DIY Kids Behavior System

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Summer break can be a blast. It can also be a head-ache with all of the kids home and schedules thrown out of whack. That is why the first craft in our summer series is this DIY kids behavior system. Nearly all of the materials come in the Michael’s Creative Play Kit which you can read about on Bust Summer Boredom with Weekly Crafts. If you already got your kit then you are ready to get on to the tutorial. Let’s get ready to rock your summer parenting!

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Materials

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 1

Tear a small stack of construction paper into fourths.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 2

Next, give each child a craft stick person, a fourth of paper stack, glue stick, and scissors.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 3

Allow kids to decorate or dress their craft stick people.

Note:

  • My 8 year old carefully traced his craft stick outline to make a shirt and pants for his. Then he drew the face and shoes with colored pencils. The 4 year old wanted to cover every part of hers with different pieces of paper. The 3 year old cried the whole time because he couldn’t have googly eyes. Hopefully, that illustrates the diversity of this process. Lol!

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 4

While the kids are decorating their stick people, clean your drink container.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 5

Next, cut a rectangular opening in the top.

Tips:

  • Use a very sharp box cutter to do this.
  • I recommend scoring where you want to make your cuts first. I didn’t which is why I ended up with a jagged cut-out.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 6

Cut a strip of red construction paper that is roughly as wide as a third of your drink container’s length.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 7

Next, use the red construction paper as a guide to cut out strips of green and yellow construction paper.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 8

Take your lid off of your container and cover the right third of your container with the red construction paper strip. Secure it with tape.

Tip:

  • Start in an area so that your overlap doesn’t fall over the opening on top.

Step 9

Cut through the paper covering your opening and fold down on the inside.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 10

Next, attach your green strip to the left side with tape.

Step 11

Repeat step 9 with the green paper.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 12

Lastly, wrap your yellow paper around the center of your container and secure with tape.

Tip:

  • I secured the end of all of my strips to the container with tape before wrapping them. You don’t have to do that with the red and green but you need to do that for the yellow strip.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 13

Cut through the yellow paper over the opening and secure folded inside with tape.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 14

Carefully reattach your lid to your container.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 15

Next, wrap a yellow pipe cleaner around the seam of the red and yellow paper strips and twist to secure.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 16

Then create a loop by twisting the ends of the excess together.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 17

Repeat steps 14 and 15 on the green and yellow seam.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Step 18

Use the loops to hang your behavior system on the wall and add your kids’ craft stick people.

Tip:

  • You may want to label the stick people to help you keep them straight until you learn whose is whose.

 

[bctt tweet=”This #DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior! #parenting” username=”diyadulation”]

How to Use the DIY Kids Behavior System

The behavior system works as a visual indicator for kids. If their thick people are in the green then their behavior is good. If they get a warning for bad behavior the sticks go to yellow. Red means that they lost out on any reward for the day.

Rewards

Daily rewards should be something small but still incentive for good behavior. You can use candy, such as Skittles or M&M’s, or extra game/TV time. Stickers or temporary tattoos also work very well for younger kids.

 

Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer. We have added in the addition that you can earn your way back to green from yellow with exceptional behavior. However, once you hit red, you have lost the chance of a reward for the day. Another option is a bigger reward for ending the day on green and a smaller reward for ending on yellow. Choose the method that works best for your family. If you haven’t snagged your Creative Play Kit, check it out here!

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Summer break can be a blast but it can also be a head-ache. This DIY kids behavior system is perfect for encouraging great behavior during the summer.

Make Fitness a Habit with a DIY Daily Workout Sticks System

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This month’s Create Your Future post is later than normal, as you may have noticed. The editorial calendar for this month is crazy packed, as noted by the fact that it is only the 8th and already this will be the 6th post brought to you. Crazy, I know, and it’s not slowing down any time soon. However, this one is worth the wait. Welcome to the first Create Your Future post with a tutorial! I can’t believe that we have been doing this for nearly a year and there hasn’t been the need for you to make something before now. Since you know how much I absolutely adore DIY (it’s kind of my thing) it is surprising. No more, though, because this month we are focusing on how to develop a fitness habit and this DIY daily workout sticks system is just the tool for the job!

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

 

[bctt tweet=”This #DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily #fitness routine!” username=”diyadulation”]

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Materials

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Step 1

Outline the end of a popsicle stick in the color of your choosing as pictured. I chose green for mine (as you will see in the photos).

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Step 2

Mark the edge of the stick at the bottom of your outline.

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Step 3

Using the mark you made as a guide, outline the back side of your stick in the same way.

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Step 4

Lastly, fill in the edges of the outlined area.

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Step 5

Repeat steps 1 through 3 with the remaining 9 popsicle sticks.

