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Let’s face it, kids aren’t always the perfect angels we wish they were. My girls are good kids overall, but they need incentive now and then. They fight like any siblings do and they are both just as stubborn as their mama. When my daughter started Preschool her teacher introduced her to something called DoJo Points. Basically the kids could earn points, or lose points, depending on their behavior. Parents can log in to an app on their phone and see when they gain/lose points and why. This was a great tool for her and her attitude immediately turned around. I wanted to do something like this for her at home, and that is how I came up with what we call, monster points.
This has worked wonders for both of my daughters. You would be surprised what the threat of losing a monster point will do to them. We have three mason jars on our buffet in the dining room. A larger one in the middle that holds a bunch of pom-poms, which we call monster points. Each of the girls have a smaller mason jar next to the larger one which is where they collect their points. They earn points for doing things like finishing their dinner, cleaning their rooms, setting the table, and brushing their teeth. They get points taken away when they do things like argue or not listen to instructions (we usually give them one chance to turn it around before taking away points).
Once they fill up their jar, they earn a reward. We usually go shopping for their rewards before they fill up their jars so that they can physically see their reward – and when they look in the jar they can physically see how many more points they need to earn it. They usually pick items like LEGO sets, Barbies, Nintendo DS Games, and Play Sets – but of course you could set limits on the value of the reward, or even give cash if you prefer. Honestly, I was shocked at how well this worked. They have offered to do extra chores in order to earn more points more times than I can count. Monster points have created a much more peaceful home for us!
