Chore Cards



Eila Bean playing the matching game with the pile of shoes at the front door
(Sorry for the crappy Iphone photo quality!!)

I know it’s probably not the best parenting technique out there, but let me tell ya, bribery works. At least it works in my house. I am not a fan of giving a kid candy just to keep them quiet in a store (though I have been known to keep sweets and treats in my purse to use as a pre-emptive strike...). I do think that the promise of reward for good behaviour works in keeping the good behaviour on track.

Source

I know that some parents use an allowance system, and I think I probably will too when the girls get a bit older. My friend Alana of Alana Joy Photography made up these adorable save, store and spend jars for her girls, and I think I’ll make them in the fall for my girls.
I always had an allowance as a kid and loved saving the money from my piggy bank and using it to buy fun and exciting things, usually at the ice cream truck or the toy store. For my kids, this summer anyway, I’m going to try something a little different; we’ll see how it goes.

I went out and purchased a bunch of inexpensive prizes at the dollar store. Then I made up these babies:

They are chore punch cards. Once the girls finish their daily chores, they will get one punch on the punch card. If they volunteer to do extra chores, they can extra punches. I made some extras for my friends kids, in case they want to try them!

Once the punch cards are all filled up, they can redeem the punch card for a prize from our prize basket.

Here are the extra chores the kids can do to earn extra punches on their card:
* Empty the dishwasher (and stack the dishes on the counter)
* Match all of the shoes from the front door (and help put them outside)
* Sort the laundry
* Water the garden, front and back
* Put away groceries

Hopefully the girls get really excited about their chores and work hard to get them all done!  I'll let you know how it goes!!