to complete the “do homework without being asked” task. As you an see the chores like “Pick up ALL legos off the floor” and “Clean playroom” don’t always get done. There are a lot of Overdue! chores happening here. “Practice the piano” and “Read a book to Harry” are more his speed.
When Addison logs on to his side of ChoreMonster this is what he sees:
He can click on a chore to show that he has done it and then it awaits my approval.
The best part has been coming up with rewards. Some of the rewards have been things that Addison has suggested and some have been things that I think he would like. When he earns enough points he can redeem them for one of the rewards. So far he has redeemed family movie night and a new book of his choosing. (Movie night was Back to the Future and his new book was Origami Yoda)
The number with the reward indicates how many points he has to earn to redeem it. I decided how much each chore was worth and how much each reward was worth. Reading a book to Harry and practicing the piano are each worth 10 points. I’m starting to think that may be a little high. I can always go in and change things around if I feel like a certain reward might get some more work out of him.
As he does his chores he also gets to earn new monsters by spinning the carnival wheel. With each completed chore he gets a spin at the wheel. This seems really simple and silly but he has actually gotten really excited about it. One day he called me to the computer to show me what the carnival wheel “gave” him. He thought it was pretty hilarious.
The past couple of months have actually been pretty pain free when it comes to chores. No, he still doesn’t do all the chores I assign but I’ve stopped stressing over it. He is doing some of the chores and there hasn’t been any whining or nagging.
If you want to try it out use this ChoreMonster link to get 1 month free membership. You can use it on your computer or download the app for your tablet or phone.
In the time it took me to write this post this happened:
and
Believe it or not, this is a clean playroom.
Suzanne Reeve
I am not having any luck with the link to chore monster. I can go to the site directly, but I figure with it being a sponsored post it is better if I go through the link. It might be just my phone, but wanted you to know.
Stephanie Clinton
Thanks for letting me know. The link should be working now. You are correct…in order to get the free month you need to go through the link provided.
Kari
I don’t have kids but this is a great resource for when that time comes! Stopping by from the Sunday Potluck on OK Women Bloggers 🙂
Shel Harrington
That’s a neat idea to let my clients know about!