Thursday 16 September 2010

Little helpers jars (52MMM)

I am not sure about you but I am always looking for ways to encourage my kiddies to help around the house or do their homework without having to resort to nagging or shouting which believe me is hard :-)  I have pondered on pocket money but then again feel that they should be happy to help a little around the house without needing to be paid for it - hhhmmm difficult one is pocket money.  When I saw this idea on A Feathered Nest's blog I had to give it a go - not only does it look nice on the sideboard but it may just work!

I saved up some coffee jars which I washed out and removed the labels.  I then used some ribbon that my Nan recently gave me and got some lovely tags from this site Eat Drink Chic - I used the blank tags at the bottom of the page.  There are also some more lovely labels here Creature Comforts Blog.  I had some pom poms already but may need to get some more.  I give them a pom pom if they empty their lunch boxes when they get home, one for homework done without a fuss and little sweetpea has been getting one each time she uses the BIG scary toilet :-)


So far so good, when the sweetpeas got home from school and I told them they got a pom pom for emptying their lunch boxes they rushed to do it - I was stunned as this is something they always moan about.  Little sweetpea has been persuaded to use the BIG toilet and is happy with herself when she pops her pom pom in the jar for being good.  Now all I have to do is expand the list of things they get pom poms for and think of how many they need to get to get a treat and what the treat will be - any ideas?

Hope some of you may find this a useful idea - oh how I love these little jars of pom poms on my kitchen side :-)

Edited :  after reading some of the comments below I think this idea would be fab for us adults too - hhmmm how many pom poms until I can get a huge cadbury's fruit and nut bar????

24 comments:

  1. great idea! We have a tick sheet on the fridge. For every 'chore' they do they get a tick and when they reach 100 they can get some pocket money. They can do as little or as much as they like in a day so have the opportunity to get some money fast or slow! What gets done depends on whether they want something fast! I know, it's a tricky one. i didn't want to reward them with money as I too felt that they should help out for the family and not for reward, but they are boys, and that wasn't going to work! If I wanted any help then it had to be a money reward! Have a super rest of a day! xxxxx

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  2. That is a marvellous idea. I am jarless at the mo (apple and pear chutney and bramble jelly a plenty) and need more. But. The next two free jars are going to be pompom reward jars and I can't wait. Thanks, Ax

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  3. Great idea (and so cute to look at too!). I wonder if my two boys are too old for something like this. I have a right job to get them to do anything around the house, they always make me feel like I've ruined their day! :( But I think they might go for something like this.

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  4. Oh Zoe what a fantastic idea! We have been doing the sticker chart, but I think they are bored of the whole idea. This could be a new way to get them to eat their supper! Will be giving it a go! lou x

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  5. What a gorgeous idea! Makes me wish Little J was still young enough to have one! Hmmmm...perhaps we could have one anyway, just for fun! Lots of love, Amanda xxx

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  6. oooooo - this is a fab idea (and your little jars look soooooo pretty).

    Violet would love this - she'd be happy getting a train, lego, animal figure - anything really. A treat is a treat no matter what it is.

    Can I have a pom pom for washing tonight's tea pots and making the bed please??????

    x

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  7. Such a great idea. We've done that one but unfortunately the novelty wore off over time so we've resorted to quite a number of 'bribery tactics'. Hopefully yours will last longer, I shall look forward to hearing how it's all going. Oh and by the way, I haven't forgotten you!!!!!! xox

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  8. What a cute idea :)I have to agree...helping out around the house should be a part of being in a family, not a paid occupation! That being said, there comes a time where anything but money is not motivational. We devised a white board system...it's quite complex, but works a treat! They get a base amount if they complete all their allocated jobs, with extra money available for extra jobs.
    Good luck with your new system...I could adopt it just for the cuteness factor :)

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  9. What a great idea, beats the star chart tactic which I used to use.

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  10. What a lovely idea. They look beautiful.

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  11. i hope this works for you. every time i try any sort of loveliness like this it only lasts a short time and then they are over it and no one cares a hoot about it anymore. makes me depressed, but it is probably my fault too as i am probably not consistent enough... oh, listen to me. what a downer. mine have been wearing me out this week. i need a jar of your cheery little pom-poms... and a cadbury's too ;-)

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  12. What a wonderful idea! Really good. Susie x

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  13. I was wondering how my husband would feel about receiving a pom pom for doing jobs around the house!!! Seriously though, it is a great idea for the children. x

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  14. This is a simple but wonderful idea x

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  15. What a lovely and very pretty idea!

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  16. Absolutely I agree that I want mine to contribute to the running of the house without being paid for it - that's how community works! I do wish mine were younger because I think this is a great idea - I'm thinking of trying it at work - when we're good and manage to send faxes that aren't blank, or un-jam the printer, we could have a pom-pom and then when we get a full jar we can go out for coffee and cake!! Thank you for sharing the idea and I hope your little ones continue to enjoy filling their jars xx

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  17. This is a lovely idea! When my 3 were little I used to take them out individually as a treat for 'Special time' with Mum or Dad instead of going out all together. This was really nice for us too as we got to speak to them individually and treat them to what they liked.
    Heather x

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  18. I so agree with you about the pocket money thing. My 8 yr old has been asking me about it. I like patchwork Hearts idea of 'mummy/daddy dates', I was thinking along those lines. I did an advent calendar for the kids last year that contained vouchers for trips to Christmas grottos, play park, favourite dinners & silly jokes etc. Took a bit of thinking about but was good fun.

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  19. Ahhh! This is so timely, as I have been pondering the whole "money for chores" thing and also agree that helping out should just be part of being in a family, BUT. I think everyone likes a little motivation and something to work towards. I really like the aesthetic appeal of this more than a chore chart too! Thanks for sharing!

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  20. I love this idea... My kids are teenagers, but I think they would still love it!!!

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  21. My Tiddly Toes loves magazines with stickers and things to do and make, Teenage Daughter would go for a shopping trip or cake out! (me too!) How about popping treats of varying sorts (film in, sweet treat, baking with Mum, trip to the park, bike ride, new book) on folded bits of paper in a jar like a treat tombola? x number of pom poms = a dip in the jar!

    Fab, fun an pretty idea...thanks! x

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