Quick-Start Guide

Getting started with Awesome Points requires a few agreements with the adults and some thoughtful engagement with the kids. This guide should help you have a successful introduction to Awesome Points.

Remember that this is a positive reinforcement platform and it trains the adults to notice and celebrate as much as it helps kids choose incentivized behaviors. This system is only effective if you, the adults, act with consistency and enthusiasm. You got this!

Define the Awesome Award

The awesome awards your kids earn should be well-defined.

If you have other adults participating with you, be sure to include them in the decision! You're making a promise and it must be delivered consistently.

When I started this with my kids, the award was pretty much anything that felt fun or "special." Sometimes it was a solo trip to the ice cream store with momma, or trying to make a special dessert with fancy ingredients with dad.

Although I loved the creativity of my kids, I found that being specific reduced the exhausting negotiation process each time they earned an award. I shifted to defining the award as simply a special trip to the store (or online store) where they could choose anything for less than $15 that was not violent or dangerous. This was really helpful, but there were still some edge cases.

Now, I just transfer a set amount of money onto their debit card whenever they earn an award. No more negotiating at the store. No more haggling over how much an award should be. It's clear and consistent, which sets everyone up for success.

So, before you introduce Awesome Points in the Huddle, define award guidelines that are easy to understand and implement. Being unclear at this step creates unneeded drama later.

Choose an Award Scale

I recommend starting with a 1000-point scale. However, you can choose how many points are required to earn an award.

Let's say that you choose to make "Brushing Teeth" a small-value behavior. On a 100-point scale, that might be worth 1 point. On a 1000-point scale, it might be worth 10 points. These have the same weight in both scales, but 10 points sounds more impressive. :)

Finally, consider how often you want to deliver an award. For me, every week is too often -- I'll be broke! I target about 1-2 awards per month, or about 300 points per week. Just know that you need to keep your promise: every award earned must be delivered.

Huddle up!

Now that the adults have agreed to an award scale and award guidelines, you'll need to host a kick-off huddle to set expectations. Yay?

Make Awesome Points about your kids. Introduce it as a way for adults to celebrate all the great stuff kids are doing every single day. Let them know:

  • You want to give them a ton of Awesome Points for being awesome
  • When they earn enough Awesome Points, they get an award
  • There are guidelines for the award, but...
  • THEY are in charge of how fast they earn Awesome Points
  • The Awesome Points app will track their progress
  • Their job is to claim the awesome behaviors, your job is to notice and celebrate them
  • You will choose the awesome behaviors together

Choose Awesome Behaviors Together

You want your children to be engaged with the Awesome Points system. When your children collaborate to build the list of awesome behaviors, they have some ownership of the agreement and will be more likely to participate day-to-day. Ultimately, you want them to recognize their awesome behaviors, allowing you to praise and reward them for making awesome choices.

Start with a collaborative brainstorm of helpful, growth-minded, and achievable behaviors. Here are some questions that might help spark ideas:

  • What are some things that you do to help the family at home?
  • When you're feeling upset, what helps you feel better?
  • What shows your brother/sister that you care about them?
  • What are some things that we ask you to do that you don't enjoy?
  • What do you think we adults love to see you do?

After your children have contributed their ideas, go ahead and add a few behaviors that you, as adults, want to see and celebrate with your kids. Is it having a calm bedtime routine each night? Using a helpful voice when feeling upset?

A good goal will be to have about 10 behaviors for each child that range from easy-acheivers, "just ok" activities, and non-preferred activities. There is no magic to the number 10 - just be mindful that a long list can be difficult for the kids to track. We want them to know the list so they can start to recognize their own awesomeness!

Assign Points to Every Awesome Behavior

Finally, you need to choose point values for each behavior in the list. This is where you can incentivize a challenging behavior. For example, one of my kids gets a lot of points when they take a shower. The other needs a nudge to stay in bed at night. So, we boost the point value for these behaviors.

None of this is permanent, so be sure to tell your children that assigning point values is just an experiment and that you can always adjust the points and behaviors after you try it out for a bit.

To get started, choose some behaviors as reference points at the extremes. Ask each child to pick two behaviors that seem challenging or are not thier favorite. Pick one of these to be 100 points.

Then choose some behaviors that are quick and easy. Pick one of these to be 10 or 20 points. Now, using the extremes as reference points, assign values to the remaining behaviors.

All Set!

Now, log in to the Awesome Points app, create the behaviors for each child, and start celebrating their awesomeness!

If you need any assistance, email me: [email protected]

You'll be awesome,
Mathias