Pentagon Punch-Out

A complete change and almost miracle has occured in our home this past week. Three mornings in a row James, William, and Peter have been independent in getting up, dressed, beds made, room cleaned, teeth brushed, with morning prayers said all before 7:45 am.

This little icon was designed on Adobe then laminated and pinned up in their room as a reminder. The motivation? Punch-out cards. They get one punch for every task completed and double punches if done by 7:45. They are also eligible for an extra punch if they help out another individual who may be struggling with their tasks. At the end of the week we will count up the number of punches and the boys will have an opportunity to "shop" the treasure box filled with all sorts of surprises each with a price.

Originally, Paul and I thought to motivate the boys with allowance but we found too many dollar bills laying around all crumpled up in balls, and folded into fans and bowties. The idea of the "shop" came from my experience teaching english to young children in China. They were given a little plastic token everytime they repeated a new language concept and once a week given a chance to "shop" for treasures. (I passed on the tokens for the boys because I knew they would be all over the house in no time!)

I was amazed how well the motivation worked with those cute little Chinese kids. I don't know why I didn't think to do this same system with my own kids any earlier.