Saturday, April 19, 2008

Show Me The Money

For quite some time Tracey and I have been struggling with getting the kids to pick up after themselves. They get something out and when they are done with it down it goes....where ever they happen to be sitting at the moment. They leave their bikes, and scooters out. This causes a lot of stress in the evenings prior to getting ready for bed. The reason is because the kids (80% Jack) gripe about having to do it. He gets tired of having to do it and Tracey and I get tired of the fight so tempers rise, the bell rings, and the fighters go at it. Me or Tracey vs. Jack and Caroline.

So I have been thinking of how to beat this situation. I came up with a system and I did a trial run this afternoon and it worked to PERFECTION. Here is my system.

  • Identify an item that has been left out of place.
  • Pick up said item and the child puts the item away.
  • Child gets a tally point under their name for each item they put away in their proper place.
  • Each tally point the kids earn is worth 5 cents.

I tried this out this afternoon and not only did the kids pick up everything of theirs they picked up a couple items of mine and Tracey's and put them up too. They picked up everything and straightened up their play furniture in 10 minutes. The total cost to me 1 dollar per kid.

That is the best 2 bucks I have spent in a long time.

I thought about "Magic Trash" for when I want just one room quickly straightened. I used it in the classroom very effectively but I am still working out how I will use it in the home. When I figure it out I will post it for all to use with their kids.

2 comments:

The MAN Fan Club said...

I kind of play that game with my daughter. I bought an $8 Little Pet Shop toy kit from Ross and now I entice her by having her pick up or help for the same nickle. It works. I also throw out blind points that don't mean anything and she still responds to that. My 4 year old isn't game yet.

Anonymous said...

As I said before, if I thought this would work with husbands, I would do it in a heartbeat. I've always subscribed to the idea that money talks, it's just trying to figure out what you want it to say for you!