Gamifying chores to end the iPad wars
My two younger siblings and I fought constantly over iPad time. My parents tried timers, schedules, everything—nothing worked. Every evening was a battle: 'It's my turn!' 'You had it longer!' 'That's not fair!' Our parents were exhausted, we were frustrated, and screen time felt like a punishment.
I built a points-based system where we earn screen time by completing tasks. Homework = 30 points = 30 minutes. Everyone sees the leaderboard in real-time on our TV. Now my sister competes to finish chores first, my brother reads more to earn bonus points, and we haven't had a single fight in 4 months. Screen time went from a war to a game.
Every task has point value. 1 point = 1 minute screen time. Simple and fair.
Family TV shows real-time rankings. Competition motivates everyone.
Save weekday points for weekend at 1.5x rate. Delayed gratification rewards.
Parents can approve completed tasks, adjust points, set bonus challenges.
Parents approve completed tasks via WhatsApp notification. Photo proof required for cleaning tasks. Homework needs teacher signature.
Tasks adjusted by age: my 6-year-old brother gets 20 points for 10-min reading; I need 30 minutes. Everyone competes fairly based on capability.
Parents set daily limits (max 2 hours school nights, 4 hours weekends) regardless of points earned. Points carry over to next day.
Simple Google Sheet + Google Apps Script. Updates leaderboard on TV via Chromecast. Parents control via Google Form on phone. Cost: $0.
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