Ohio just issued a shelter-in-place (stay at home) order effective tonight.
We were already doing this anyway, especially since both kids have had ongoing cold-like symptoms and we don’t want to risk spreading anything. When things are normal, trips to Target where they can make decisions on what to do with their allowance (blow it all on tchotchkes at the 1-spot, or save it for something they really want? I’m happy to report that the five-year-old is a saver) were a regular occurrence. Not any longer.
To be honest, during normal times their chore chart is somewhat of a, well, chore…for me. But keeping them motivated to behave, complete tasks and generally not let their brains rot in front of the TV* has been paramount during this quarantine.
Their responsibilities include:
being kind
being helpful (helping with misc. household chores)
being a good citizen
putting their laundry where it goes
cleaning up their messes
taking their plate to the sink
Now that their cash can’t really be spent in a store (I give them $3 each time they complete 5 days’ worth of responsibilities), I thought it might be fun to make them an old-school bank passbook like I had when I was a kid. Every time they complete their chart, they get $3 “deposited” into their account, which can be used for:
video rentals
channel subscriptions
iPad apps/games
in-app upgrades
candy that we’re hiding from them
We also receive a plethora of kid-geared catalogs in the mail that they love perusing - if there’s something they truly want, I’ll let them make a “withdrawal” in order to purchase it.
Once we’re able to move about more freely, and they’re begging me to go look around at Target, I’ll ask them if they want to make a cash withdrawal.
If you’d like to use this book at your house, you can download it! (it’s free)
It’s set up as a one-page zine. Just print, fold, and voilà. (here is how to fold/cut your zine)
Note: be sure to have your printer set to “Actual Size” vs. “Scale,” or everything will be off kilter.
Just a quick bit of info below (click here to read about digital privacy first), and it’s yours.
PS: what are your kids’ responsibilities? Comment below and tell us - we need ideas!
*they are still watching way more TV than normal; sometimes it’s the only way I can have a break from “mamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamama”