Chores

Beacon’s chore system lets you create tasks, assign them to family members, set dollar values, and track completion with streaks and a leaderboard. It is designed to motivate kids (and adults) to pitch in around the house.

Opening the Chores panel

1. Click the checklist icon in the sidebar (the third icon from the top)
2. A slide-out panel opens from the right side of the screen
3. Click the X button or click the backdrop to close the panel

On mobile, tap Chores in the bottom tab bar.

Creating a chore

1. Open the Chores panel
2. Click + Add Chore at the bottom of the panel
3. The “New Chore” form appears with these fields:

Icon

Choose from 12 emoji icons:

• Broom, Plate, Dog, Bed, Book, Trash, Shirt, Laundry basket, Toothbrush, Shower, Soap, Flexed bicep

Name

Enter the chore name (required). Examples: “Vacuum living room”, “Feed the dog”, “Make bed”.

Value

Set a dollar value for the chore. The default is $1.00. Use the step control (increments of $0.25) to adjust. Set to $0.00 if you do not want a monetary value.

Frequency

Assign To

Select one or more family members. Tap a member’s name to toggle them on/off. Selected members show a colored border. At least one member must be assigned (the Add Chore button is disabled otherwise).

4. Click Add Chore to save

Chore display

Chores are grouped by family member in the Chores panel. Each member group shows:

1. Member header: Avatar, name, and streak badge
2. Progress bar: Shows completed/total chores for today, colored with the member’s color
3. Chore cards: One card per assigned chore

Each chore card displays:

• The member’s avatar (left side)
• The chore icon and name
• The dollar value (if > $0)
• A checkbox (right side) — checked if completed today

Completing chores

1. Tap the checkbox on a chore card
2. The checkbox animates with a bounce effect
3. The chore card dims to indicate completion
4. The progress bar updates

Undoing a completion

Tap the checkbox again to undo. The completion is removed and the chore returns to its incomplete state.

Swipe gesture

On touch devices, you can swipe left on a chore card to see a “Skipped” indicator. This is visual feedback only — it does not change the chore’s completion status and resets after 2 seconds.

Streak tracking

Streaks reward consistency. Here is how they work:

How streaks are calculated

1. When a family member completes any chore, the system checks their last completion date
2. If the last completion was yesterday, the streak increments by 1
3. If the last completion was today (already counted), the streak stays the same
4. If the last completion was more than 1 day ago, the streak resets to 1
5. The longest streak is updated whenever the current streak exceeds it

Streak badge

The streak badge appears next to each member’s name in the Chores panel and Leaderboard. It shows:

• A fire emoji and the current streak count (e.g., “7”)
• Hot streak: When the current streak reaches 7+ days, the badge gets a “hot” visual style
• Tap to toggle: Tapping the badge toggles between showing the current streak and the longest streak (“Best: 14”)

Streak reset

Streaks reset to 1 when a member misses a day. There is no grace period — if no chore is completed on a given day, the streak resets the next time a chore is completed.

Leaderboard

The leaderboard ranks family members by earnings over a time period.

Opening the leaderboard

1. Click the trophy icon in the sidebar
2. A slide-out panel opens from the right

Period toggle

Toggle between:

• This Week: Sunday through Saturday of the current week
• This Month: First day through last day of the current month

Ranking

Members are ranked by total earnings (dollar value of completed chores) in descending order:

• Position 1: Gold medal emoji
• Position 2: Silver medal emoji
• Position 3: Bronze medal emoji
• Position 4+: Numeric rank (#4, #5, etc.)

Each row shows:

• Rank medal/number
• Member avatar
• Member name
• Number of chores completed in the period
• Streak badge
• Total earnings (e.g., “$12.50”)

Members with zero earnings still appear on the leaderboard (at the bottom).

Tips for motivating kids

1. Start small: Begin with 2-3 daily chores per child. Add more as they build the habit.
2. Set meaningful values: Tie chore values to things kids want. If a toy costs $20, they can see the progress toward earning it.
3. Celebrate streaks: Call out streak milestones at dinner. “Alex hit a 7-day streak!”
4. Weekly payout: Use the leaderboard’s weekly view to do a Sunday “payday” where kids receive their earnings.
5. Mix frequencies: Use daily chores for routine tasks (make bed, feed pet) and weekly chores for bigger tasks (vacuum, clean bathroom).
6. Keep it visible: Mount the display where kids pass it regularly — near the kitchen or in a hallway.
7. Let them choose: Give kids a say in which chores they take on. Ownership increases follow-through.
8. Bonus chores: Add occasional one-time chores with higher values for extra motivation.

Data storage

Chore data is stored in the browser’s localStorage:

This data persists across page reloads but is tied to the specific browser/device.

Troubleshooting

Chores panel shows “Add family members first”

You need to add at least one family member before you can create or view chores. See Family Members.

Streak reset unexpectedly

Streaks are based on consecutive calendar days. If a member completes chores on Monday and then not again until Wednesday, the streak resets to 1 on Wednesday. The check is based on the date portion of the completion timestamp.

Leaderboard shows $0.00 for everyone

Verify that:

1. Chores have a value greater than $0.00
2. Chores have been completed within the selected period (This Week or This Month)
3. The completions are recorded for the correct member IDs