At our house a few morning chores is just the normal routine before breakfast….make bed, get dressed, dog care…then eat and brush teeth. No rewards:) Though during the school year I do let them watch a short t.v. show during lunch if they complete morning routine in 1 hr. or less (they were dawdling over meals!)
They know to clean up and put their dishes in the dishwasher after every meal. They’re supposed to pick up after themselves, too…but sometimes I need to remind:) If it gets bad, I tell them they’ll have to return the item to it’s place/garbage ‘their age.’ So 9yo walks back and forth 9 times, etc.
What helps me to keep it simple is Sat. morning is our ‘big chore day.’ We do all our weekly cleaning…dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms, small garbages. I do better w/a large chunk of labor than dividing up throughout the week. We don’t pay for any of this, but they do get a small allowance (unrelated to chores). The only chores we pay for are out of the ordinary things like raking leaves, cleaning windows, etc. Hope you find a system that works well! Blessings, Gina