With family chores, kids often spend more time protesting and less time doing the actual job. (“It’s Scarlett’s turn to unload the dishwasher!” “No, it’s Willow’s turn!”) A solution: Put Alexa in charge.
You can make a chore chart using Alexa Skill Blueprints, which allows people to create customized skills by filling in the blanks of a template. Start by typing out the members of your household. Then begin assigning chores. There’s a list of tasks to choose from, or you can add your own. (You can assign the same chore to multiple people, if you’d like.) You can also have Alexa remind a family member about a chore at a specified day and time, on whichever device you choose.
When you open the chore chart, Alexa can read the chore list for a certain family member (“Maggie has two remaining chores: Put away the laundry and dust the banister. You can do it!”). It can also “log” a chore, marking it as done. You can find out who has completed the most chores over the course of a week by asking for the “chore score.”
The Alexa chore chart can be motivating—you’re game-ifying chores (a tactic that works for kids and grownups) and you’re keeping the emotion out of the chore delegation process. (There’s no arguing with Alexa.) And you don’t have to keep one of those clunky magnetic chore boards on your refrigerator. That’s a win in itself.