Kids Chore Chart Printable with Pictures – This Chart Really Works!

If you want to teach your kids responsibility and implement a chore chart system at home, then this kids chore chart printable with picture job cards is for you!

I don’t know how many kids chore chart systems that I’ve bought over the years, but I’m guessing it’s been 6 or 7 different ones. I’ve tried pre-filled charts with age appropriate chores, the fancy wood chore charts that you buy in the stores, and the basic white boards that I’ve tried to DIY into a good daily responsibility chart system.

And of those 6 or 7 different kids’ chore charts, none of them lasted more than a few weeks.

Yup, I’m the mom that wants to teach her kids responsibility AND get a little help around the house, but keeping up with a chore chart is just ONE MORE job for me to do.

So, all of my previous chore charts eventually made their ways to the trash can. What can I say? I had the best of intentions, but really bad follow through. 🙂

But I strongly believe that kids thrive on routines, and I also know the importance of encouraging a good work ethic from a young age, so I created these kids’ chore chart printable templates in an attempt to establish a daily responsibility system in our house.

And I’m happy to say that, it worked!

Our daughters know what is expected of them each and every day, and they can easily use their chore and routine charts to make sure that they’re completing their responsibilities… More independent and self-reliant kids = Less work for Mom!

Here’s why I love this printable responsibility chart for kids, how to assemble and use the charts, and where you can get the PDF to use in your own home:

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click a link and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.

Here’s Why Other Chart Systems Didn’t Work for Me…

Here’s my problem with other chore charts that I’ve used in the past…

Our family’s schedule is hectic, and it seems like no two days are the same. Some days we’re watching middle school football games until 10:00pm, and other days we’re running to piano practice and karate class. So we needed a kids chore chart printable that could be easily adjusted day to day, instead of a weekly chore chart template.

Most kids’ chore charts that you find online have specific chores listed in a column on the left side, and then days of the week columns to check off if each job was completed each day.

*By the way, if that style of chart will fit your needs, then I’ve got an entire post with some cute free printable chore charts for kids here!

But what if some of the jobs don’t need to be done EVERY day of the week? And what if I have a special job that I want my kids to do for just one day? Then they don’t get to fill up their charts with check marks?

Most of the other charts just didn’t fit my needs because they were lacking one important thing – FLEXIBILITY!

I wanted my kids to have the satisfaction of seeing their charts FULL of check marks at the end of the week, and with most other charts that don’t allow you to change the chores and responsibilities for each day, that just wasn’t possible.

How to Use these Kids’ Chore Charts

My printable chore charts for kids consist of two main parts: 1) The actual Chore Chart and 2) The Picture Chore and Routine Cards.

The BEST thing about these charts (besides the super cute pictures of course!), is that you can easily swap out the jobs for each day of the week, but still keep track of which days that your kids completed their responsibilities. At the end of the week, if your kids have a check mark on each day, then they get a small reward.

The charts are SO simple to use, which is why they’ve been so successful in our house!

Here’s how to implement my responsibility and routine charts for kids:

Step 1: Decide on a reward for the week, and write it in the space provided.

When your kids complete all of their jobs on their chore charts, it’s nice to reward them with a special treat. Plus, giving your kids rewards for work they’ve done also helps to prepare them for the real world.

After all, do you not get a paycheck for going to work and doing YOUR job? And, don’t you hope to get a raise when you perform well?

I’m trying to teach my kids the importance of hard work. And I want them to understand that they don’t just GET whatever they ask for. For instance, I want the new iphone, but I’m not just going to go out and buy it just because I WANT it. I’m going to save up my money for it, and then I’m going to make sure that it’s a good use of the money that I’ve worked hard to save.

I want my kids to learn the same lesson.

That’s why I reward my girls with a small allowance each week. So they can begin to understand what it means to work for the things that they want, and to save their own money for larger purchases.

If you don’t want to give your kids money each week, then here are some other ideas for kids’ rewards:

• Mommy and me date
• Bowling, ice skating, etc.
• Ice cream
• Dollar movie date
• Donut date before school
• Kids’ craft class at Michael’s – These are a lot of fun and only cost $2 per child!
• Mini Dollar Tree shopping spree – give each child $3 or $4 to spend
• Let them pick out a treat at a local bakery
• Movie night date at home – Let them pick out a Redbox or Netflix movie for the family to watch at home together. Throw in some popcorn mixed with M&Ms for an extra special reward!
• Allowance
• One hour of playtime at an arcade
• Frappucinos – This is one of my daughters’ favorite rewards. I take them every now and then when Starbucks is doing the BOGO Happy Hour special!
• Pizza night
• Small toy that they’ve been wanting
• Having a friend over for a sleepover

Step 2: Decide what jobs will be on your kids’ chore charts each day.

