Printable Mom Bucks!

Need an easy reward system for kids? Pass out these printable Mom Bucks when kids complete their chores, do well on Spelling tests, or help around the house!

I’m a last-minute, procrastinate ’til the end kind of Mom. Case in point, last Easter I realized the night before that I had only bought two measly candy bars for my girls’ Easter baskets, and it was too late to run to the store.

So what did I do?

I just printed out these cute printable Easter Bunny Money coupons and used them as last-minute Easter basket fillers. And that got me thinking…

What if I had printable reward coupons for kids that were good year round? I could call them “Mom Bucks” and I could give them to my daughters when they were extra helpful around the house, or when they got all A’s on their report cards, or just when they went above and beyond to be kind to each other.

So these printable reward coupons were born!

Here are some tips for using Mom Bucks, and some ideas for creating your own reward coupons! Or, you can check out my printable Mom Bucks at the end of this post!

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click a link and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Why Mom Bucks Work

Okay, maybe you’re a little apprehensive about rewarding your kids with little printable coupons, but here’s why Mom Bucks will be your new best friend:

You aren’t dependent on cash.

When my kids started doing chores (with this awesome printable chore chart system that I created!), I found myself writing out a ton of IOU’s because I kept forgetting to go to the bank. Eventually it became difficult to keep up with how much money I owed my girls for completing their chore charts, and I started looking for other non-cash rewards.

I settled on a super handy allowance tracker app after walking into my 7 year old’s room to find her throwing around a handful of actual dollar bills, but Mom Bucks are another great non-cash reward for kids!

Mom Bucks are EASY!

Forget about complicated reward systems that involve keeping track of points on a spreadsheet, or remembering to put a star sticker on a reward chart every time that you child does something good.

Us Moms need something EASY!

And it doesn’t get much easier than reaching in to your purse and pulling out a reward coupon that you printed off the internet.

Ideas for Mom Bucks Reward Coupons

Coming up with ideas for your “Mom Bucks” is probably the hardest part of this easy reward system for kids, but I’ve got you covered! Here are some awesome ideas for rewards that you can use to make your own reward bucks:

Pick the movie for family movie night
Stay up 30 minutes past bed time
Pick a special place for lunch
Get a new song download
Pick a new app download
Get $5 to spend at Dollar Tree
Let Mom do two of your chores
Pick out a treat from the store
Breakfast for dinner
Pick what you want for dinner
Pizza for dinner
Get a Kid’s Meal from your favorite restaurant
Pick a dessert
1 hour of video game play
Pick a game for the family to play
Pick a book from the book store
1 scoop of ice cream
Trip to the library
Pick out a new craft at the store
Date with Mom or Dad (let your child pick where they want to go)
1 hour of play time at a local arcade
Trip to the playground

Tips for Using the Printable Mom Bucks

Make them reusable.

When your kids cash in their reward coupons, you can reuse them again and again. I suggest printing the bucks on card stock, so that they look fresher for longer and are less likely to tear.

Also, you can laminate your Mom Bucks coupons to help with longevity. I have this laminator and I LOVE it! I’ve used it to create all of my kids charts like these kindness charts and these morning routine charts.

Give the Mom Bucks out as rewards randomly.

Instead of giving a reward coupon out every single time your child completes a specific task, mix it up. I have found that rewards work best when your child doesn’t start to expect them, but rather they’re a nice surprise used to reinforce positive behavior.

Keep a few Mom Bucks in your purse.

Dr. Katarzyna Bisaga, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, says that, for toddlers and preschoolers specifically, rewards should be given immediately after the positive behavior occurs to avoid confusion. Keeping a few Mom Bucks in your purse allows you to give them out when you’re on the go, so your kids don’t forget what they did to earn them.

Let your kids choose their reward.

You can group the Mom Bucks into different categories based on the difficulty of the task that was completed or the “value” of the reward. For instance, “Play Mini Golf” or “Go to the Movies” is a more expensive prize and requires some pre-planning. However, “Invite a Friend Over” and “Stay Up 30 Minutes Late” are easier to do and don’t require you to spend any money.

Once you group the reward coupons into categories (Level 1, 2, 3, etc), you can allow your child to choose his or her own reward from that category. That way, the reward is more meaningful to them because they got to pick what they want.

Get the Printable Mom Bucks

These printable rewards coupons for kids are available in my shop! They include 36 different pre-filled coupons and 4 blank coupons for you to write in your own rewards!

Click here to check out the Mom Bucks Coupons!