How to track chores for kids who can't read yet
The problem with words-only chore lists
A four year old who can make their bed and put their toys away still cannot read "make your bed" or "put toys away" on a screen. The tasks are doable, but the chore chart is not.
You end up reading the list to them or pointing at each line. A picture chore chart fixes that, and it is the idea behind this whole post: the child finds their job by the picture, not the words.
A picture chore chart in NestBoard
In NestBoard, every chore and routine step can have a picture. The words stay, and the picture sits right next to them. A child who cannot read yet finds their job by the picture.
When you add or edit a chore, tap the square next to the title and choose from the set: Morning, Bedtime, Tidy up, Kitchen, Pets, Outside, School, and Kind and calm. Pick "No picture" to take it off. In the routine form, each step has the same square in front of it.
In a household with a child, a new chore or step for that child, for nobody in particular, or for a shared family routine gets a picture automatically when it is one of the common kids' chores and routine steps NestBoard knows. A bed for "Make your bed", a toothbrush for "Brush teeth", a plate and cutlery for "Set the table". You see it before you save and can change it or choose no picture.
Anything else starts with no picture, and you pick one. A chore with one of your pets' names in the title gets none either. NestBoard does not guess from the words in a title, because a wrong picture is worse than none for a child who cannot read it.
For the chores you already have, go to Settings, then Household, and tap "Find pictures" (grown-ups only, in a household with a child). NestBoard shows the pictures it would add to your open chores and routine steps that have none yet, for the common ones it knows. Tap any of them to leave it out, then tap "Add these". Nothing changes until you do.
Where pictures show up
On chore rows on the dashboard and the Chores page. Big and centered in the "Who did this?" window when a chore is marked done. On the reminder that pops up in Kiosk mode when a chore is due. Next to routine steps on the dashboard and the Routines page.
On a phone, tapping a routine step's picture ticks the step, just like tapping the step. On a tablet or in Kiosk mode the picture reads the step aloud instead, and the words and the box tick it, so a child can hear a step without ticking it by accident.
Routines that show one step at a time
On a tablet or in Kiosk mode, a routine can show just the step to do now. A big picture with its words, the next step small underneath, and a big green check to mark it done. Open a routine and tap One step to switch, or List to switch back.
When the last step of a routine is ticked, something fun happens on that device, once a day per routine.
It reads the chore out loud
On a tablet or in Kiosk mode, tap the big picture in the "Who did this?" window to hear the chore's name. Tap a routine step's picture to hear the step. Your device reads it with its own built-in voice, in your household's language. A small speaker on the picture shows that it can talk, and it only appears on devices that have a voice for it.
It works in a web browser and in the iPhone and iPad app. The Android app shows the pictures but does not read them aloud yet. On a phone, pictures are just pictures, so a tap never starts talking.
Kids without their own account
A child does not need their own login to do chores. Add them in the Family section with no email and they become a "no-account" member, with a real profile, chores, points, and allowance that you manage.
The household stays signed in on a shared device. The kitchen tablet, a wall display in Kiosk mode, or any browser you have left logged in. The child walks up, taps their chore done, and picks their own name in the completer grid. Their points and streak go up just like everyone else's, all from one shared screen.
What the pictures are
The pictures are a set of drawings built into NestBoard. Nothing is uploaded, no photos are involved, and nothing is sent to NestBoard to be read aloud. They need the latest version of the iPhone, iPad and Android apps.
A chore chart that a preschooler can actually read is a chore chart that gets used. If you want more on age-appropriate chores beyond the visual part, how to track chores for kids without nagging walks through the full system, and age-appropriate chores by age lists what a three, four or five year old can realistically do. For a calm start to the day, see the morning routine checklist for kids.
NestBoard has a free two-week trial with every feature unlocked and no card required, so you can try the pictures on your own board.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a chore chart for a child who can't read? Use pictures next to each job instead of words alone. In NestBoard, every chore and routine step can carry a picture from a built-in set, and common kids' chores like making the bed or brushing teeth get one automatically.
Does my child need their own account? No. Add them on the Family page with no email and they become a no-account member with their own chores, points and allowance. On a shared tablet they tap the chore done and pick their own name.
Can the tablet read the chore out loud? On a tablet or in Kiosk mode, tap the picture to hear the chore. It works in a web browser and in the iPhone and iPad app. The Android app shows the pictures but does not read them aloud yet.