How the chart is laid out
Each person gets their own band in their colour, with only their chores underneath and one column per day. A box or star appears only on the days a chore is due; other days are shaded, so nobody is asked to feed the cat twice on a day it is not their turn. Chores everyone does, such as making the bed, can be given to all, and they appear in every person’s band. You choose where the week starts, so the chart can begin on Saturday, Sunday or Monday to match the family routine, and you can show fewer than seven days for a school-week chart.
Boxes or stars, and the reward line
Empty boxes suit older children and adults who like a simple tick. Stars to colour in feel more like a reward to younger children. If you use rewards, write what the reward is and, if you want, the number of ticks a person needs that week; on screen each band then shows progress towards the goal. The reward line is entirely up to you: some families use screen time or a trip to the park, others prefer praise and no reward at all. The chart works the same way without one.
Sharing chores fairly and rotating them
Share chores evenly gives each chore to one person, starting with the chores done on the most days and always giving the next one to whoever has the lightest load so far, counted in chore-days. Rotate for next week moves every chore along to the next person in your list, so the least liked jobs change hands each week, while chores shared by everyone stay shared. Both are starting points: change any tick afterwards, for example if a younger child should not use the stove or carry heavy bins.
Choosing chores children can do
Pick tasks each child can do safely and finish without help most of the time, and say exactly what done looks like, such as “toys back in the box” rather than “tidy room”. Fewer chores done every day tend to stick better than a long list. Keep anything involving sharp knives, hot surfaces, cleaning chemicals or ladders for an adult, or for an older child with an adult nearby. Put the chart where everyone sees it and tick together at the same time each day.
Print, PNG or ticking on screen
Print gives a chart sized for A4 (landscape when it shows six or seven days) with each person’s band kept together where possible. Download PNG saves the same chart as an image to send to a family group or set on a tablet. If you tick on screen, the ticks are saved in this browser; switch on Include ticks when you print to show them on paper. Clear ticks starts a new week without retyping the chart. The school timetable maker and grocery list maker work the same way.