My husband and I have been in the parenting game for over 10 years. We have tried several different chore charts and disciplinary tactics for our 4 kids. Some worked fine (for a while), and others failed immediately. Recently, we came across a method that covers both ~ getting our children to do their part around the house and drastically improving their behavior. Now, I know that this method won't work for everyone, but it is working wonders for us. Here's how it works:
At the beginning of every month, each child gets an allowance. You can customize this to your own family needs, but we give our kids $5 each. The allowance needs to be given in quarters. No matter how the month before went, bad or good, each child gets their allowance on the first day of the month.
If a child misbehaves, take away a quarter.
If your kids fight, take away a quarter.
If they don't make their bed, take away a quarter.
If a child unloads the dishwasher without being asked, give them a quarter.
If your kids go an entire day without fighting, give them a quarter.
If they happily go the extra mile, give them a quarter.
Again, you can and should customize this to your own family. We don't give quarters for doing their regular chores. That's just something they need to do. If they don't do their chores, bye-bye quarter. On the last day of the month, we help them split their quarters into savings and spending.
Here's what we as parents have learned from this system:
The first month or two, our kids almost ran out of quarters completely. We have to consciously be aware of giving them quarters, because we don't want this to have a negative implication. But now, they come out pretty even, and often with a couple more quarters than with what they started. They are trying to find ways to earn quarters, and this Mama is LOVING it! There is less whining, less bickering, and less fighting. There is more helping, more sharing, and more loving. It is working great for us, and I hope it can work great for you!
No comments:
Post a Comment