Who would have thought a card game could make my kids WANT to do their chores? Certainly not me, but that is exactly what has happened. For over a year they’ve each had their set chore; Shelby loads & unloads the dishwasher, Wyatt takes out the trash, Cassie helps with laundry, and Lucas gives extra hugs & kisses (he wanted a chore too, but is only 5 so…). The day our Deck of Chores arrived Lucas couldn’t wait for a “real” chore, he wanted to play it right then, and every day since he’s made sure I don’t forget about the game.

There are a few of variations on the instruction sheet of how to play Deck of Chores

• For one person or more: Shuffle the cards, then put them back in the tray. Player draws a chore (or however many chores they should complete) out of the tray and does it.
• For two ore more people: Shuffle the cards, then deal 5 cards (or 10 cards for 2 a day, etc) face down to each player. Player does those chores, Monday – Friday.
• For two or more players: Shuffle the cards, then deal 7 cards to each player. Place the deck face down on the table, but turn one over for the discard pile. Then the game is played similar to Uno. First player to get rid of all their cards wins, remaining players do the chores left in their hand.

I really like that there are variations of the game, though we don’t use any of them, and that’s the great thing about having a card game, games can be made up and changed around. We shuffle the cards then spread them out face down on the table and everyone picks a chore. If someone gets a chore already chosen, they redraw for a new chore. Pretty simple, but easier than pulling a card from the Deck of Chores tray. Or sometimes the kids will play “Go Fish” with the Deck of Chores trying to get the specific chore they want lol.

There are also a couple of the chores that we won’t use so if they’re drawn we have substitutes.

• “Clean your room” – my kids have to clean their room everyday, so if this chore gets drawn then the person has to help a sibling clean THEIR room.
• “Wash the car” – this would be disastrous lol, so instead they wash the dog.
• “Organize the garage” – we don’t have a garage, so the person has to clean up the yard.

All-in-all I really think Deck of Chores is a great idea, and it’s made my kids WANT to do their chores. I just can’t get over that! I wish the deck was a bit smaller so it would be easier to shuffle, but that’s been my only real complaint.

About Deck of Chores:

Deck of Chores can be kept on your kitchen counter and should be used by children as one way to help out their busy parents. Discuss as a family and choose a specific place in the home where your children know to check for chore cards left for them on a daily basis.

Or, set the Deck of Chores in a location where your family members can easily take a card, read it and perform the chore. There are also 4 blank chore cards for parents or children to add their own specific chore that is not already part of the deck (set the table, wash the windows, set the table).

Deck of Chores promotes confidence, responsibility and a sense of accomplishment while getting children acquainted with certain household chores.

Parents, you no longer need to remind your child to perform an assigned chore. Simply choose the chore card(s) and leave them in an agreed place for the child to retrieve.

Extra credit can be given to the child who finishes additional “unassigned” chores.