This is Version 1.0. I made them small enough that I can reach all of the areas to be punched from either the top or the bottom of the card. (approx. 5.25" x almost 3") Print on cardstock, one card per child per week, grab my handy dandy star puncher, and set the kids to work.
What does it mean?
Gross confession alert: my kids have a hard time remembering to brush their teeth in the morning. This baffles me. And it is WAY past time for them to remember this on their own. So the top row (teeth) is brushing their teeth in the morning. If they don't have it done by the time I call them for lunch, no punch.
The second row (Bibles) is remembering to do their daily devotions. Dustin gives them a small passage to read and a question or two to answer. Then we talk about what they have read and learned at our family devotional time in the evening.
The yellow row is a mix of reading and journaling--M/W/F they read (I'm not asking them to read an entire 400 page novel, just a chapter or two in a book that is age-appropriate and that they enjoy.) T/Th they will be writing in their journal--a letter-type journal that I reply to. So, they write something, then I write something, back and forth. This is a fun thing to help improve their writing skills and learn something about each other.
Green: Math Facts. My kids know their math facts, they just don't know them FAST. I blame this on the fact that they have never had to "race their neighbor"--when you have one child per grade, that happens. So I've got some creative games and contests to help them get their math skills up to speed.
The blue row (sneakers) is exercise. I'm not talking about running a marathon, just some purposeful exercise. They can even count baseball practice or swimming lessons. (Or they can do Zumba with Mom!)
The last row is showering. What is it about summer that increases a child's ability to stink, and decreases their visits to the shower? Never mind, I don't want to know. All I want is for my kids to remember they need to shower every day.
On the right side at the top I have 5 "Men At Work" images. These are for 5 work projects to be completed sometime during the week. They will be different every day and can be things like weeding a flower bed, cleaning out their closet, picking green beans in the garden, or sorting out their too-small shoes. Hopefully this will get more of those projects I hope to get done in the summer, actually done.
Because I'm not a total slave driver and I know summer is a time for FUN, they are allotted 1 hour of computer time per week, which is shown in the bottom right corner of the punch card. Also, they get a reward if their punch card is all punched at the end of the week. It could be getting to have a friend over to play, going on a Saturday adventure, or something else they want.
"No TV?" you ask? As much as I would like to outlaw TV altogether, I do let them watch one (Mom approved) show per day (they must agree on the show) on Netflix IF (and ONLY IF) the house is all picked up. Every room. This helps keep things tidy.
So, that's our summer punch card program. I'll let you all know at the end of the Summer if it worked, or if we fizzled out on it by the 4th day!
No comments:
Post a Comment