Here's a wonderful strategy my husband came up with to keep the kids wanting to stay busy and try new things over the summer.
We developed a chart in which the kids could rack up points trying new activities, new foods and working on some of the basics like reading and regular exercise.
The goal was to do things to accumulate 500 points over the summer, for which they would be rewarded with a special treat at the end of the summer. I think the boys are both hoping for rollerblades. We'll see what the chart fairy has to offer. ;-)
Below is a sample of the chart which is posted on the refrigerator for each child. We set all activities at 5 points with the exception of blogging. That we rewarded 10 points for. Reading is 5 points for every 20 minutes.
If you're really excited about getting them to try something, you can always bribe them with additional points. It seemed to work for us. I got the boys to face their fear of indoor rock climbing by upping the ante of points. But bribe sparingly... They catch on quickly and try to play it against you. Clever little buggers.
Give the point system a try and see if it works for your family. And please share feedback! I, for one would love to know that this helped to get some other kids off the couch.
I think I'll add chores to the fall chart. Let's see if we can inspire them to do their own laundry. ;-)
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