A Digital Calendar and Chore Chart in One Screen
Every family runs the same two systems: a calendar (who needs to be where) and a chore chart (who's doing what). And in most kitchens they live in different places — the calendar on someone's phone, the chore chart on paper that stops being true by Wednesday.
Putting both on one always-on screen changes the dynamic: kids check the screen instead of asking you, and the screen — not a parent — is the one saying whose turn it is.
Why rotation beats assignment
Paper chore charts fail for a predictable reason: someone has to maintain them, and re-negotiate them every time a kid declares "I did it yesterday!"
DinkyDash handles this with automatic rotation. You define each recurring chore once — say, set the table and feed the dog — and list who's in the rotation. Every day, the assignment advances automatically and appears on the dashboard next to the child's name:
🍽️ Set table — Jun 🐕 Feed dog — Mina
Nobody negotiates with a screen. The rotation is provably fair (it cycles through everyone in order), it never forgets, and it resets fresh every morning alongside the day's calendar events, birthday countdowns, and an AI-written daily brief.
Your options for a calendar + chore chart screen
| Option | Cost | Chore features |
|---|---|---|
| DinkyDash (screen you own) | Free, open source | Automatic daily rotation |
| Skylight Calendar | $299–$629 | Chore chart free; rewards need Plus ($79/yr) |
| Hearth Display | $699 + $9/mo | Routines and task assignments |
Prices checked July 2026.
Skylight and Hearth both do chores well — that's part of why families pay for them. But if the hardware price is the obstacle, the free route gets you the core loop (visible chores, fair rotation, zero nagging) on a screen you already own. Our DIY guide shows the whole build, and the getting started guide has the copy-paste setup.
The countdown trick
One more thing that earns its place on the chore screen: countdowns. "8 days until your birthday" and "19 days until vacation" give kids a reason to look at the dashboard voluntarily every morning — and while they're there, they see whose turn the dishes are. That's the whole trick, honestly.
Set it up this weekend: Getting started with DinkyDash — or join the hosted-version waitlist if you'd rather skip the setup.