My sister, Alexis (the brain behind the washi tape menu planner), is always on the hunt for useful things to do with washi tape. I asked her to share her recent clever project with us today:
Inspired by a cute post over on The Creative Mama, we made ourselves reward jars this weekend.
My daughter needs a motivational boost for the ever-challenging world of reading while my son needs to learn that good things can happen when you cooperate, listen and begin to face a world without diapers.
I'll admit that bribing your children is a short-lived solution that has long-term drawbacks BUT the reality is that, as adults, we are bribed and bribe ourselves regularly. Our favourite places reward us for our patronage (Starbucks Rewards, Longos Rewards, Canadian Tire Money, etc). If we fundraise to a certain level, we get a "prize". Plus, I'm guilty of saying "if I get through this day, I can't wait to enjoy a movie tonight." It's a reality of our society and, needless to say, I'm momentarily making peace with it to see if we can get results.
So, we took our dwindling collection of washi tape (don't worry, I know where to get more!) and two awesome square (ahem - easy!) vases and began.
Next, I put four even reward lines on the jars. Reaching the first line earns you treat from our treat jar. Getting to the second line lets you watch a movie. The third line equals a $10 toy from the toy store. And the fourth line earns you a family dinner in a restaurant of your choice.
I decided to use pop-it beads as the jar fillers, but as choking hazards are always a concern, I may need to choose something bigger to keep my mind at ease.
There is much excitement about the jars and we have already added three beads to one jar and ten to the other. I have decided that all the beads are cumulative and I will not remove them after each reward is earned. If I wanted to teach a more financial lesson about saving vs. spending, I might have done so, but for now I need results, so I'm keeping it simple!
Have you had success motivating your kids with rewards?
Please share your reward ideas with us so I can change things up with more creative ideas!