I’ve found it easiest to change my kids’ chore charts out each night after they go to bed. That way, when they wake up in the morning, their daily responsibility charts are already filled in with fresh jobs to do.

Sometimes the jobs will stay the same day to day, like “Clear the table“. But some jobs will only need to be completed on school nights, like “Make lunch for school“. And, if you’re like me, then you let your kids alternate days of doing certain jobs, like “Feed the dog“.

That’s the beauty of these chore charts for kids… you can easily swap out the jobs day to day, and still keep a record of the days that your kids complete all of their chores for that week!

Step 3: Stick the job cards to the chore charts for kids.

After you’ve decided on chores for each child, just remove the job cards from the previous day and replace them with the new job cards.

I keep all of my job cards in a ziploc bag in a basket in our family command center so that they’re easily accessible. Then I can just swap out the job cards before I go to bed.

Step 4: Put a check mark under each job as it is completed.

I let my girls do this part, because they LOVE using the dry erase marker to check off the chores as they complete them.

They come by that honestly… I LOVE checking things off my printable to do list, too! 🙂

Step 5: Keep track of the days of the week that kids complete their jobs.

At the end of the day, if all of the chores were completed, put a check mark on the corresponding day’s box at the bottom of the chart. You can do this at night when you’re swapping out the chores for the next day, or involve your kids in the process and use it as a teachable moment if they missed a job or two.

If they didn’t finish one of their jobs, then they don’t get to mark off that day. It’s up to you if you still give your kids an “A” for effort at the end of the week, or in this case, their “reward” for the week.

How to Assemble the Printable Chore Chart System

If you use my printable chore charts for kids, then you WILL have to do a little bit of work to assemble them, but when your kids are checking off jobs as they complete their daily responsibilities, you’ll be glad you put in the leg work to get this DIY chore chart system going.

Here’s how to print, cut, laminate, and assemble these kids chore chart printable templates:

1. Gather Your Supplies

Here are the supplies you will need:

• Printer – This is the home printer that I have, and it is one of the BEST purchases I have ever made! All of my previous printers ran out of ink super quickly, or the ink dried up, but this one is fantastic! You can also get your PDF printed at FedEx Kinko’s instead.

• Laminator – This is the one that I have and LOVE! The price is pretty reasonable, and it’s actually a really handy tool to have at home. I use it to laminate my weekly meal plan, my freezer inventory checklist, and my daughters’ artwork that I want to save.

• Laminator pouches – These are the laminating pouches that I use and recommend. For sturdy job cards and charts, look for pouches that are 5 mil in thickness.

• Paper trimmer – I HIGHLY recommend a paper trimmer to cut out all of the picture job cards. You’ll get straighter edges, and it will save you a bunch of time. Or if you prefer, you can use scissors.

• Velcro circles – I’ve tried a few different kinds, and these sticky back Velcro brand circles work best. If you’re going to be using all of the picture job cards, then you will need 120 circles.

• Dry erase marker – The great thing about laminating the charts is that you can use them just like a dry erase board. Wipe the dry erase marker check marks off each night to start fresh the next day.

2. Print out the charts and the picture job cards.

My kids chore chart printable PDF comes with 7 different charts for you to choose from, so you can pick the chart that works best for your family.

Choose from these different chart options:

• My Morning Tasks – with space for 8 different routine cards
• My Morning Tasks – with space for 12 different routine cards
• My Evening Tasks – with space for 8 different routine cards
• My Evening Tasks – with space for 12 different routine cards
• My Daily Tasks – with space for 8 morning and 8 evening jobs
• Chore Chart – with space for 8 chores and a reward
• My Schedule Today – more of a daily schedule type chart

3. Cut out the picture chore cards.

Simply cut the job cards out around the black border. I used my trusty paper trimmer to cut mine so that the cards were nice and straight.

4. Laminate the picture chore cards.

To laminate, place the chore cards in a laminator pouch with space in between each card.

Open up the laminating pouch and arrange the picture job cards inside. Be sure to leave about 1/4″ to 1/2″ of space around each square card so that the laminator can create a good seal. Also, do your best to line up the cards in straight lines to make them easier to cut out later.

You may have a few cards that shift slightly as you move the pouch to the laminator, but as long as there is still space between the cards, you should be okay. *See the Wash Hands job card below.

Here’s how my cards looked in the laminator pouch:

5. Laminate the chore chart.

Simply place the chart that you’re using in the pouch, and send it through the machine like this:

If you don’t have a laminator, you can also get the laminating done at most office supply stores or FedEx Kinkos. I just chose to buy my own laminator though, because I was always running to Kinkos to have odd projects laminated, and they charge about $2.99 for each sheet.

