Looking for a motivational tool in your home? This system is completely customizable for any repeated issues you’re working through, including:

• sibling unkindness
• disobedience
• arguing about reading or homework
• homeschool struggles
• talking back to parents

Here are the steps to utilizing the “Wheel of Fortunate” (thanks #dudeperfect) in your home:

1. Choose one — and only one — behavior to tackle.
2. Think about EACH CHILD and choose 12 rewards that would motivate him or her. I would try to have them be the same amount of exciting to the child.
3. Now, decide how frequently you want to be dishing out rewards. I decided that my kids can earn one sticker per day and 20 stickers equals a spin. I won’t bore you with our schedules, but this means in our home that they’d earn a reward every 5-6 weeks. I feel like this is a good time span for my kids ages 8 and 11. It’s long enough that the reward can be substantial, but not so long that they lose interest. You can always try something and tweak it later if you want. If you have younger kids, I would do a smaller goal (10) and do much smaller prizes, since they lose interest more quickly.
4. Then, excitedly sell your system and set your kids up for success.

Click to download your own customizable Wheel of Fortunate!

Why did I create this system?

We are about to start our homeschool year, and some of us were not excited about starting school. Often kids who give the most pushback about school can be perfectionist types. It overwhelms them because they can’t do everything perfectly. For perfectionist personalities, daily rewards / goals they can earn for specific, quantifiable and clearly communicated behaviors are very helpful.

I was VERY clear about what earns a sticker. It is one phrase: “good attitude while completing chores and school.” Stickers ONLY have to do with that, and you can’t lose them for other infractions. This is important!

How to set your kids up for success

I was very clear about what WAS and WAS NOT allowed in our homeschool day. We said over and over that just feeling frustrated does not mean you lose your sticker. We role-played the things you CAN say when you feel frustrated. (These are all on the PDF you can download!)

Drawing a blank on rewards?

As you’ll see from my download, I have a few items which cost money (gift card, book, etc), but more which are quality time. You don’t want to resort to only *toy* kinds of items, for a multiple of reasons. The sweet spot is something your kid would absolutely love, that involves making a memory with someone they love, that is appropriately priced.

Ready to create your own system?

I used this link for printing off a wheel. It was just the right size. I think 12 choices for prizes is good. I did repeat a few that I knew would be a real win (breakfast date with Dad). I handwrote the prizes, colored, laminated, and then used this arrow with a metal brad fastener. It took about an hour to make two of them.

Click to download your own customizable Wheel of Fortunate!

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