⭐ Why Rewards Work

We’re going to take a wild guess:
you probably have some kind of rewards card sitting in your wallet right now. 🏦

If your inbox is anything like ours, you’ve gotten at least 10 emails this month shouting about:
“Special offers! Sales! BOGO! Rebates! Limited-time rewards! Act now before it’s gone!”

No magic here, although our son did put on a killer magic show for a family friend 🎩🪄

Don’t let the misdirection of a disappearing card fool you.
The evidence is right in front of us on a daily basis.

Psychologically it’s simple = rewards work. They keep us coming back for more.
👉 Kohl’s cash back, Menards rebates, Kwik Trip Rewards
👉 Travel points, “spend more, save more,” memberships.
👉 BOGO deals, limited drops, exclusive perks.

Real FOMO sets in, attempting to control our impulse,
but the lead magnet of those gluttonous introductory offers are so palpable 🤤

Pulling us in with something small, then keeping us hooked with the promise of more.
Like a cartoon character floating toward that delicious pie in the window 🥧

Mmmmm you can smell the capitalism from here 👃🏻

Now get this: The same strategy that billion-dollar companies use on adults (we use the term loosely) also drives our children towards reaping desired benefits.

You got it now: Bribes Rewards

🧩 The Blueprint

We’ve all fallen to an advertisement that’s just too good to pass up.
Now you can twist this hack to motivate your kids, minus any credit card debt, with massive success.

At our house, we’ve been putting our Skylight Calendar to work, and may have even convinced some of you to personally invest in the product 😈

The tasks/chores feature lets us assign routines like:

• Morning: get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, grab backpack 🎒

• Afternoon: unload backpack, homework, empty lunch box (do they ever eat?) 🥪

• Evening: dinner, wipe the table, shower, prepare for tomorrow 🌙

All tasks completed = ⭐
Extra chores = ⭐
Great attitude = ⭐

Those stars pile up fast (the kids feel like they’re crushing Mario Party 🕹️)

This develops a great routine while encouraging a positive approach to daily duties.

Suddenly they’re excited about chores.

🎯 Intriguing Incentives

Let the fun begin.

With a personal bank full of stars, the kids prepare to reap some wonderful rewards.

We sat down as a family and together we built a list with things they actually wanted
(Something our government is supposed to do)

Mini golf ⛳, Dave & Buster’s 🎳, movie theatre 🎥, a Five Below run 🛍️, live events ⚾

Allowing them to choose gives them a sense of control and purpose in the ultimate goal.

Of course, we had to vet the options for attainability and eliminate the unrealistic options.
Like our 4yo asking for a trip to Disney World.  Credit for trying kid! 

Disney is a reward for us parents 😎

All said and done, it’s so easy a caveman could do it.

They earn stars. They save stars. They redeem stars.

72 stars in the bank, Lego set costs 50 = 22 left over. Easy math, big motivation.

Simple right?!

🗃️ Old School Still Works

We love our Skylight Calendar, but maybe you don’t have one (yet).  No problemo!

Paper calendars, sticker charts, even your phone’s Notes app can get the job done.

We were raised to balance check books, I think we can handle a simple chore procedure.

As a kid, I earned shiny Olympic-style pedigree stickers (Gold, Silver, Bronze) to put on the calendar.  

Big chores = bigger stars. Rack up enough and boom: new Jurassic Park T-Rex 🦖

This all makes sense, right?  Good!  Now it’s your turn to set the table 🍽️

🧠 Why This Works

Psychologist B.F. Skinner called it Operant Conditioning
Simply put:  Behavior + Reward = More of that behavior.

Could be airlines getting you to book the same flights or your kids finally remembering to brush their teeth without being asked.   Giving positive reinforcement builds lasting habits.

👐🏻The M-E-T-H-O-D Man

Want to get on track to eliminate the need to repeat yourself 1,000 times a day?

Start with something easy and realistic:

1. Pick 3–5 age-appropriate chores (keep it simple). 📝

2. Choose a currency (stickers, stars, or even $1 = 1 point). 💵

3. Define values (movie night = 50 points). 🎥

4. Give rewards immediately after completion (instant feedback = stronger habits). ⏩

5. Hold a weekly/monthly “shop” where they redeem points. 🛒

Digital, physical, or somewhere in between, just make sure to stay consistent.

Companies have mastered this system to get our money and attention.

Now you can use the same methods to get your kids building routines, habits, and independence.

Because when you set it up right? Everyone wins.  FAMILY on 3…

We Want To Hear From YOU!

We’ve made some changes to the last month of episodes to see what may/may not be grabbing your attention most.

But now we want your opinions, so we can better serve you

Are there any features you noticed that have been missing from the episodes recently?

Are there any features you would want to see in future episodes?

All you readers are the spark to this fire, and we want to let it burn baby burn! ❤️‍🔥

So throw a log on, get comfy, keep calm and get your read on. 📖

Your opinions truly matter, and we are truly blessed and so grateful you have joined us on this journey!

Reply to any of these emails, send us a DM on our socials (links at bottom of every article), or personally reach out to us (if we’re lucky enough to have you in direct contact 😉 

From the bottom of our hearts to the top of yours,

That’s BA