Kid of the Week

Hey Friends! We are in the midst of summer chaos over here with some extra slow days at home thrown in the mix so it's just the right amount of busy & calm. 

We started a new family "tradition" a couple months ago and after testing it out for a while, we have found it to be hugely successful! SO, I want to share it with you guys! 

We introduced "KID OF THE WEEK" ... let me explain. We have 4 kids (3 of whom have v. strong opinions!) and as any big family does, we felt like we wanted to make sure our kids were feeling important and "special" . Superstar Day was such a big deal at preschool this year so we morphed it into "Kid of the Week" at home. Each week, one kid gets their turn to be the KOTW. Baylor started, Bella was next and then Winnie. Until Norah is older, we just use her week as a break week, where nobody is kid of the week. SO basically, once a month, you get a turn to be the KOTW. 

When it's your turn, you get to do things like go on a date with mom or dad, pick one toy at the store or get to make special choices like what's for dessert or what movie to watch. Sometimes we'll let the KOTW sleep in our room one night or skip a nap. The KOTW gets to make decisions, which I LOVE. This helps us avoid decision fatigue as parents, it gives the kids predictability and eliminates SO. MUCH. FIGHTING. Because if there's a variable, it pretty much always defaults to whoever is the kid of the week. And everyone knows their turn is coming. 

The kids talk about KOTW all the time, they love it, they count down to their week and they share about it with all their friends. We have a letter board that we put their name on and we just spend the week celebrating them, for all that they are! 

One thing we never do is use this against the kids, it's not a privilege that can be taken away and we don't give the KOTW special favor when it comes to treats - i.e. you can have ice-cream but nobody else can. We want to use it to empower our kids, to build them up, to teach them to root for & celebrate each other — not to tear each other down or play the "fair" game.

A few examples of how KOTW comes in to play in our house:

Mom is going to the grocery store, KOTW gets to go with. 
Watching a show before bed, KOTW gets to choose. 
Have an empty day on the calendar: KOTW gets to decide what to do/where to go. 
Everyone wants a different lunch, KOTW makes the final decision.
Norah is awake in her crib, KOTW gets to go in first ;) 

This can be adapted in so many ways for your family and I see us using it for years to come! XO