Monday, July 25, 2011

Reading Charts and Such



Here is our summer reading chart. I didn't put tons of thought into it, just slapped it together in 5 minutes and made it up the terms one afternoon while bouncing off ideas with my mom. BUT IT WORKED! Oh yes, and Darby drew the names and lines and she loved that.

During the 'waiting for baby and Nana is here while mom and dad our at the hospital' period, we did a short behavior sticker chart. With big rewards...ie: have you seen Darby's enormous bear, yep that one from Costco, but desperate times call for desperate measures and around that period my kids were having some behavior meltdowns that needed to be remedied fast. So we did a chart, potentially 3 stickers a day, stickers could also be removed or earned back depending on behavior (my mom said I was too easy on them).

Since that chart worked so well, thought needed some more ammo for summer....READING chart. Luke had to read 75 books, Darby 50 books, Baylie 40 books and Paisley 25. The younger kids could get stickers by listening but the big kids coruld too. Each picture book was 1 sticker, but some of those were painfully long when read by a new reader 6 year old counted 2. Basically I'm saying I just kinda made it up as it went. If Darby read a book to the younger sisters, they both got stickers.

HERE IS WHERE I SHOULD MENTION I'M NOT NORMALLY A CHART PERSON. I don't do chore charts (at least not yet), but have used them in the pass for specific purposes and bribes. I'm totally a bribe mom. Our most successful sticker charts have been pee ones :) or staying dry though the night ones. I've used those on every kid I think.

The awesome part was, since I was a bit mentally checked out when Ivy was born and my mom left, the girls just did it themselves (ie: probably not the most accurate) but it provided them something to do besides watch tv. So I had to be chill but shoot even if they weren't really 'reading' them at least they were flipping the pages through pretending and most important keeping themselves busy and happy by themselves for a while!!!!! Really the reading chart was initial just to get a certain soon to be first grader a fun way to practice reading since she had been refusing too.

The cool stickers was key and Nana clued on that (all I had were crappy ones) and so she hooked up the kids big time with that.

So this summer Luke re-read the first three Harry Potter books (books 2 to 3 had more cussing than we thought on his first read, but he sometimes would cross them out with a pencil if I remembered, I was just glad it bothered him) The bigger the book, the more stickers it was worth (book 3 was worth 20!)

ok....so I had to think of cheaper rewards....and found the best of all....A DATE WITH DAD! Time with dad is probably the most precious thing for those kids, especially if its alone and called a date (which makes it seem much fancier). So this weekend, the kids were finished and asked a million times when their dates where (which we hadn't thought through how we'd actually do it).

Sooo...we knocked them all out in one day (actually not Paisley who has yet to notice, but will get her time I promise). I was mostly selfish that I didnt' want to be totally wasted cause Jason was gone all day, but he squeezed them in when it was best for me like nap times and waiting to take Luke til the girls were asleep (which made Luke feel even cooler).

Oh yes, and the kids could pick what they did on their dates. Here's how it went down.

Baylie, age 4, went to the mall and rode the merry go round twice, and the little train there and got ice cream.

Darby, age 6, went to Round Table pizza, got a mini pizza and most important, put a bunch of money (5 bucks) into those toy dispensers....she has been wanting to do this ever since her baseball party was there.

Luke, age 8, played mini golf and then rode the go carts with Jason three times (didn't get home til 10:20 p.m. and while he was sad we went youngest to oldest, thought his was the best and worth the wait)

Paisley.....still pending, but will probably be a trip to McDonalds for ice cream

Jason thinks in the kids minds the dates were even with time and money so thats what matters for us.

But now....round 3 of summer charts? Thinking we need to up the scripture reading here, so thats the chart I'm going to make, think it will be outside of our normal family reading during breakfast.

Still not going to claim to be a super duper chart person, but think they are handy when necessary or for a specific person. I have been known to put myself on a sticker chart when trying to work on not yelling or losing my temper. And my kids are tough judges....a few times while getting in trouble they have told me "You just lost your sticker!" Hey, I need it too.

Maybe they will be our summer thing?

4 comments:

RachelAA said...

Fabulous!!!!! Sticker charts are totally useful I think. This reminds me I need to start using ours again.

tphillips said...

Charts are great...although I have found you always have to switch things up with kids. we've done charts, fake money to buy dollar store items, color systems etc...they all have worked for a period of time then I find myself having to get creative cuz really they just tire with the same old thing.

Lindsey said...

Sounds like great dates!! So fun. That is a good idea to try a chart for potty training!! Cute chart, way to go!

Tanya said...

I love it!!