When our kids were much younger, we used this awesome reward system we called Daddy Bucks. It was a great tool which helped set our kids up to learn about how to be responsible.
Take a good look at the dollar bill below. You probably notice that George looks a little bit different. That’s because it is my husband. These are the Daddy Bucks we use with our kids.
HOW TO USE PARENT REWARD BUCKS
Daddy bucks, behavior bucks, mommy bucks or even parent bucks; whatever you want to call them, they all serve the same purpose. They are a way for your kids to earn privileges as well as money to use towards these special items they want but do not necessarily need.
Daddy bucks is a system we used with our daughter when she was younger. And, it worked well for us before we moved into our responsibility chart. It might be the answer to what your child needs to do the things he or she should.
To start, reward bucks are earned when your child does things they should. However, they can also earn them by doing things they are not asked to do! They can even have to pay fines with them if they do things they know they should not!
Our kids have always had to pick up their rooms, toys and help with chores around the house. These were not the tasks for which she earned the Daddy Bucks. She learned at young age that those are the things that she has to do as a part of our family.
For example, when our daughter cleaned up the room that her younger sister had messed up, she earned Daddy Bucks. Since her sibling was too young to clean it all up, she helped and would earn some bucks. We would give her extra incentive if she could do her task without complaint! That was tough for a child that age!!
You can also use parent bucks to help your child grow up. Our daughter had a blanket to which she was very attached. We never cared that she needed it to sleep, but we did not want her dragging it around the house any longer. Every day she kept the blanket in her room, she earned reward bucks!
Another great way to use daddy or mommy bucks is to make your kids pay YOU if they misbehave! When our daughter was defiant or blatantly refused to listen to us, she had to give us bucks back. The mere mention of the word often resulted in a quickly changed attitude as she never wanted to lose the bucks she worked hard to earn.
WHAT DO THESE BUCKS BUY?
So, what does she get with Daddy Bucks? These items can be cashed in for items, experiences or special activities. Each of these has a value assigned to it.
When it came to buying items in the store, we required the daddy buck value be double the cost of the item. If the item she wanted to buy was $15, she had to cash in $30 in daddy bucks to pay for it.
There were also values assigned to experiences and activities. While you know your child and what you will allow, here are a few ideas that may get you started:
Stay up 15 minutes late: $10
Play on the tablet: $5 (for 30 minutes)
Go to a friend’s house: $15
Have a sleepover: $30
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BEHAVIOR BUCKS
If you are intrigued in starting your own daddy bucks (or whatever you wish to call them in your house), you can create your own money by heading here (select your denomination and currency from the drop-down menu). Click on the yellow circle in the center of the bill and you will be connected with your own drive and can upload a photo to use for the bucks. When you are done, just hit the download button and you can print them out!
This system worked great for us. It not only taught our daughter responsibility and things she should do to help our family; but also the importance of saving and working towards a goal, be it personal or material.
Before you go, check out our other posts to help with kids and money:
Creating a Chore Chart that Works
11 Financial Lessons Every Child Must Learn
