Not Bored with this Board!- Summer Chore, Learning, and Allowance Board

Summer sure is flying by. Only a few short weeks before it's time for getting up earlier, hours of homework, and cramming any fun or relaxation for the kids onto the weekends. Of course- the summer months at our household haven't exactly been just laziness in the sunshine. No- I made sure my kiddos had some daily to do things to keep them busy, to exercise their brains, and to allow them opportunity to enhance their summertime experiences with some of their own spending money. Hence- our Summer Stars Whiteboard above.

I have found that having a system that combines rewards with consequences works very well with my children. So- for the positive part- my children can earn stars for completion of work through the week. The more stars they earn the better the reward. 6 stars = Special Treat (ice cream, cupcakes, their own candy snack mix, etc) with a late night movie on Friday or Saturday. 7 stars = Same thing AND the privilage of being able to play computer and video games over the weekend. 9 stars = Treat, Movie, Games, AND camping out in the living room one weekend night or camping outside in a tent. They only earned ALL stars once this summer and we actually went on a camping trip.

The consequences for bad attitudes, lying, tattling, arguing, slacking on chores, etc are 3 strikes. Because children aren't perfect (they are only human) I have to remember to give a few "chances" before taking away any privelages. There are some days when more than just "3 strikes" occur and other disciplinary action is needed (naps, corner time, etc) but this system seems to work pretty well. Here's how it works- each time my children act out of line to what they are expected to act like or when they do something wrong and they know better- they are given a strike for their negative behavior. If they get 3 strikes in a day- then they need to go to bed at 8:30pm (which is about 45 minutes early on a weekday and can be up to 2 hours early on a weekend). They also lose one of their "tallys" which I will explain next...

 My children earn tallies when they complete their daily chores, weekend chores, and learning activities I have come up with to keep their brains fresh "in the know" on reading, writing, and math. Tallies then add up to stars. Weekday chores include: dishes, feeding the chickens, feeding the dogs and cats, taking out the compost, taking out the garbage, wiping down bathroom counters, and setting the table for dinner. There are 6 days of opportunity- Sunday through Friday. Each day of completed chores equals a tally. 6 tallies equals a star.  Then there are weekend chores- bedroom, laundry, and superclean bathroom tub and floor. Each completed weekend chore is just one tally and a star automatically when completed. Then there are reading, journaling, and math activities that I've prepared for the kids to do each evening. When completed they get tallies. As you can see- they did need to read 7 times during the week, do 6 journal activities, and complete 4 math activities. I've eased up on them for August and brought the journaling down to 5 and reading down to 6 times- it can just be too difficult to accomplish so much. :) Anyway- each time equals a tally and when all tallies are earned it equals a star. Again- the more stars earned the more fun can be had!

 

Now, I am a parent who doesn't believe in allowance for chores that should be done as a "help" to the family anyway.  But I still believe in giving my children extra opportunity to earn some allowance for their own personal spending and to learn the value of money and saving too. So I came up with a few "extra chores" that can be done by choice to earn money for summer spending. Things such as weeding the garden, helping clean the kitchen stove, counters, fridge, putting away groceries, wiping down doors and cupboards, etc. When my children complete, and I review, one of these "Extra $ Chores" they move the magnet to their "bank" area so at the end of a week I can total it up and give them half for spending and half for their bank accounts. My kids have worked extra hard this last week to earn money for a skating field trip they are taking with the Boys and Girls Club tomorrow. My son likes to buy himself water bottles and treats in the vending machines. And my daughter is striving to save so she can buy fake nails and glue to use. I'll humor her on that one until school starts. :)


So- that's my board for keeping my kiddos from being bored. Did you implement any reward systems over the summer? Do you have your children earn allowance? I'd love to hear your input! Please share your delightful perception!

Schools out for Summer... What to do with the kids...

With school getting out, we all have the fear of our children getting bored out of their minds and driving us out of our minds too... Here are just a few ideas to help keep kids busy this summer and you can have a good time with these too!

1. Purchase a trampoline. I know these are expensive, and this may need to be a future toy to get after some money is saved up, but this was the best investment in an outdoor toy that I've ever made. We got one for Father's day due to a couple of our bills going down and the kids play on this for HOURS. And they try and keep from arguing so they can both stay and jump instead of have to get off... I love this thing. :)

2. Have a neighborhood bike parade or race. Have kiddos bring their helmets and bikes over to your house, dish out small party favor prizes to winners of "best decorated bike", "biggest bike", "fastest bike", etc and serve up some frozen popsicles and cookies as snacks.

3. Have the kids help plant and maintain a strawberry or pumpkin patch. The plants are easily identifiable which help them not to be picked while the children are "weeding". Then when berries or pumpkins are ready, the kids will have pride that they produced them!

4. Keep a "summer adventures" journal. I had my kids decorate a piece of paper and I slipped it into one of those 3 ring binders with the area for an insertable page. I then put in 4 dividers as areas to write "entries": Summer fun, God made me great, Things I should work on, and Something I learned. This way, the kids can keep up on some of their writing skills as well as reflect on what they have done, who they are, and what they have learned. My kids love it so far- I hope the love lasts all summer!

5. You will have rainy days during the summer when outside is just not an option. Board games, computer games, TV games, movies. Those are all great things to resort to... But maybe building a puppet stand out of boxes would be so much more stimulating to the imagination! My kids had such a blast with coming up with a "design" for the puppet stand, then writing out their story, and then acting it out with handpuppets (which you could totally make out of socks or paper bags too!).

6. Have a pool party! (Sign courtesy of GiggleBees on Etsy- click photo to go to the shop). If you have a pool, great, if not- pretend to! Get some great pool party favors (see my Etsy treasury list below for some ideas), invite a few kids over asking them to wear bathing suits and bring towels, and get wet somehow! Kiddie pools, water balloons, water guns, sprinklers, etc. Can be a great time for kids to play together outside and no need for worrying about entertaining them or organizing any special games... children really can keep themselves busy if directed to a positive outlet!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NTc5MzIxMnwyNzIyOTczMjI0/its-officially-summer-lets-have-a-pool?index=0

7. And even if the kids don't like the idea- have them help with some chores around the house. Have them earn money to go do things as a family- movies and snacks, baseball games, treats at a theme park, etc.

I hope you and your kiddos have a great summer!