Holly, great question! My younger kids were too young and immature at the time to understand and handle money. It just didn’t mean much to them. The treat box was much more exciting for some reason. Hope that helps!

Excellent question, Sabrina. The key to making this work is that they need to believe that you mean what you say. You may have to lose a few days in order to have the larger payoff. Once they see that you will do what you say AND they see their siblings receiving rewards, that will go a long way for most children. Yes, I do couple a short term reward with a long term reward. Many kids need that instant gratification as well as a looming goal at the end of the week. On a deeper note, I would have a continuous dialogue with the kids about self discipline, consistency, and putting forth effort. Make sure that they know you are still cheering for them, even if the miss the mark that day. Lay a boundary for what attitude is acceptable and what is not. If they cross the boundary, follow through. This might look different for each child and you will learn as you go. I hope that helps!

Also, how many times do you gently say, “You are making a costly decision..” before stating they have lost the day’s award? My problem is again, once that decision is made, the rest of the day is gone. What advice can you give? Thank you!!

Hey Carolyn, Thanks for the question! A child needs to earn 5 stickers (or however many days of school you do in a week) in order to earn a prize at the end of the week. Just picking out the sticker and putting it on their chart is exciting for some kids, but other kids may need more incentive. If your child is trying to push the edges of the boundaries with you, I recommend a “bookend” philosophy. You can read more about that in this post – When Your Child Refuses to Do School Work