Getting through the LONG summer days!

Simple reward system to get you AND your kids through those long summer days!

I am constantly trying to come up with ways to motivate my kids in doing things they don’t want to do. Now that we are smack dab in the middle of summer and all of our kids are home climbing all over one another, I decided to share a little idea I’ve come up with that has CHANGED my life!! 


The other night, (which was only day 2 of my husbands 4 day work trip) I had the thought, “I DON’T WANT TO DO BEDTIME TONIGHT!!” This thought creeps into my mind Every.Single.Night! J When my husband is home, all I want is a vacation from the old bedtime routine. So anyway, about the same time the thought of not wanting to do bedtime came into my mind, I instantly had another thought that replaced it! 


I literally jumped to my feet and grabbed a sheet of paper , a pen, and some scissors. I quickly cut out a bunch of rectangles and simply wrote on the front “TICKET”. I then gathered my kids into the living room and told them that after story time and teeth brushing, they were going to climb into their beds and once in bed, I would place a ticket on their dressers. 


I promised them that if they would go to bed, (without the typical excuses–I have to go potty, I need a drink, I’m scared, etc.) their tickets would be there for them in the morning. Their reward is that they can have 20 min of computer time for every ticket they earn. 


I seriously wish I would have thought of this sooner because it worked! They spent WAY less time on the computer that normal. It worked so well that the next day I decided to add onto my little plan. I sat down with my kids at breakfast and informed them that every time I catch them doing something helpful around the house (make their beds without being told, picking up their toys, etc) they would earn a ticket. Because the whole bedtime thing is extra important to me, I told them that after one week of going to bed without the typical fight, I would treat them all to a movie. (You can totally decide what rewards are right for your individual families.)


I have tried placing stars on charts, but that never clicked. The simple piece of paper that simply says, “ticket” is a big deal to them. It has value because having it allows them to do something they LOVE. It has been a couple of weeks now and my kids are still loving it. This is the first reward system I have tried that we’ve been able to stick with!


I would love to see what other ideas you all have that my simple brain hasn’t thought of, so if you feel so inclined, leave a comment and share with us other ideas to help motivate our kids!!

Emily Christensen- Organizing Junky

Hi,  my name is Emily!  I’m a stay at home mommy of 3 little girls, ages 5, 3, and 2. I like my husband A LOT, and have been married to him for seven years! I have a NEED to be organized. I have found that my household runs smoother and my family is much happier when things can be found and things get done around here. I am so excited to share with you all a few creative ways that organization can be PRACTICAL, FUN, and BEAUTIFUL!

Oh, and don’t forget to check out my Etsy shop where you can find exciting, functional, and pretty little things for your home.

YOUR thoughts and ideas are always welcomed by me!  Send them my way, em_n_em80@hotmail.com.

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