My good friend, Becky, is at it again! Please check out her guest post below…

I feel like punching something! Just kidding, this is a pun. Keep reading…

I don’t know how you motivate your lovely darlings (or lazy do-nothings) to do chores at your house, but around here it seems like whatever system I use works for about a month (if I’m lucky) and then my kids are OVER IT. Stars, stickers, points, fun minutes, wipe off chart, chore jar, magnets, Pinterest idea of the week, etc!!! They start off all gung-ho, then a few weeks (or minutes) later it’s like- “Nah, I don’t want the money/toys/electronics/your approval, so I’m done doing chores forever.” Um, no you’re not. I decided it was time to throw some “punches” around here. Pun again, stay with me…

Everyone loves a punch card, right? C’mon- you and I both love to earn a free pizza or sub or coffee or ice cream with our frequent flyer card from our favorite spot. It’s so satisfying to hear that hole punch clicking away! So, I came up with this little punch card for chores, and it’s working!! (Disclaimer: it’s working for now… but at least it’s been long enough for me to write about it, so it looks promising).

The minimum requirement is to do their few daily chores for 1 punch a day, but they have the option of doing additional chores for more punches and getting paid early whenever the card is full. (My kids are little, so we pay 50 cents a punch, or $3.50 per card. Probably would need to be more generous with big kids to keep them interested.) Some days, when they are really motivated and asking me “What else can I do?” I first get over my shock and make up another chore- “Take these Clorox wipes and wipe down all the toilets.” “OK, mom!” And off they go…

Thud. (That’s my jaw on the floor.) I’m not sure how long this will last, but me and my hole punch are loving it. Take that, kids! PUNCH! PUNCH! PUNCH!

What you will need:

• DIY Printable Kid’s Chore Punch Card PDF file:

DIY Printable Kid Chore Punch Card

• Color card stock
• Scissors or craft/scrapbooking trimmer
• Hole punch
• A Good attitude

Instructions:

1. Download the file above.

2. Print on color card stock then cut out.

3. Start punching away! Good luck!

Becky Alfred has polka dots in every room of her house. Really. She spends her days picking up used band-aids and dirty clothes left behind by her 3 amazing red-headed kids she raises with her husband she met in 2nd grade. (Clarification: they did not get married until many, many years later.) In her spare time, she dabbles in photography, DIY graphic design, and being a pediatrician at an urgent care. Becky would rather shop for home décor than clothes, and would rather eat out than cook.Oh–and she never buys Kleenex unless she likes the box. Really.