Merit Chart

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So how does this system work?  It started out to be quite simple, with Happy Faces for good things a Sad Faces for bad things.  However, with four kids between 7 and 11,  questions were asked and many rules were created...

There are some rules that cannot be altered as this site will automatically tally things, but you as parents can determine what constitutes a Happy Face, Sad Face and Red X.  Also what a Gold Star is used for is also up to the parents as well as what it means to be grounded. 

The rules that cannot change are:
 
  • At the end of each day, the Sad Faces are subtracted from the Happy Faces.  For each four Happy Faces left, a Gold Star is awarded. 
  • Any extra Happy Faces will carry over to the next day.
  • If a child ends the day with more Sad Faces than Happy Faces, they start out fresh with none of either the following day.
  • Once a Gold Star is awarded, it it will expire in 28 days if not used.  This makes it impossible to hoard and defeat the purpose of the system.
  • Red X's are for times when a child has done something worthy of being grounded.  Once a Red X is given the following will occur:
    • The Happy Face and Sad Face counts are immediately set to zero.
    • Grounding starts the moment the first Red X is entered and ends 24 hours after.
    • Any Red X given while a child is grounded results in another 24 hour period being added on.

What makes up a happy face?  Here are some examples we use:

  • Properly getting chores done.
  • Sharing with others without being asked.
  • Good Manners
  • Helping others
  • Doing homework
  • Honesty
  • ...

Sad faces:

  • Not cleaning up properly
  • Name calling
  • Lying
  • Messing with each other
  • ...

Red Xs:

  • Swearing
  • Violent behavior (hitting)
  • Damaging of property
  • Other serious issues

What to use Gold Stars on:

  • When at a restaurant, use one to be able to order off the adult menu
  • At the ice cream store, use one to get something other than a kids scoop
  • Use one for an extra hour of game time on the computer
  • Candy bar while at the store
  • You can find all sorts of things for Gold Stars!