This guide covers configuring kids (children in your household) and parents (adults who approve chores and manage points).

[!TIP] > Parents can track their own chores too!: KidsChores now natively supports assigning chores to parents through a linked "Shadow" kid profile that is automatically managed. Parents can choose to enable/disable gamification and approvals, creating a streamlined task and chore manager while keeping robust scheduling, due dates, and all other native capabilities.

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1. Settings → Devices & Services → KidsChores → Configure
2. Select Manage Kid → Add Kid
3. Fill in the form and click Submit

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
Kid Name	Text	✅	-	Display name. Must be unique. Used in entity IDs.
Home Assistant User	Select	○	None	Link to HA user for access restrictions
Mobile Notify Service	Select	○	Disabled	Notification service (e.g., notify.mobile_app_*).
Language	Language	○	English	UI language for dashboard helper and notifications.

[!TIP] > Shadow kid profiles for parents have the same configurable settings but notifications are disabled by default to prevent duplicates—parents already receive chore notifications. Parents may re-enable and use to suit their needs, just be aware of potential duplicates.

Each kid gets a device with entities including:

• sensor.kc_<kid>_points - Point balance and statistics
• sensor.kc_<kid>_chores - Chores completed and statistics
• sensor.kc_<kid>_ui_dashboard_helper - Pre-sorted lists (chores, rewards, badges, etc.)
• sensor.kc_<kid>_chore_status_<chore> - Per-kid / Per-chore status tracking
• Chore buttons - Claim, approve, disapprove per assigned chore
• Reward buttons - Claim, approve, disapprove per assigned reward
• Bonus/penalty buttons - Per bonus/penalty
• calendar.kc_<kid> - Due dates

Full Details: See Technical Reference: Entities & States for complete entity list and attributes.

Edit: Configure → Manage Kid → Edit Kid

Remove: Configure → Manage Kid → Delete Kid

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1. Settings → Devices & Services → KidsChores → Configure
2. Select Manage Parent → Add Parent
3. Fill in the form and click Submit

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
Parent Name	Text	✅	-	Display name. Must be unique.
Associated Kids	Multi-Select	✅	-	Kids this parent can manage.
Home Assistant User	Select	○	None	Link to HA user for authorization.
Mobile Notify Service	Select	○	Disabled	Notification service for pending approvals.
Dashboard Language	Language	○	English	UI language (if chore assignment enabled).
Allow Chore Assignment	Toggle	○	False	Create shadow kid so parent can be assigned chores.
Enable Chore Workflow	Toggle	○	False	Parent chores use claim→approve workflow.
Enable Gamification	Toggle	○	False	Parent participates in points system.

Key Notes:

• Associated Kids (Required): At least one kid must be selected.
• Home Assistant User: If linked, only that user can approve chores (authorization check).
• Allow Chore Assignment: Creates "shadow kid" - parent appears in chore assignment dropdowns.
• Enable Chore Workflow: Without this, parent chores use one-click approval.
• Enable Gamification: Without this, parent chores complete without points.

When Allow Chore Assignment is enabled, a shadow kid is created, allowing chores to be assigned to the parent.

Aspect	Regular Kid	Shadow Kid (Parent)
Created via	Kids menu	Parents menu (automatic)
Managed via	Kids menu	Parents menu to enable / Kids menu for customizing
Points sensor	Always	Only if gamification enabled
Claim button / Dissapprove button	Always	Only if workflow enabled
Approve button	Always	Always (Approve handles claim and approve in one click)

Entity Naming: Shadow kids use parent's name (e.g., sensor.mom_kidschores_chore_status_mow_lawn)

Deletion: Deleting parent deletes shadow kid and all entities.

[!NOTE] > Existing Users—Upgrade Your Manual Kid Profile: If you've been using a regular kid entity for yourself, use the one-time linking service in Service: Shadow Kid Linking User Guide to migrate that kid to a parent's shadow kid account. This preserves all history and chore assignments without re-setup. Simply enabling Allow Chore Assignment on a new parent would create a duplicate shadow kid and lose your existing data.

Advanced: For more details on linking and managing shadow kids, see Service: Shadow Kid Linking User Guide.

Tier 1: Basic Approval (Default)

• Can: Approve kid chores, approve rewards, apply bonuses/penalties
• Entities: None

Tier 2: Parent with Chores (Approval-Only)

• Config: Allow Chore Assignment = True
• Can: Be assigned chores, one-click approval
• Entities: Chore sensors, approve buttons, calendar
• Missing: Claim/disapprove buttons, points

Tier 3: Parent with Workflow

• Config: Chore assignment + Enable Chore Workflow = True
• Adds: Claim and disapprove buttons

Tier 4: Full Gamification

• Config: All options enabled
• Adds: Points, rewards, badges, bonuses/penalties

Edit: Configure → Manage Parent → Edit Parent Remove: Configure → Manage Parent → Delete Parent

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1. Kid claims → Parent notified
2. Parent approves → Points awarded
3. Alternative: Parent disapproves → Returns to pending

Tier 2: One-click approve → Complete Tier 3: Claim → Other adult approves → Complete Tier 4: Same as Tier 3, with points

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Issue	Solution
"Must have at least one associated kid"	Select at least one kid
Shadow kid entities missing	Enable Allow Chore Assignment
Parent doesn't have Claim button	Enable Enable Chore Workflow
Parent doesn't have points	Enable Enable Gamification

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• Quick Start Guide - First-time setup
• Technical Reference: Entities & States - Complete entity details
• Service: Shadow Kid Linking User Guide - Advanced shadow kid management
• Dashboard: Auto-Populating UI - Dashboard helper usage

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Last Updated: January 2026 (v0.5.0)