Episode 157: Snack Shop (and kids that steal)
What You’ll Learn
NOTHING has brought the amount of controversy equal to the snack shop. But, it’s actually something that Britt brings back because her kids LOVE it!
Snack Shop 101 (01:50)
Brittany usually gets her snacks from Sams Club, and currently, she clips them up on one of her windows. Then the kids earn tickets, or actual money (this helps with money fluency and management), and they ‘purchase’ the snacks.
Earning the Money (03:05)
When the snack shop started, kids just got money and used it. Then it evolved into earning money and using it in the shop. Now, the kids earn tickets everyday by finishing tasks in spiral notebooks or clipboards, and the snack shop is just one way they can CHOOSE to use their tickets. In Brittany’s house, vegetables, fruits, and healthy foods are available to the children ALL the time, snack shop is just for the little extra and ‘fun’ snacks that kids love.
Snack Display (05:30)
Initially, Brittany’s oldest son (who does woodworking) built a snack shop shelf (which wasn’t so stable). Counter space wasn’t an option, and Britt likes to be able to see what’s available, and the twine allows for this.
Show Me the Money (08:00)
Wide-mouth pink mason jars are Brittany’s favorite. She puts names on the jars with masking tape, and THAT’S where the tickets go. The other note is, the jars stay put.
Buying the Snacks (09:40)
Brittany usually buys the snacks in bulk at Sam’s Club. She’ll try to buy a mix of healthy and junk, and she’s not super concerned about organic or non-organic. The goal in her family is to feed bodies well but with balance and moderation in mind. Learning moderation is SO important, especially with kids who are getting older and growing up.
The Shopkeeper (12:55)
At first, kids were running and purchasing from the snack shop. So, instead of putting kids in charge all the time, Brittany will usually run it now.
Tips & Tricks (14:54)
There ARE snacks that go slower, but in Brittany’s house, those things even eventually get eaten. This can come into play especially if you have kids with allergies!
If you’re already completely spent every day, it may NOT be the time to start snack shop in your home. This idea will require ‘extra.’ All that being said, setting up clear boundaries with anything (snack shop included) will help you keep things manageable.
In Brittany’s house, some of the boundaries include…
You can only earn a certain amount of tickets per day.
Only one snack a day (we ALL have that kid that will save up tickets and want 50 snacks at a time).
The snack MUST be finished that day.
One ticket turn-in each day, snack shop is only open once a day.
One of the biggest tricks to motherhood is finding ways to balance the good, with what your actual capacity is.
Brittany has snacks that are on two different levels. There are 5 ticket snacks and 10 ticket snacks. This will encourage kids to learn to save…to wait, and be patient.
If snack shop sounds like something you’d like to try…do it for a short time and see if it works for your family! Four weeks is a great amount of time for a trial.
Snack Sneakers (27:50)
It’s normal to have kids who sneak snacks when you do something like snack shop. It’s really important to remember that it’s a great opportunity to learn hard lessons in the safety of your home. It’s not a bad thing.
Learning these hard lessons in the safety of your home is much better. So, if you have a kid that’s prone to temptation in this way, then this might be something you NEED to do.
The goal is to set your child, and yourself up for success without the need for micromanaging. Brittany knew that she needed to be able to issue the tickets and they needed to change in some format from her to the children, and then from the children to her. So, she’ll write initials on the tickets before giving them to the kids, then she tears them up when the kids turn them back in. This way, there’s no opportunity for sneaking extra tickets or getting them out of the trash.
Make it as difficult as possible to sneak or steal things. It could mean keeping all the extra snacks hidden, it could mean hanging up the extra snacks so you can see them, it could mean giving out things that are thrown away when they’re done.
Also, there can be an underlying issue with a child who loves to sneak. It could be the rush of getting away with stuff, attention-seeking, or it could be selfishness. Sometimes, it’s just the stage they’re in! It can break your heart to see your kids do naughty things, so if you think about it ahead of time, you can address it calmly when it DOES come up.
In Brittany’s house, if a child steals money from another child, they must give all their money in return. If they have no money, then they must pay double what they stole. If they sneak snacks, maybe they have to replace an entire box (rather than what they took), or perhaps they lose the privilege of snack shop.
Snack shop does look amazing on Instagram, but it is important to know the challenges ahead of time so you know exactly what you’re getting into (and this isn’t a bad thing).
Are you ready to try a snack shop in YOUR home? Head to our shop and grab the Homeschool Ticket Guide! In it, you’ll find…
⭐️ Welcome page
⭐️ How it Works
⭐️ FAQs
⭐️Prize Idea Lists (free, low-cost, and big hairy audacious ones!)
⭐️ 7 Editable Prize List Templates for you to customize for your family (you wanted more, you got it!)
⭐️ An easy button inside the pdf to take you directly to your templates
⭐️ Clear instructions for editing your templates
⭐️ Resource Library (with easy clickable links)
⭐️ Thank you page (with special customer discount)