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Step 6

Next, write down an exercise (in the same color as your outline) and the number of reps to do on each stick. If you need some ideas, here are a few to get you started:

  • Crunches
  • Push-ups
  • Squats
  • Plank
  • Sit-Ups
  • V-sits
  • Jumping Jacks
  • Run the Stairs
  • Wall Sits
  • Lift Up Your Kiddos (one-handed like a curl or two-handed over your head)
  • Bicep Curls
  • Chair Dips
  • Lunges
  • Kettlebell Swing
  • Flutter Kicks
  • Side Plank
  • Step-Ups
  • Opposite Arm and Leg Raises
  • Walking Lunges

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Step 7

Now, write an “M” inside the outlines on each popsicle stick.

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Step 8

Next, on the opposite end of the popsicle sticks repeat steps 1 through 3 in a second color. For this side, I chose pink.

Tip:

  • Use the previous outlines as a guide to measure as pictured above.

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Step 9

Next draw an “E” in the outlined areas, again using the same color you outlined with.

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Step 10

Lastly, write exercises and reps on the blank side of your popsicle sticks.

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Step 11

Put your daily workout sticks in a container “M” side up.

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

How to Use Your Daily Workout Sticks System

Each morning start with your daily workout sticks “M” side up. Choose 3 and perform them as your morning workout. After you have finished put all of the sticks back in the container flipped to the “E” side. Then, in the afternoon or evening, choose 3 more for your second workout. Once you have finished, return them to the container and turn all of your sticks back to the “M” side for the next morning.

 

This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

That’s all there is to the daily workout sticks system. These handy tools will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant. As you become more accustomed to working out you can increase the intensity by drawing more sticks for each workout. You can also do so by increasing the number of repetitions that you do of each exercise. This easy DIY truly grows with you as your strength and stamina increase. If you are looking for more ways to stay active check out 10 Ways to Fit in Fitness and, of course, don’t forget to grab your free habit tracker!

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This DIY daily workout sticks system will help you develop a daily fitness routine without the workout getting stagnant and they grow with you!

Create Your Future: Developing Your Writing Habit

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Are you tired of writer’s block? Imagine sitting down to your computer and the ideas start flowing out of your fingers. That is what happens when you start developing your writing habit. You train your brain and your body when to be creative. That is what habit we are developing this month. Don’t forget to grab your free habit tracker on Developing New Habits before getting started.

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Finally beat writer's block once and for all with these tips for developing your writing habit! Sit down and the ideas will flow out of your fingers!

 

[bctt tweet=”Finally beat writer’s block once and for all with these tips for developing your #writing habit!” username=”diyadulation”]

Step 1

Determine how long you want to spend writing each day. This will depend on what you are writing and why. I plan on writing for 2 hours a day but writing is my job. If you are trying to finally write that novel while working full-time then you might only plan 30 minutes. Choose a time-frame that fits with your current lifestyle.

 

Finally beat writer's block once and for all with these tips for developing your writing habit! Sit down and the ideas will flow out of your fingers!

Step 2

Choose the time of day you want to write. This needs to be a time that you are free everyday so that you can remain consistent. Don’t choose a time that occasionally conflicts with practices or church. That time-frame is during the kids’ afternoon nap for me but you could try getting up earlier in the morning or writing during your lunch hour.

Step 3

Next, choose your method. For example, I hand write all of my posts before typing them. If you can be inspired with a keyboard and computer screen that is your method. You could even go retro with a typewriter if that inspires you. Whichever method you choose, stick with it. Changing your method repeatedly can affect the success of forming your new habit.

 

Finally beat writer's block once and for all with these tips for developing your writing habit! Sit down and the ideas will flow out of your fingers!

Step 4

Decide on a trigger. Some people sit down to write after pouring a morning coffee. Other jump right in after waking up. Choose something that will trigger your daily writing. This is especially important for creative habits. After a while the ideas will come more easily during your daily creative time.

Step 5

Write. This may sound like a no-brainer but I’m saying not to worry about what you write. When creating your writing habit it is simply important to write. If you are stuck at first, pick a word or topic and start writing everything that comes to mind. Write about why tacos are so awesome or what your perfect day looks like. It will get easier to work on the projects you want as the month goes on.

 

Finally beat writer's block once and for all with these tips for developing your writing habit! Sit down and the ideas will flow out of your fingers!

These steps will help you with developing your writing habit. You can steal my writing habit strategy if you want the exact one. While my kids eat breakfast, I clean. After breakfast and getting the oldest on the bus I start outlining while the little ones play. The outlines are getting out general ideas and points. They can also be easily walked away from if the kiddos need me. After lunch it is nap time and putting the kids down is my trigger to write. The outlines give me a road map for my writing during nap time. That is my exact strategy for forming my writing habit. Before you go, I’d love to know what your favorite writing medium is. Do you go straight to the keyboard or are you a pen and paper chick?

See where I’m linking up!