A few weeks ago, I heard Harvey Karp suggest using poker chips to get kids to go (and stay) in bed. Every night, you give them three. Each time you have to tell them to go to bed, they lose a chip.
I had my kids pick out toys that they could trade their chips in for. Not realizing the effectiveness of this method, I priced the chips at $1 each.
In 3 weeks, my kids have lost a total of four chips across the two of them. We’ve started to add tasks, too. “You can’t get your chips until you clean up all the toys for the day.” “You can earn another chip if you clean your room each morning and make your bed.”
My house has never been so clean. My kids are going to bed on time and staying in bed all night.
How the hell did I not do this earlier? Of course, this also means I am spending a small fortune cashing in these chips. I see inflation in our future.
