Set up chores, and give stars when they're done
For a parent who wants stars to cover the dishwasher too, not just the schoolwork.
What chores are, and what they aren't
Chores are opt-in. Until you add one, nothing changes anywhere. Add one and every child in the house sees a "Chores" list on their home page with an "I did it" button next to each.
Chore stars are spendable only. They buy real-life rewards, closet items and family rewards. They never count toward star levels or the 150-day plaque. Those stay earned through schoolwork, so the ten-minute daily habit keeps its meaning.
Building the list
- Open the grown-up area and scroll below your kids to the panel called "Chores".
- Tap anything in the "Starter list" to add it. Make your bed, feed the pet, clean your room, that kind of thing, each with a suggested number of stars.
- Or type your own under "Or add your own": a name, an optional emoji, the stars, then "Add chore".
- Tap "Edit" on any chore to rename it or change the stars, then "Save". "Remove" takes it off the list.
A starter chore is yours the moment you add it. Rename it, reprice it, remove it, exactly like one you typed. The suggested numbers are sized against a full day of schoolwork, which earns about 350 stars, so a normal chore day can't outrun the learning. Change them if your house runs differently.
Up to 30 chores per family, and up to 2,000 stars each.
When a child says they did one
- They tap "I did it". The button changes to "Waiting" and nothing is paid yet.
- In the grown-up area, that child's section gets a panel called "Chore claims". Tap "Approve" to pay the stars, or "Not yet" to send it back with nothing paid.
A child can have one open claim per chore at a time. Once you've approved it they can claim it again, so "feed the pet" twice a day works.
Giving stars without a claim
Under "Give stars for a chore" in that child's section, every chore is a button. One tap credits the stars. Use it when you saw the thing get done and don't need the child to ask.
Common questions
Do chore stars change my child's level?
No. Levels read lifetime stars from schoolwork only. A child could do a hundred chores and stay a Scout. That's deliberate, so the levels and the plaque mean the same thing in every family.
Can I take stars away for a chore not done?
No. Stars are only ever added. Declining a claim pays nothing, and that's the whole lever.
My kids share chores. Does each one get the stars?
Each child claims separately and each claim pays that child. If two kids cleared the table together, approve both.
Still stuck?
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Email ervin@brightstepchild.com