Motivation from within

We bought a book for the girl which included a reward chart and stickers. I decided to put it to use. There are 5 items on the challenge list. And if the kids rise to the challenge they get a sticker. At the end of the week, if they get at least 5 stickers, they receive a sticker and if they get 7 stickers, they get to exchange it for a token. I attached a monetary value to the tokens. Yeah. I'm a real bad mommy. I figured that we like to buy things for them anyway so might as well have a reason to. :P

Some of the challenges include doing things themselves, being helpful, doing things fast etc.

So for the whole of last week, I had a very good pair of kids who helped me tidy up the bed in the morning, who wakes up on their own and gets ready for school on their own, who hangs clothing at the right places on their own, who eats fast and on their own, who gets ready for bed on their own, who does everything else fast, who does their homework and pack their school bags on their own and quickly too.

Ah...... wonderful..... I wonder how long it will last. They have said that they want to accumulate more $$ so they want to carry on for longer. After they save enough money, they want to go to the shop and pick something they like. That will give me a chance to teach them the value of money too. They will receive only a small amount so they will realise they can't buy very much with it. :P

I feel really guilty about attaching a monetary value to the reward for being good but I just couldn't think of anything else. I have decided that after this new novelty has worn off, I will give them a box of surprises to pick from. I will write on pieces of paper things which they like very much, like "playing tic tac toe with mommy" or "another story at bedtime" or "going to the park" etc, then fold up those pieces of paper and let them pick one once they have accumulated their tokens. Yes, that will be much better but then it requires more effort from me.

Still, I think its worth it as the kids have been really good, really, really good.

Here's a picture of the rewards chart and the challenge my kids gave me.