BusyKid turns chores into child’s play

The BusyKid app allows parents to allocate chores and pay their children an allowance. PHOTO from BusyKid website

Designed to take the effort out of convincing your children to run errands, BusyKid is a new online tool to help you keep track of family chores and to reward your offspring on a job well done.

More than simply an Excel sheet in an easy-to-use app format, BusyKid helps parents allocate chores, track progress and pay their children their allowance based on how well the washing up has been done or their bedrooms tidied.

And if some of its features sound familiar, it’s because the new service is an evolution of MyJobChart.com, a system for monitoring chores and for allowing children to earn points for hard work.

“BusyKid is the result of listening to parents, knowing what children need and taking advantage of the same technology so many families use every day,” said BusyKid creator Gregg Murset. “Though nearly 250,000 families have engaged with MyJobChart.com; sometimes starting over is easier than patching holes.”

So the new service, which will go live before the end of February, gives users the option to give their children real money, rather than points, and also options in terms of what to do with that hard-earned allowance. They can save it, share it, donate a percentage of it to charity, invest it, or redeem it for gift cards accepted at a host of retailers including Amazon.

“Real world experience is generally not taught in schools,” said Murset. “BusyKid gives parents an easy tool to teach children how to manage a bank account, budget a paycheck, invest in stocks and the value of hard work.”

However, the service is not free. An annual subscription to BusyKid will cost $12.