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Token Economies 101

© Sheri Wallace

Do you find yourself saying "No" more than any other word in the English language? When was the last time you offered praise for a job well done? It is very easy to slip into a constant "No" pattern, so much so, that most parents have all been there and done that. There is another choice. A choice that enforces the good qualities in your child, but also discourages the negative behaviors. It is a Token Economy.

What is a token economy? It is a system that governs all privileges for your children and turns the emphasis from 'No' to 'Yes.' You reward only the positive behaviors and simply ignore the others. You tailor the token economy to your family situation, and the needs of your children. And it is easy to do, and doesn't cost any money. The steps to implement a token economy are simple and flexible.

First, make a list of the privileges your child has. TV, video games, phone time, after school ice cream, extra play time, or spending a night at a friend's house are all good candidates for the token economy. Next, rate these in order of importance to your child. Make a point value from one to ten next to each privilege. There can be several of one point value, for instance, TV and Video Games could both be a number 8. Make sure to include lots of different options, and be creative and include several your children might like, such as a trip to the zoo, or local amusement park. Since the focus of this program is on the positive, the sky is the limit for possibilities. Of course, a trip to grandma's in Florida may be 10,000 points, but the airlines include lavish point choices in their frequent flyer programs, so why can't you? If you have the financial means, plan a trip to a different city or state and assign it a point value.

You should now have lots of low point values, and a couple of large point values. Now assign a currency. You can use poker chips, game tokens, or monopoly money, anything with limited circulation around the house. Assign a point value to each item of currency, keeping in mind the point values you assigned a moment ago to each privilege. You may need to re-score a few privileges, but that is ok. Increments of 5 worked for us, because we used poker chips that weren't marked, and I decided 5 was an easy multiple.