• home
  • FREE resources
  • about
  • LITTLE shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
notice the LITTLE things

notice the LITTLE things

  • LITTLE blog
  • Start here
    • introduction
    • background
    • about me
    • LITTLE disclosure
  • practice daily gratitude
  • simplify home life
  • love your space

April 1, 2019 · 6 Comments

motivate your kids to help with mom bucks, a positive behavior incentive program

parenting & family· simplifying home life

rewards for good behavior

what is your biggest struggle as a mom? i have many, and they change from age to age, but the two that come up most often are:

{1} getting my kids to clean up without being asked.

{2} getting my kids to behave and be nice to each other consistently.

free printable kid's job chart

we solved the first struggle with our job chart. it has been a total lifesaver in reducing chore-related arguments in our house. it is the most basic job chart EVER, but it works. {you can read more about its simple magic and grab a copy for your own family here}.

the second struggle is much trickier. behavior. SO many things can affect behavior. the same goes with the way my kids play together. when they’re good at these things, they’re really good. and when they’re not? it’s hard.

last summer i was looking for a way to make my kids more mindful of their behavior and interactions. summer always magnifies these issues because we spend SO much time together.

i was talking with my friend mary, and she mentioned she started a system she called mom bucks. she explained that her kids earned fake money for doing positive things around the house. then they used the money to pay for things they wanted, such as screen time.

rewards for good behavior

mom bucks sounded like something we could use to address BOTH of our consistent struggles – chores AND behavior – so i set about making it work for our family. since summer is once again around the corner, i am revamping our mom bucks system and thought it would be fun to share it with all of you!

positive behavior rewards

these are our new PAID jobs. paid jobs are in addition to our daily job chart. our daily job chart did not change, but i added a $5 mom buck payment if morning and evening chores are done without asking and without complaint.

in addition to new paid jobs, our mom bucks chart includes tasks related to behavior and getting along. everything is organized by category. this helped me think of things to include that were age-appropriate and spread across multiple areas of the house.

rewards for good behavior

our mom bucks “bank” is located on my kitchen desk. we use play money we already had and the kiddos keep their money in an envelope that is pinned to the cork board above the bank. super simple!

rewards for good behavior

my kids definitely made a better effort to extend kindness and put others first with this new system. if you want to make it easy on yourself and use this mom bucks chart, you can sign up and grab a copy for your family here. you will also gain access to our job chart and other fun printables to help create a home and space where your family can thrive.

positive behavior rewards

our mom bucks store is detailed on a separate sheet. i did not want this new system to cost me a lot of money, so i brainstormed experience rewards first – staying up later, extra time with mom/dad, having a friend over. then i considered things my kids love like screen time, watching shows, and treats. for the toys column, we took a trip to the dollar store and dollar spot and each kiddo got $5 TOTAL to spend on toys to earn throughout the summer.

once the responsibilities and the store were defined, i went over the new system with the kids. these are the three main points we discussed:

  • you can earn mom bucks by doing things that are listed on the mom bucks chart. if you do something else that you think should earn you mom bucks, you are welcome to make your case.
  • you can lose mom bucks by complaining, not listening, not doing something the first time you’re asked, and unkind words towards family members or friends. the amount lost is always up to me depending on the severity of the offense.
  • you can spend mom bucks at any time. rewards can only be bought in the increments detailed on the list. you have to save up the full amount for each item.

i started each kiddo off with 10 free mom bucks, so they could feel extra excited about the whole thing. that was all it took for them to spend the next few days banking as many mom bucks as possible. no surprise, my son saved up for screen time and my daughter saved up for time to spend with mom and dad.

the mom bucks system is exactly what our family needed. it gave me a plan for endless summer requests – can i watch a show? can i play on the iPad? can i have a friend over? can i have a treat? can i stay up later? can i have some new pool toys? can we go to the movies? can you buy water balloons? SURE, turn in your mom bucks!

rewards for good behavior

did this turn my kids into perfect angels? ha. no. i’m not sure anything could do that! but there is no denying a dramatic improvement in behavior, their response to my requests, and getting along since we started mom bucks. mom bucks gave me a tool to help motivate behavior in this new season when time out isn’t much of a consequence anymore. no one around here wants to lose hard earned mom bucks!

you can grab everything you need to start this system in your own house for FREE in the LITTLE printable library here. plus, you’ll gain access to other helpful resources for making your home a place where the LITTLE things can flourish! once downloaded, you can personalize the mom bucks jobs and mom bucks store for your family, and transform behavior and attitudes around YOUR house too!

{want to save this idea for later? click the red save box on the image below to pin this post. or follow notice the LITTLE things on pinterest here.}

summer chore chart

rewards for good behavior

  • 1

LITTLE shop: reader favorites

kid's gratitude journals

make gratitude fun for the whole family!

time out for moms

a daily dose of gratitude for your busy mom day!

reclaim your joy

a busy mom's guide to increased gratitude in life's LITTLE things!

OTHER POPULAR POSTS

easy organizing ideas

the secret to staying organized

a simple and effective kid's job chart

how to paint furniture

how to paint bedroom furniture

clean kids room

my favorite room cleaning trick

Previous Post: « notice the LITTLE things march 29th
Next Post: notice the LITTLE things april 2nd »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tracie says

    August 12, 2020 at 3:15 pm

    Hi,
    How long does it take to get the link to download? I’ve signed up but haven’t received the link. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      August 19, 2020 at 10:16 pm

      tracie! i am so sorry i didn’t see this comment. did you get the link? it should actually come right away so if it didn’t, i apologize. can you let me know if you got it and if not, i will send it direct to your email?

      :: erin ::

      Reply
  2. Bree says

    July 21, 2020 at 11:59 pm

    Is this something that still works? I signed up but have gotten nothing. (been checking spam also)
    thanks!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      July 22, 2020 at 10:16 am

      yes, it still works! on my end i see that you have received an email on July 22 titled “welcome to the LITTLE resource library.” maybe if you searched for that title? so strange you aren’t seeing it. i assume you checked your promotional folder in case it went there (or maybe you have all of your folders combined in which case that advice wouldn’t help). please reach out via email erin@noticethelittlethings.com to let me know if you are able to find the email.

      :: erin ::

      Reply
  3. Mary says

    April 2, 2019 at 7:09 am

    Yay! Your system looks even better than mine! So glad to hear it’s working out.❤️

    Reply
    • Erin says

      April 3, 2019 at 9:00 am

      yes! it’s the best. thank you for saving my sanity with this idea!!

      :: erin ::

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

hi there!

i'm erin, and i'm so glad you're here!

i am a wife, mom, sister, and friend. i am a lover of lower case letters, chai tea, warm weather, and get-togethers. i can't wait to know you better. so pull up a chair, grab something to sip, and join me in noticing the LITTLE things.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

looking for something?

LITTLE resource library

Copyright © 2021 · ·Beloved Theme by Restored 316

this LITTLE blog uses cookies to personalize your experience and the ads you may see as a result of the pages you visit. you can read more about this in the LITTLE disclosure. by clicking accept, you are agreeing to those terms. LITTLE disclosure accept decline
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.