Summertime Challenges and Rewards

Last year my husband Kevin came up with a great strategy for encouraging our kids to make good use of their free time in the summer. He posted a list of various challenges and offered a monetary award to anyone who met them. The kids were motivated by cash, and we parents were motivated by investment in our kids.

The list included physical challenges, such as running a mile within a certain amount of time, doing a set amount of pull-ups without stopping, holding a plank for a particular length of time, or making it all the way across our rock wall in the backyard. We also chose a variety of books that we were willing to pay them to read. They were of various lengths and covered a variety of topics: following Jesus, spiritual disciplines, relationships, sex, the harmful effects of pornography, handling money wisely. Another challenge involved memorizing sections of Scripture, such as the 23rd Psalm, the Beatitudes, or even the entire Sermon on the Mount.

Some of our kids got into the challenges more than others, but the opportunity was there for all. It gave them some goals to work toward, and it gave us an easy response to any “I’m bored” statements. More than anything, though, we looked at it as an investment opportunity in differing areas of our kids’ lives, and it was worth it to us. None of the challenges were met easily. There was work involved. But in the end, not only did they have money to show for it, but they also had greater strength, skills, endurance, knowledge, or understanding.

This might be something you’d like to implement in your own home. As we are all facing the beginning of summertime with our kids, what are some other creative ideas for challenges or goals we can set for them to reach? And what are some other ideas for rewarding their efforts? Share your ideas in the comments.