Month: August 2023

This summer, our homestead (full of children) experienced a version of what many families with children experience and that is boredom.

Boredom can get some kids in trouble – other kids are aware enough to engage in projects like building forts, lego creations, puzzles, etc. Our kids are somewhere in the middle. They engage with stuff, but end up leaving the messes to find something new. Meanwhile, who is marking off the chores?

Chores, even though notifications were going out from the app, were being left undone. So we realized we could get a new sense of motivation if we attached a prize to completing chores. Our trial run was to have a prize of a run to the local ice cream parlor if 99 tasks were completed. We have about 20 tasks that show up daily, so the prize could be earned within a week. It was!

So the next week, once the emails arrived in everyone’s inbox that the prize was earned, we went out for ice cream! Would we have gone out either way? Probably. I mean, summertime fun in the evenings includes ice cream occasionally, so it made sense. But they got such a sense of completion. And harmony, working together to complete the chores and reach the goal.

Next, we tried setting a big goal: 399 chores completed to get to have a bounce house rental for a few days. The children/team rallied. It took several weeks but they stayed on track with a little nudging. Again – would we have rented it anyway? It was on my personal goal list for the summer – so yes. But we were able to direct the energy and focus of the kiddos toward a common goal and everyone got to celebrate.

Could your family benefit from a system like this? Let us know or better yet, join us.