Weekly Chore List: A Week of Chores That Runs Itself
Most family chores are weekly rhythms, not daily surprises: trash day, laundry day, the Saturday reset. A weekly chore list works when nobody has to rebuild it each Sunday - here is a sample week, and how Chore-List regenerates it automatically, with reminders and pay on completion.
A sample weekly chore list
One row per person is a list in Chore-List; days are due dates, and every line can recur weekly on its own.
| Day | Chore | Who | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Wipe kitchen counters and stove | Parent / teen | $2.00 |
| Tuesday | Vacuum bedrooms | Kid 10+ | $2.00 |
| Wednesday | Trash can to the curb | Kid 7+ | $1.00 |
| Thursday | Clean one bathroom | Teen / adult | $3.00 |
| Friday | Laundry: wash, dry, fold | Kid 10+ | $3.00 |
| Saturday | Mow the lawn / yard reset | Teen | $5.00 |
| Sunday | Ten-minute family tidy | Everyone | $0.50 |
| Daily | Dishes, pet feeding, homework | Rotating | $0.50-$1.00 |
Fig. 1 - Anchor the week to days things already happen: trash day, laundry day, the weekend reset.
Why weekly lists fall apart (and the fix)
- The list lives in one parent’s head. Fixed by putting it on a shared board everyone can check - a phone, or a kitchen tablet in kiosk mode.
- Someone has to rewrite it every week. Recurring chores in Chore-List regenerate each occurrence automatically - set the Wednesday trash run once, in October, and it is still running in March.
- Nobody remembers until it’s late. Email reminders fire at offsets you choose (a day before, an hour before), and the board sorts everything into Overdue, Due Today, and Upcoming.
- There’s no reason to do it on time. Each chore carries a dollar value credited the moment it’s marked complete - late loses its appeal when the balance is watching.
Setting up a weekly list in Chore-List
- Create your free family and add each person - everyone gets their own list and balance.
- Add each weekly chore once as a recurring series: pick the weekday and due time, set the value, done.
- Layer the dailies (dishes, pets, homework) as daily recurrences, and keep one-off jobs for the Open Chores pool anyone can claim.
- Glance, don’t manage. The board shows the next 10 days only - this week and a peek at next, never an overwhelming wall.
Frequently asked questions
Weekly or daily chore list - which is better?
Both, layered: daily micro-chores (dishes, beds, pets) for rhythm, weekly anchors (trash, laundry, bathrooms) for the heavy work. Chore-List handles the two rhythms side by side on one board.
Can different kids have different weekly lists?
Yes - every person has their own list, their own recurring series, and their own balance, so siblings never share or lose each other’s chores.
What happens when a weekly chore is missed?
It sits in Overdue until it’s done or an adult dismisses it as incomplete. Recurring series keep generating future occurrences either way - one bad week doesn’t break the system.
Is the weekly chore list free?
Yes - Chore-List is free for families while in beta, recurring chores and reminders included.
Starting from paper? Copy a chore list template first, or browse the full kids chore list by age.
Set the week once. It runs all year.
Recurring chores, reminders, and pay on completion - free.
Last updated October 17, 2026.