Homework Incentive Pay

by Kim Demmon on August 23rd, 2018 | 1 Comment »

With school starting soon we moms are gearing ourselves up for the sometimes grueling schedule that comes with the territory. Even though some of you may be excited for the school year to begin, you can't deny the ease of summer. No morning wake ups, no making lunch bags, no carpools, and most importantly no homework! I love a summer schedule and perhaps I'm one of the oddballs, but I dread the start of school. The stress of being just that much more organized.

It's exhausting being a helicopter mom.

All teasing aside, it does add an extra layer of family stress to manage the homework schedule. I hate the way homework can take over the family evening if not done right away.

Homework Incentive Program for Tweens & Teens

A couple of years ago, when my son started to show an interest in earning money, I thought I'd replace his allowance with a Homework Incentive Program. School is his job, and we expect him to do his best. Does that mean straight A's? Maybe, maybe not. As long as he does his best, we're good. Our focus is not on the top grade, but in putting in best effort. Waiting until the last minute to complete a project is not putting in your best effort, which often creates stress for the whole family. We wanted to teach our son personal accountability, and that procrastination isn't a good habit.

Replacing his allowance with this Homework Incentive Program placed the power in his hands, and took almost all the nagging away from me. If he completed his homework before dad got home, he would earn $1 for each subject. This kid started doing all his homework during his flex class at school earning up to $3 a day. This motivated him to take control of his finances, but we also required him to keep track on a simply made chart he kept on the fridge. Little did he know he was learning how to be accountable and how not to make procrastinating a habit.

Keep in mind that homework was not given in all subjects daily and I only have one child. Create an incentive program that works for you and your child, you'll be glad you did! Nothing fancy...just simple $$ incentives. The key is to back it up, keep it up, and show consistency...isn't that what parenting is all about?