Reward System

So i was surfing out in Blogland a while ago. I was surfing through How Does She If you haven't been there - you are missing out! AWESOME site!

Anyways.....

I saw a chore chart:

I thought it was awesome!!! I want to do something like that, BUT - My kids are still to little for chores, and I wanted to do a reward system, so I used this as my jump off point, I really gravitated to the popsicle sticks.

I was so tired of yelling at my kids and putting them in time out. Then I got thinking - I really never reward them when they are good, but they are punished when they are bad. Doesn't seem quite fair right - what is the incentive for not being bad - not going to time out?

So here come the Callahan Coins!

I looked downstairs in my craft room and got to thinking....what can I use that I already have.

I had these tins from the $1 store, they were like decorative tins. They were really ugly :) so I covered them - they were exactly 12x12 - to fit my scrapbook paper. I had wood coins and magnets and popsicle sticks and clothes pins. So I got to work.

Here is what it looks like on our fridge.

I took the tin's from the dollar store and covered them with scrap book paper I had. I just coated both sides with Modge Podge and stuck them together. I also rounded the corners with my corner chomper. I put eyelets in it too so it can hand with my crop a dile. Those things rock - they go right through tin!

This is where all of the coins are stored, until they are earned.

For the coins I used little wooden disks. There is a 5 and dime lace I live near - they were like $0.05 a piece - but you can find them at Joann's too. They are super cheap - and make great magnets. I had leftover round magnets. So I put scrapbook paper on top, and glued the magnet with E6000 (I think that is the glue). And tada - you have coins!

The rewards! I took an envelope - sealed it - and cut it in half. I decorated it with scrapbook paper and did a decorative punch on the top. It holds the rewards perfectly. I just decorated it with stickers I had on hand.

I secured it to the main chart with a simple decorated clothes pin. Done the same way as the coins - except I used ribbon instead of paper.

Then each girl gets there own chart. My Hayhay loves Blue - so everything is blue for her. I took a larger coin - I think it is about 2 inches around. And decorated it with on hand stickers and paper, and added a magnet.

Then Brianna got Pink - because that is her favorite. Decorated them the same way:

So here is the jist of it. When each girl earns 20 coins - they can pick from the prizes:

They are little things like: Dance Party (one of our Wii games), sticker, treat, shopping trip (meaning they get to go grocery shopping with us or something). But there surprisingly favorite part is one on one time with Mommy or Daddy. With three of them - they love the one on one time. My husband joked that "Daddy Time" was some sort of punishment. But both girls have requested it. It can range from a movie night with just one parent, to going off shopping, to reading in there room - there pick.

When they are bad - they loose a coin. I was pleasantly surprised (ok this is going to sound mean), how upset they got when they lost a coin. But when your almost three year old laughs in time out - she doesn't get that it is punishment. Loosing a coin - that hits home for them. BUT - when they are good - they look and say "Can I get a coin" OK - mostly it is "Can I get 4 coins because I am 4". They get to pick out there own coin when they earn it. It has been a life saver. Now - they will go that extra mile. "I shared my toy with Hayden - do I get a coin". I'll take it for as long as it lasts. So far we are on about 6 weeks and going strong!