A small, familiar job
Make the bed or set the table.
A LITTLE HELP GETTING STARTEDA chore points system
A chore points system
you can start today.
How many points is making the bed worth? And how many should a movie night cost? You don’t need a perfect answer. You need a small, consistent plan your kids can understand.
Find a starting pointStart with 10, 20, or 30 points.
Use the effort a job takes for your child as the starting point. A task they know well might be 10 points; a job with several steps might be 20. Save 30 for a bigger contribution they can safely manage.
A few steps to finish
Sort and put away their laundry.
A bigger helping hand
Help tidy a shared room from start to finish.
This is Merit Mouse’s suggested scale, not a cash conversion or a research-based scoring rule. Different numbers are fine if your family already has a system.
Make “done” easy to recognize.
Instead of “clean your room,” try “put the toys in their bins and the books on the shelf.” Show the steps first and agree on the help they can ask for. Count the whole job once.
Effort matters more than speed.
A new skill may take one child more support than another. Choose work that fits their ability, explain the points before they start, and aim for an agreed standard rather than perfection.
Price the reward from the week they can actually have.
Choose something they want and you can comfortably provide: picking the family movie, choosing a weekend game, or saving toward an agreed purchase. Then count how many points one child could earn in a realistic week.
A sample week for one child
- Make the bed 10 points × 7 days
- 70 points
- Help put laundry away 20 points × once a week
- 20 points
- Possible weekly total
- 90 points
In this example, a 90-point movie choice takes about a week. A 180-point activity takes about two weeks. That assumes all planned work is approved and no points are spent elsewhere.
Points don’t need to match dollars. You set the reward’s point cost and arrange the real-world reward yourself. Essentials, care, and affection are never things a child needs to earn.
Find a reward target that fits.
Use this little planner before setting a goal. Try a lighter week, a smaller reward, or a longer saving period and see how the target changes.
YOUR EXAMPLE REWARD TARGET180 points
90 possible points each week × 2 weeks.
This assumes every planned chore is completed and approved, with no points spent on other rewards. Missed chores make it take longer.
A planning example for one child starting from zero. It does not change your chores or save a goal. Enter your chosen target when you add a goal in your family dashboard.
Set up one manageable week.
- 1
Add their profile.
In My kids, add their first name, avatar, and private PIN. Decide together which job they can manage; you don’t need to enter their age or birthday.
- 2
Pick a chore and define the finish.
In Add a chore, choose a starter idea or write your own. Select who’s helping, give the job a clear name, and use the 10 / 20 / 30 suggestions or type your own points.
- 3
Choose when it happens.
Every day repeats daily, including weekends. Every week repeats weekly from the first due date. Use Just this once for a one-off job. Match your reward estimate to the schedule you actually choose.
- 4
Agree on one reward.
In Goals & dreams, choose Add a goal. Enter the reward and its Saving target in points. The calculator above can help you pick a target; it does not save one for you.
- 5
Review, approve, and check in.
Your child marks the chore done in kid mode. You review it before points are added. When a goal is reached, you redeem it and arrange the reward; those points come out of their balance.
Try it before making a long list. Start with one or two chores. After a week, talk about what felt fair and what was too much. Agree on different values for future chores if needed, and honor rewards already promised.
Fair doesn’t always mean identical.
Give each child a manageable way to make progress. An older child’s laundry job may have more steps; a younger child might match socks with you. Explain the difference instead of comparing who earns fastest.
Plan rewards from each child’s own opportunities to earn, not the combined family total. A busy school week or extra support shouldn’t turn the points system into a competition.
A few useful answers.
Do all family chores need points?
No. You can keep everyday family contributions outside the points system and use Merit Mouse for a few agreed jobs. Be clear about which jobs earn points before your child starts.
What if the reward takes too long?
Check the weekly total and whether the chores fit your child’s week. Agree on a smaller first reward or more time. Don’t quietly raise the target after they have started working toward it.
What if they need help or miss a day?
Agree beforehand on what help is part of the task. A missed chore doesn’t earn points; return to a manageable plan rather than adding more work to catch up. Your approval determines when completed work earns points.
Does the calculator change my account?
No. It’s a scratchpad. It doesn’t use your family’s data, save goals, or award points. If you opened this guide from a form, close this tab to return to your unfinished draft.
Start with one little job.
Already setting up your family? Close this guide tab to return to your draft, or open your dashboard below.