Make a Stylish & Simple Magnetic Chore Chart for Kids
Calling all parents: If organization is anywhere on your list of resolutions this year, then you’re going to love this adorable DIY! Not only will this kid-friendly chore chart help you start your year off on a tidy foot, it’s also a really fun way to get your little ones more excited about their daily to-dos. Follow along with this super fun DIY project!
Charting My Path — Stylishly
Like everyone with small children, I am constantly in a battle for keeping up with chores and organization in my home. I decided it was time to make a chore chart that involves my kids in the process and helps them take some ownership over their tasks. I knew I wanted this chore chart to be personalized and easy for them to use, but I also didn’t want a decor eye sore. (Fellow mamas, you know the struggle!) Thus the design for my magnetic chore chart was born, and now that it’s been in use a couple of weeks I can attest to the fact that it’s both kid- and mom-approved.
I had so much fun making this project and since it’s super customizable, it’s perfect for everyone! Want to make your own? Let’s get started.
What You’ll Need to Make Your Chore Chart
Before we dive into the step-by-step, let’s talk supplies. This project married our love of magnetic Dots with our love of the Cricut Maker! (For those of you who are new to the Zappy Dots community, welcome! Here’s a little history on our Dots.)
These two tools go hand-in-hand — our Dot Machine and Cricut Maker are seriously a match made in heaven. While you can certainly manually cut out the art for your magnets using scissors or a circle punch, the Cricut cuts out Dots with perfect precision in a quarter of the time. Then our handy Dot machine turns each piece of artwork into its own adorable 1″ magnet.
Interested in a Dot maker of your own? Shop our favorite model below!
Chore Chart Supplies
- Cricut Maker 3
- Dot Machine (We like this USA Buttons The Machine 250 1-inch kit)
- Magnet Making Materials (We used the USA Buttons 1-inch Button Magnet Set)
- Permanent Glue Dots
- Cricut Removable Smart Vinyl
- Magnetic Board of choice (We used this one from Amazon)
- Cricut Transfer Tape
This project is done in two parts. First, I’ll show you how to customize your magnet board. Second, we’ll put together the adorable magnetic Dots. Ready? Here we go!
Phase 1: Magnetic Board
The Cricut Maker 3 makes putting together a personalized magnet board remarkably quick and easy!
Step 1: Design Your Magnet Board
The first thing you’ll want to do is design the magnetic board and layout of your chore chart. This will be totally customizable based on what works for YOU! For me, I wanted to keep it super simple for my littles with two easy-to-follow columns: “To Do” and “Done”.
Using a magnetic board that is also a white board was super helpful for drafting my design… I actually decided on the 3rd layout I tried!
Step 2: Cut Out Vinyl
After you have your final layout you’ll need to get everything prepped in Cricut Design Space. For my design, I used fonts and shapes to create the column headers, names, and dividing lines. Be sure to measure the spacing on your board so everything comes out to the right size. When you’re ready, load up your Removable Cricut Smart Vinyl and let the Cricut work its cutting magic!
Step 3: Adhere Vinyl to Board
Before you attach your vinyl, clean your board so there are no writing marks or dust. This will help the vinyl stick. You will want to start by cutting around each design and then weeding away the excess vinyl. Then you’ll use Cricut Transfer Tape to get your final designs from their original vinyl backing onto your white board!
TIP: Using the heat from your fingers pressing will help the design stick to the transfer tape. Remember, if you make a mistake don’t stress! We’re working with removable vinyl here.
There you go! The board is done. Now on to the Dot making!
Phase 2: Magnetic Dots
These custom 1″ magnetic Dots are really what make this chore chart stand out! The best part? Anyone can create their own designs with the ease of Canva! We used Canva to find the chore icons, change colors, and add our own backgrounds and colors. If you’re new to Canva, you can create a free account and still get some really adorable artwork. Get creative with it!
Step 1: Design Your Dots
Open a new 8.5 x 11″ project in Canva. The first thing you’ll want to do is make a 1.2″ circle outline shape on the page. Make the border as thin as you’d like and use this for your template. Copy/paste this circle to fill your page. Your page will look something like this:
Once your template is ready, it’s time to fill each Dot with a chore-related design. Don’t forget to make duplicates of any necessary ones. (For instance, 3 different “clean bedroom” dots if you have 3 kids, etc.) Utilize Canva’s extensive elements library for clip art or create your own designs. You can even upload your own photos (but remember they’ll be very small)!
