The Point System

We have 2 very competitive boys in our house, currently 7 and 5 years old. We needed a way to ensure they were following the house rules in a positive way.  So, about a year ago, my husband and I came up with a Point System that has worked MAGIC at our house.  We popped up a dry-erase board and the game works like this:

1. We made a few house rules and posted them. We kept the list short - maybe 5 tops. Easy to remember, very black and white rules.

2. The boys start with 3 points. They get points for doing things above and beyond, eating all of their food, being kind, etc. They lose points by breaking a rule.

3. When they get to 7 points, they get a dollar - this is the real winner here - MONEYYYY!

4. If they lose all their points (which is rare) then we take $1 away from them. They HATE losing money! If they don't have any money, we take a toy.  They get the toy back when they've earned a point back for good behavior.

5. After they've gotten to 7 and gotten their dollar, they start back over at 3!

As you can see in the pic above, when I don't have cash in my wallet, they get a note with the amount earned on it. Then they can cash it in later when I've been to the bank =).

My 5 year old step-son saved up to $150 recently! He gets money by points of course, staying on green all week at school, and doing chores.  He is a chore machine, and likes to spend his weekends finding ways to make more money!  At first I thought the competition of the points would motivate my stepsons, but really it's the money that is the true motivator.

Now that the 7 year old is in 2nd grade, he gets $2 every time he finishes a chapter book as well. We just had to order more books yesterday! His class does the DoJo points, so the points he gets at school, or gets taken away at school, transfers point for point at home. This kid likes to spend his money on candy - such a sweet tooth!

Sometimes when a point isn't enough of a bribe, we will dangle a dollar.  "Eat all your broccoli and you'll get $1." Boom. Veggies. Winning.

When they needed a motivator to care about money, we would tell them the cost of things they really want. Panthers football tickets, video games, a special toy, a new ipad - and like magic, they care about earning money. Which means they care about not breaking rules. Truly - it's amazing. I SWEAR by this system! 

If you're trying this at home, keep in mind that this didn't start motivating them overnight.  It took them being able to buy their frist prize with their own money before the message really hit home.  Stick with it though, because it's worth it!

What do you do at your house to keep your kids following the rules? What motivates them?

xo-Ava