Summer Chore Plan

Each summer as the last day of school looms, I think to myself “This summer is going to be great! We’re going to practice our reading and writing skills so they don’t regress over the summer and we’re going to get out and explore!” Let’s just say it’s one or the other by the end of summer and three kids cooped up inside is not a pretty sight.

This summer I am determined to work out a system that gets us the best of both those worlds! I just need a game plan, so here goes.

When I was a child my mother worked for a company teaching people how to use computer software. Computers weren’t nearly as prevalent back then, so it was a relatively lucrative business. My mother’s employer decided to roll out a set of incentives that holiday season to make it the best season ever, tying bonuses into sales. It was a huge success, until the owner tripped over his own great idea.

You see, upon raking in oodles of extra money for a record breaking quarter, he then had to sit down with his checkbook and share a large portion with those employees that had earned it. He could have continued to have this great success every year for years to come. Instead, he decided that he didn’t like sharing so much of his nice bigger pie and withdrew the monetary incentives, but asked his employees to give him just as much extra oomph the following year. I think it goes without saying that they never had a quarter like that one again, because where was the incentive?

What does all this have to do with kids doing chores, you say? Well, I have never forgotten that story and how giving people incentives that benefit them directly can boost their productivity.

Enter my Two Part Summer Chore Plan!

Part One: I sat down and learned How to ChoreMonster Like a MOTHERSHP!

 

Part Two:

This part required a trip to Michael’s and some creativity. I purchases three hanging metal sheets at Michael’s, a pack of small magnets, star shaped beads and three magnetic containers with lids. Cutting fun shapes out of card stock, I glued magnets to the back of each using different shapes/colors for each child.

Once the glue dried, I put learning chores on each one for each child. Reading time, practice worksheets, 4 summer workbook pages, 2+ extra workbook pages and a bonus magnet from each parent. Each child has eight learning chores they can earn each day.

Each magnet is worth 1/2 star. If they complete all eight they receive four stars.  They can then exchange ten stars for a prize from the small prize box just for these learning chores. I filled the box with all kinds of small treasures including, silly putty, toy cars, bubbles, puppy figures; all the little things my kids love to collect.

After hearing my youngest son say he was saving his up to see what he could get, I amended the prize structure to include the option of turning in 20 stars for 3 prizes and 30 stars for 5 prizes from the box at once.

I have to say, with the small prizes throughout the week and the big prizes earned every week or two, my kids can’t wait to do their chores!

Happy Crunchy Life!