Getting Started: Quick Start - ad-ha/kidschores-ha GitHub Wiki

Quick Start Guide

Walk through creating your first kid, parent, and chore to understand the basic KidsChores workflow.

[!NOTE] This guide covers the minimum steps to get started. For complete configuration options, see the entity-specific guides linked below.

What You'll Do

By the end of this guide, you'll have:

  • ✅ Created your first kid
  • ✅ Created your first parent
  • ✅ Created your first chore
  • ✅ Tested the claim-approve-points workflow

Time required: ~10 minutes

Step 1: Create Your First Kid

Kids earn points by completing chores.

Required field:

  • Name: Enter the kid's name (e.g., "Sarah")

All other fields are optional. Click Submit to continue.

Navigation: Settings → Devices & Services → Integrations → KidsChores → Configure → Manage Kid → Add Kid

For complete kid configuration options (icons, Home Assistant user linking, notifications, etc.), see Kids and Parents Guide.

Step 2: Create Your First Parent

Parents approve chores and manage the system.

Required field:

  • Name: Enter the parent's name (e.g., "Mom")

Important field:

  • Associated Kids: Select which kids this parent can manage (select "Sarah")

All other fields are optional. Click Submit to continue.

Navigation: Settings → Devices & Services → Integrations → KidsChores → Configure → Manage Parent → Add Parent

For complete parent configuration options, see Kids and Parents Guide.

Step 3: Create Your First Chore

Let's create a simple chore to test the workflow.

Required fields:

  • Name: "Make Bed"
  • Default Points: 10
  • Assigned Kids: Select "Sarah"

Recommended settings (for testing):

  • Recurring Frequency: Select "Daily"

All other fields can use default values. Click Submit to continue.

Navigation: Settings → Devices & Services → Integrations → KidsChores → Configure → Manage Chore → Add Chore

For complete chore configuration options (recurrence patterns, approval settings, overdue handling, etc.), see Chores Guide.

Step 4: Test the Chore Workflow

View Entities Created

Developer Tools → States

Search for "sarah" to see the entities created:

  • Points sensor (sensor.sarah_kidschores_points): Shows current points balance
  • Chore status sensor (sensor.sarah_kidschores_chore_status_make_bed): Shows chore state (pending, claimed, approved, overdue) and statistics
  • Chore buttons: Claim, approve, and disapprove buttons

For a complete list of all entity types, see Entities Overview.

Understanding the Workflow

Here's the basic chore cycle:

1. Chore Created → Status: pending
   ↓
2. Kid Claims → Status: claimed
   ↓
3. Parent Approves → Status: approved (points awarded)
   ↓
4. Approval Reset Time (e.g., midnight) → Status: pending (cycle repeats)

Key points:

  • Points are awarded when a parent approves
  • Approved chores reset to pending based on their approval reset schedule (default: At Midnight (Once), meaning the chore can be completed once per approval cycle)
  • When the approval reset occurs, recurring chores are rescheduled to their next due date based on recurrence settings
  • Parents and kids can receive notifications when chores are acted on (if configured)

Claim the Chore

Developer Tools → Actions

Call the button press service:

action: button.press
target:
  entity_id: button.sarah_kidschores_chore_claim_make_bed

Check the status sensor (sensor.sarah_kidschores_chore_status_make_bed) - state should now be claimed.

Approve the Chore

Developer Tools → Actions

Call the button press service:

action: button.press
target:
  entity_id: button.sarah_kidschores_chore_approval_make_bed

Check the status sensor - state should now be approved.

Check Points Awarded

Developer Tools → States

Find the points sensor (sensor.sarah_kidschores_points) - it should now show 10 points.

Using a Dashboard

Instead of using Developer Tools, you'll want a user-friendly dashboard for everyday use.

This integration handles all the backend work - it creates all the entities you need (sensors, buttons, etc.) so you can display them however you like. You have complete creative freedom to:

  • Build custom Lovelace cards using the entities from Entities Overview
  • Create your own dashboard layouts that match your family's needs
  • Use any Home Assistant dashboard features (conditional cards, badges, graphs, etc.)
  • Integrate with other integrations and automations

However, the quickest way to see everything is to use the Auto-Populating Dashboard. This pre-built UI automatically displays all your kids, chores, rewards, and badges with no manual entity configuration - just add the dashboard YAML and it works immediately.

See the Dashboard Wiki for installation instructions, or explore the Entities Overview to build your own custom interface.

What's Next?

Now that you understand the basics, explore:

Remember: This guide shows the minimum required fields. Each entity type has many more configuration options available in the full guides linked above.