TIP: Although the circles you’re making in Canva are 1.2″, this accounts for the edge that wraps around the sides — your finished magnetic Dots will be 1″. This means you don’t want to let your designs get too close to the border. Be sure to center and leave a margin around your chore artwork!
Take creative liberty and really make these Dots exactly what you need — and feel free to create a few fun extras. I made a cute star dot for each of my girls that I plan to use if they get their chores done without being asked.
Here is the finished page of our chore chart Dots.
Since the Cricut cuts so accurately, you could place your Dots closer together than we did and save some paper space — or make more Dots!
TIP: Make sure you leave the circle border around each Dot so the Cricut knows where to cut!
When you have your design finalized, export the document as the highest quality PNG. Now plug in your Cricut and let’s go!
Step 2: Cut Out Your Dots with the Cricut
We have to say, we have made A LOT of Dots, and this is as streamlined as cutting gets. Before we discovered the amazing print and cut ability of our Circut Maker we were *gulp* cutting out our Dots one-by-one with a hand punch. Let’s just say we are in love with the ease, speed, and accuracy (and lack of hand-cramps!) the Cricut brings to our Dot-making crafts!
To cut your sheet of Dots using your Cricut, simply open a new canvas and import your PNG Dot file as a complex design. Remove the paper background if prompted. Now your Dots will appear on your canvas in Cricut Design Space!
TIP: Create a simple circle in Cricut Design Space and make it 1.2″. Adjust your main design as needed so that your chore chart Dots line up perfectly with the template circle you just made. When you’re sure that the sizing is right, delete the circle.
Continue by clicking ‘Make’ and follow the prompts to use Cricut’s print and cut feature. Your dots will first print out from your connected printer (make sure ‘bleed’ is unchecked in the print settings when prompted by Cricut!) and then you will line up the design as shown on Cricut on your LightGrip Mat. Trust us, with paper you always want to use the LightGrip Mat!
Load your mat into Cricut and watch as it cuts out all your Dots perfectly!
Step 3: Carefully Lift Dots
Using your Cricut spatula or weeding tool, carefully peel your dots from the LightGrip mat and set aside. Take your time so you don’t rip or curl the papers.
Step 4: Make Your Dot!
Get out your button maker and all the supplies to make a magnetic Dot. You will need the metal button casings, the small plastic disk, a ceramic magnet, and a strong glue dot.
Following the directions for the Dot-making machine, load up your artwork and create your first chore Dot! Repeat the process until all of your Dots are made.
Now you’re ready to add the magnets to the backs of your Dots. Be sure to wipe down each ceramic magnetic using a microfiber towel or soft cloth first — they’re quite dirty and can leave marks on your board. Once the magnet is wiped, add a glue dot to one side then adhere it to the back of your chore Dot. Now your chore Dot is ready for your board!
Tips for Chore Chart Success
If you’re new to the chore chart game, here are a few tips for success:
- Placement matters. Put your chore chart in a prominent place where your kids will see it and remember they have a chore to do! I know the cutest place in my house would have been the laundry or mudroom, but guess what? My kids are NEVER in there. I ended up putting it right in the play loft and it made a big difference in making sure they remembered.
- Create consistency. We all know how hard it is to start a new habit. Keeping up with a chore chart can be the same for kids. For the first month try to create consistency by doing something fun everyday to help them remember to check it. I did an advent calendar thing of sorts by leaving a Hershey kiss on the top of the board by each name in the morning.
- Involve the kids. Let the kids help you choose the art and designs in Canva when you make the dots. This can help it feel more like “theirs” and get them excited to use it. If they’re old enough they can even help you load the Dot machine and create their own magnets — not only will this generate even more excitement about the project, but it may open their imaginations to future Dot-making endeavors as well. (Dot-making play dates, perhaps?)
We hope you enjoyed this Cricut Maker project! If you make your own magnetic chore chart we’d love to see it!
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