So purchasing my own laminator actually saved me money in the long run.

6. Cut out each laminated job card.

Next, cut out each individual laminated picture card. I found it easiest to use my paper trimmer for this, but you can also cut out the cards with some sharp scissors.

Just be sure to leave a very small (less than 1/4″) border of clear lamination around each card so that you don’t cut into the lamination seal.

7. Add Velcro circles to the chore chart and cards.

Be sure to put the correct Velcro sides on all of the cards! For instance, don’t put the soft, fuzzy sides of the velcro on the back of the job cards AND the chore chart, because then they won’t stick together.

I prefer to use the soft fluffy side of the Velcro on the actual chart base and the rougher, thinner side on the back of the chore cards like this:

And then your kids’ chore and routine charts are ready to use!

Just add the chore cards to the black squares on the chart, and hang the chart on your fridge or in your family command center.

What picture job cards are included in the bundle?

There are 120 different job cards included, so there should be plenty of age appropriate jobs for your kids to do! The printable PDF bundle also includes picture cards that are perfect for your younger kids’ and toddlers’ morning and nighttime routines.

Here is the list of chores, routines, and activities that come on the picture cards:

Chore Cards

• do laundry
• hang clothes in closet
• put clean clothes away
• sort laundry
• fold clothes
• match socks
• pick out clothes
• put clothes in hamper
• set the table
• clear the table
• put dishes in dishwasher
• empty the dishwasher
• wash dishes
• help cook dinner
• clean toilet
• clean sink
• clean bathroom mirror
• clean bathroom
• trash and recycling
• take out trash
• help with groceries
• rake the leaves
• mow the yard
• blow the leaves
• help with garden
• water plants
• water the garden
• wash the car
• sweep the porch
• sweep floors
• mop floors
• vacuum floors
• dust bedroom furniture
• dust
• make your bed
• clean bedroom
• put toys away
• mom’s choice chore
• dad’s choice chore

Pet Related Chore Cards

• feed the pets
• feed cat
• feed dog
• feed the fish
• walk the dog
• clean out litter box
• brush the dog
• wash the dog
• help with pets

Morning Routine Job Cards

• pack lunchbox
• pack backpack
• go to school
• go to bus stop
• wake up
• eat breakfast
• get dressed
• put shoes on
• put away pajamas
• put pajamas in hamper
• clear breakfast dishes
• put dishes in sink
• put on deodorant

Nighttime Routine Cards

These job cards are great for reinforcing nighttime routines with your toddlers and preschoolers:

• make lunch for school
• do homework
• get papers ready for school
• take a bath
• take a shower
• take vitamin
• take medicine
• put on lotion
• put on pajamas
• brush teeth
• floss teeth
• brush and floss
• mouthwash
• clip nails
• blow dry hair
• brush hair
• hang up towel
• TV time
• bedtime story
• go to the bathroom
• go potty
• go to sleep
• say prayers

Daily Activity and Schedule Cards

If you want to use your charts and job cards interchangeably, and create a Daily Schedule chart for your children also, then these picture cards are perfect for that! Use these cards to let your kids know about their plan for the day:

• read a book
• have a snack
• screen time
• play outside
• ride bikes
• video game time
• science
• math
• arts & crafts
• reading
• language arts
• social studies
• computer & technology
• baseball
• soccer
• basketball
• football
• tennis
• golf
• cheerleading
• dance
• go to church
• go to doctor
• go to dentist
• write Thank You notes
• exercise
• wash hands
• get the mail
• nap time
• quiet crafts
• go shopping
• free play

Get the Kids Chore Chart Printable Bundle

This printable kids’ chore chart bundle and the routine charts are available in my SHOP, along with loads of other home management printables!

You can CLICK HERE to purchase my Chore Charts for kids!

Other Printable Chore and Cleaning Charts

Want to check out some of my other cleaning printables? I’ve got some awesome family chore charts (great for older kids!), room-by-room cleaning cards, and weekly cleaning schedules too:

Family Chore Charts that You Can Type In – These printable family chore charts are great to keep track of everyone’s jobs in one place! And you can type into it to customize the chart with your own jobs!

Printable Cleaning Cards for Each Room – Have older kids that need to help around the house? Hand them one of these individual room cleaning cards and let them tackle an entire room by themselves! And you can type in the PDF to add your own rooms or chores to the cards!

Printable Weekly Cleaning Schedule – Use this printable template to create your own weekly cleaning schedule!

I hope these kids’ chore chart printable templates really help you to teach your kids what it means to be responsible! The charts have worked wonders for my family, and I hope that you love them too!

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