My New Rewards Program

Okay, so I came across one of the best rewards programs for my children. I got the idea from the magazine Family Fun and then I kinda added my own little twist. I absolutely love that magazine by the way!

Anyway, this is our program. I posted a list of chores around the house that my kids can do to earn money (this is fake money that I printed off the website funstuff4kids.org). Anyway, the list ranges anywhere from doing dishes to cleaning up the apples that fall from our apple tree. This has even motivated my kids to clean up the dog mess in the yard! Today my oldest daughter asked if she could earn money by changing a messy diaper (ummmm, let me think about that one for about one nanosecond... yes!)

Okay, so on one sheet I have a list of extra chores they can do around the house. It's basically all the work that I normally do (dishes, dusting, sweeping, mopping, in addition to some mentioned above). Mike and I sat down and decided the amount of money each job would earn.

Earlier in the day I had sat down with the girls and together we came up with a list of things they would like to "buy" with their money. We decided on things like making our favorite dessert together, family bike rides, extra time on computer/video games, pizza party, etc. And, just as with the other list, Mike and I determined the cost of each of these items. They could be things that cost money or things that don't. I find the greatest motivators are the ones that don't cost me a dime!

The kids also have the opportunity to earn money morning and night by doing their "high-5". I found a template of a hand and made some copies and wrote down the 5 things we want done before school and at bedtime on each individual finger. So, for example, in the morning I wrote... get dressed, make bed, brush hair, eat breakfast, and brush teeth. And at night I wrote... pj's, brush teeth, brush hair, clean up, and read. Then I give them a time frame and I don't pester them. They either get it done in time and earn the money or they don't finish in time and miss out on the opportunity of earning more money. Of course, my 4-year-old needs a little more guidance than the older two!

I decided that in addition to this earning program, that I would establish a "maid service fee". If my children want me to be their maid and pick up after them, then I simply do it without warning (because I have ALREADY warned them about this). And then I let them know that they owe me $5 for picking up whatever it was that I did. This worked beautifully with my 6-year-old! I have battled with her for years to put her dirty clothes in the hamper. The other day I did it for a fee of $5. There were many tears shed, but guess who puts her dirty clothes directly in the hamper now! I implemented what I have learned from the book, "Parenting with Love & Logic" and I showed her empathy. It was a bummer, and I really felt sad for her, but it was a good learning experience for us both.

Anyway, so far this has worked better than anything else I have come across. I am doing much less work around the house. I am no longer nagging. I have so much more energy and patience!