We tried parenting app Chorly that encourages children to complete chores around the home

Getting your little ones to do chores can be a daily uphill battle for parents. But a handy app promises to revolutionise your home routine and may even help to alleviate some of the 'parent guilt' mums and dads feel when asking their kids to do jobs around the home. Chorly turns household chores into a task-completing game for children.

Use Chorly to create custom chore lists for each family member. Once each task is completed, it can be ticked off the list in return for a reward. Children can also work towards bigger, long-term goals with a prize at the end—for example, keeping their bedroom tidy for an entire week. The app can be downloaded onto phones and tablets.

The reward—either for a short—or long-term task—can be anything of your choosing, whether it is more screen time, kids picking what's for dinner, or a special treat. You can find rewards that motivate your children and suit your family lifestyle and values. Kids can even take before-and-after photos to show off their hard work, making them feel proud of what they accomplish.

The app has been designed for children of all ages, including youngsters and teens. Mum-of-two Narin Flanders has been using the app for a week as a way to encourage her two children to help more around the house. Thankfully, she has written a detailed review of how she found the app, and more importantly how her little ones reacted and responded to it.

Narin said: “As a family with both parents working full time, keeping organised and on top of chores is a constant juggling act which we, mostly, feel like we just about managing to keep on top of. However, when half term hit and my eight- and ten-year-olds were home for the week suddenly we seemed to be swimming against the tide - constantly needing to tidy up, clean up meals and suddenly everything ended up feeling a bit overwhelming.

“I installed Chorly hoping that it would help make getting stuck into some of the jobs that normally the children roll their eyes at feel more of a novelty. While my daughter loves a list anyway, my son is very much at the age where nothing gets his attention as much as tech and gaming, so I was keen to give it a try.

“Setting up the app was really straightforward. I downloaded it to my phone and set up the initial family settings there and then was given an invite code that meant I could download versions to the children’s tablets. Initially I chose a mixture of daily jobs like setting the table and brushing teeth and weekly chores like homework and bedroom tidying. The children were happy to get involved and we had a lot of fun ticking off tasks."

On her verdict, Narin concludes: "The functionality and ease of use of the app is great and the kids soon got to grips with it. Some of the options seem a bit unnecessary - I’m not sure I need to see a picture of a made bed every morning but we’ve ended up with the kids sending me funny selfies to ‘prove’ some of their jobs have been done. I also love the fact you can schedule tasks that the children can take turns on - as we live in a household where there’s literally an argument over who gets to use the hoover it actually minimises disagreements too.

“As a family we talk a lot about being a team and everyone working together and Chorly has really cemented that feeling. The kids have enjoyed being able to tick off their chores and work towards treats, with the added side benefit of them trying to decide whether to save or spend their stars which is another life lesson we’re keen for them to start to understand in an age-appropriate way. They’ve actually started suggesting tasks to add to the app and are much more open to helping - time will tell whether long-term it makes these things habitual but in a meantime it’s a really fun way of getting everyone involved.”

Similar apps worth considering include Habitica, which turns your to-do lists and desired habits into daily games (free, or you can spend more in the app for extras). Habit Tracker is another popular option on iOS, and it is also free with in-app purchases to unlock more features.