TV Time Tokens

To allow my children a little more freedom in choosing when they watch TV, I made some TV Time Tokens. They choose when they watch, the tokens limit how much they watch. I made six tokens per child (with each name stamped on the back to avoid confusion). Each token is worth 30 minutes of TV time. The six tokens need to last them for one week. When they would like to watch something, they bring me a token. I set a timer that is right by the TV for 30 minutes. -In the near future, they will start being in charge of setting it also. I am all for independence and responsibility.- When the timer goes off, they either turn the TV off or give me another token. When the tokens are gone (three hours worth of watching), the TV stays off. The tokens are all returned on Saturday. In the past I have used the TV when I need a bit of uninterupted time. I still rely on this from time to time. If I'm the one that turns the TV on, they aren't required to give a token.

This system has worked even better than I thought it would. They have a tangible indicator of how much more they can watch and they are in charge of it so I don't have anything to do with when and how long they watch TV. Last week there was even a token left over.