Witch Bucks: A Printable Reward System for Kids
We’re homeschooling the kids again this year, so some of the things I make for our own house are probably going to show up here too. Witch Bucks is one of them.
Witch Bucks is a printable reward system where kids earn pretend money for chores, schoolwork, extra jobs, personal goals, or whatever else makes sense in your family. They can save their Bucks and spend them in a little family reward shop on snacks, privileges, activities, extra screen time, skipped chores, later bedtimes, or bigger rewards.
It’s essentially a chore and reward chart with considerably more personality.
Why I Made Witch Bucks
The idea started with a girl I work with who has six kids. She told me that one of the ways she keeps chores moving in her house is by giving the kids “Mom Bucks” that they can cash in for rewards.
My immediate thought was that this was a terrible idea for my house.
My kids would lose the money, lose interest, forget the whole system existed, or somehow turn it into a legal dispute by Wednesday.
But the idea stuck with me.
They are much more motivated when there is something they are working toward, and they are constantly asking to do “witch stuff” with me. So I started thinking about how to make the reward system feel more like something they would actually want to use.
That is how Witch Bucks happened.
I made the money first, then the kids needed somewhere to spend it, which turned into the reward shops. Then I wanted a way to post optional extra jobs without assigning every little thing directly, so I added the Quest Board.
And because I know my kids, I made the pieces reusable, customizable, and sturdy enough to survive actual use.
What I wanted was something that felt interesting enough to hold their attention and flexible enough to work in real life.
How Witch Bucks Work
The system is easy to run. A child completes a task, extra job, or goal and earns Witch Bucks. They can spend them in the family reward shop or save them toward something more expensive.
You decide what earns Bucks, how much different jobs are worth, and what rewards are available. That means the same setup can work for different ages without having to maintain completely separate reward charts for everybody.
And you definitely do not have to attach Witch Bucks to every responsibility.
Some things in our house are simply things you have to do because, unfortunately, you live here.
I find the Bucks work better when there are specific opportunities to earn them instead of every ordinary act becoming a negotiation.
What Can Kids Earn Witch Bucks For?
This part is deliberately flexible because what counts as an “extra” job in one house may be part of the regular routine in another.
You could use Witch Bucks for:
- Completing chores or extra household jobs
- Extra schoolwork or optional assignments
- Reading or practicing a skill
- Helping a sibling
- Taking care of pets
- Completing morning or bedtime routines
- Helping without being asked
- Reaching a personal goal
- Completing a special quest
For homeschool, I especially like having the option to use them for work that goes beyond the normal daily requirements. That might be extra reading, finishing a project, practicing something they’ve been struggling with, or tackling an optional assignment.
It keeps “school” from turning entirely into paid labor while still giving me a way to reward extra effort.
Creating a Reward Shop
This is the part the kids actually care about.
The rewards can be as low-key or elaborate as you want, and they absolutely do not all have to cost money.
Extra screen time, choosing the movie, picking dinner, staying up a little later, sleeping in, skipping one regular chore, choosing a game, having an indoor campout, going to the library, one-on-one time with a parent, and special snacks can all work.
I like having a mixture of small rewards they can afford fairly quickly and larger ones that require saving.
Not every kid is motivated by the same kind of reward, either. One child may save every Buck for extra screen time while another could not care less and wants a snack or an activity instead. That is why the printable includes blank reward-shop pages and blank coupons too, so you can build the rewards around what actually works for your kids.
That matters especially if you have more than one child, because one will happily save pretend money like a tiny dragon sitting on a treasure hoard while another has already spent everything on popsicles.
Plan accordingly.
The Quest Board
One of my favorite parts of the system is the Quest Board.
Instead of constantly announcing random extra jobs, I can write a task and its Witch Buck value on a reusable card and put it on the board.
Clean underneath the table for 5 Witch Bucks. Help organize the school shelf for 10. Water the plants. Read to a younger sibling. Help me tackle whatever weird little job has appeared that day.
You do not have to use the parchment task pieces with the Quest Board, but I like them because they are easy to reuse. I laminate mine and write the task and Witch Buck amount on each one with a dry-erase marker.
To make them magnetic, I cut up one of those old advertising magnets that came in the junk mail and used pieces on the backs of the cards. Nothing fancy, and I did not have to buy a pack of craft magnets just for this.
The kids can see what is available and decide whether they want to do the extra work.
This also gives me somewhere to put the jobs that need done but don’t really belong on anybody’s normal chore list.
Once a quest is taken or completed, the card comes down.
No complicated app. No giant tracking spreadsheet. Just a job, an amount, and whichever child suddenly discovers an intense entrepreneurial spirit.
Things I Learned After Actually Using It
Laminate Everything
I am serious.
And if you do not already own a laminator, they are usually pretty affordable. An inexpensive one is often around $20–$30 at Walmart, and it is useful for far more than just this system. Page protectors are also a good option for the full-page shop menus if you do not want to laminate everything.
If your children are gentle little woodland creatures who carefully return every piece of paper to its designated location, congratulations.
Mine are feral.
I laminate the pieces we handle regularly, and full-page shop menus can go into page protectors. Dry-erase markers make it easy to change prices, write new tasks, or reuse blank pieces instead of constantly reprinting everything.
I also strongly recommend giving each child an envelope, zipper pouch, little wallet, or other designated place for their Witch Bucks.
Otherwise you will eventually find yourself mediating a dispute over whether a crumpled 20 found under the couch legally belongs to the finder.
Don’t Make the Economy Too Complicated
You do not need to start tracking inflation in the Witch Bucks market.
Pick a few common earning amounts and some rewards, then see what happens.
If everything is too easy to buy, raise the prices.
If the kids have been hoarding ones for six weeks and still can’t afford anything worth having, lower the prices or let them earn a little more.
There is no perfect conversion rate between unloading the dishwasher and buying an indoor campout.
The system is supposed to make life easier, not create another administrative position for you.
Let Kids Save for Bigger Rewards
I originally made Witch Bucks in denominations from 1 through 50.
My children immediately wanted to know why there was no 100.
Fair question.
So now there is a 100.
I treat the larger denominations more like savings or bank notes than something somebody earns because they remembered to put a cup in the sink. Kids can trade smaller bills in as they save, which also keeps us from having several hundred tiny pieces of paper migrating around the house.
The Printable Witch Bucks Rewards System
Once our home version kept growing, I turned it into a printable system other families could use too.
The complete Witch Bucks Rewards System includes:
- A parent setup guide
- Three ready-to-use themed reward shops
- Three matching blank reward-shop pages
- Printable Witch Bucks in denominations from 1 through 100
- Prewritten and blank reward coupons
- A Quest Board
- Reusable task cards
The ready-made shops are divided into Spellbook Shelf, Potion Pantry, and Moonlight Passes, with a mixture of activities, snacks, privileges, and bigger rewards.
More witchy things to do with kids: Mabon for Kids and 15 Simple Yule Crafts You Can Make at Home.
Do You Need a Printable Reward System?
No.
You can absolutely make your own version with index cards, scraps of paper, play money, or a notebook. I hope this post gives you enough ideas to do exactly that if buying another printable isn’t in the budget right now.
The printable is for families who would rather have the work already done—the money designed, shop menus made, reward ideas written, coupons ready, and blank pieces included for customization.
Because sometimes DIY means making it yourself.
And sometimes DIY means paying a few dollars so somebody else can spend several ridiculous hours lining up tiny pretend witch dollars for you.
Both are valid.
