The holidays are packed full of fun. So much fun that it can be hard for little minds to stay focused on their schoolwork. By the time my kids get home from school and it’s time to sit down to work on homework, it’s a real challenge. Homework is hard on the best days, but when you add in the distractions from all of the holiday excitement, it's even more painful for parents and children.
Sponsored by Mondelēz International. All thoughts are my own and do not belong to Mondelēz International, Inc.
This holiday season, as I was searching for a way to keep everyone motivated during homework time, Mondelēz International Group reached out and asked some Macaroni KID publishers if we would (1) have our families check out a few of their products and (2) spread some holiday cheer to two local families with stockings packed full of candy. I immediately jumped on board!
After a quick Target run to get the supplies, I surprised my children after school with a stocking stuffed full of all of their regular favorites with a holiday twist: TRIDENT Gum, SOUR PATCH KIDS Soft & Chewy Candy, SWEDISH FISH Soft & Chewy Candy, and TOBLERONE Chocolate Bars. I packed everything in a stocking and had it waiting for them after school.
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When they walked in and saw all of their favorite candies, their eyes lit up! I explained how each day they would get to enjoy one of their favorite treats either during or after homework time. Curious how to work some candy motivators into your after school routine? I’ve got it all figured out for you, and it couldn’t be easier (or tastier).
Kindergarten: SOUR PATCH KIDS Ornament Holiday Soft & Chewy Candy
In kindergarten, sight words and early math skills are on our agenda every night. I set out a serving size of SOUR PATCH KIDS Ornament Holiday Soft & Chewy Candy (it is the holidays after all) for my son and we used each candy as a reward for correctly identifying a sight word or as a counting mechanism for math. He knows when all of the candies are gone, he has hit his goal of working hard and it’s time to go play. He no longer whines about after-school learning and even counts out the serving size of candy himself.
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Second grade: SOUR PATCH KIDS Soft & Chewy Holiday Candy, Candy Cane Shaped Tubes
The second grade seems to be when the work gets real and kids are expected to sit for longer periods of time. This can be problematic if you have a son like mine who always wants to be on the go, and as a result, ends up fidgeting a lot. By the time he gets home from school, he understandably wants to be outside playing with friends rather than doing homework. I selected the SOUR PATCH KIDS Soft & Chewy Holiday Candy, Candy Cane Shaped Tube as his motivator for two reasons. First, SOUR PATCH KIDS Candy is his favorite so I knew he would be pumped. Second, each piece is individually wrapped so he can stack them or do whatever he wants to fidget a bit while getting through his work.
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Middle school: TOBLERONE Chocolate Bars
As a parent we know that each kid needs different things, right? My daughter’s main struggle with homework is that she takes forever to complete it. She’s tired from a long day and has a tendency to zone out. She’s all about chocolate everything, especially those easy to recognize peak-shaped, Swiss TOBLERONE Chocolate Bars, made with honey and almond nougat. With my daughter, she shows me the homework she has and we both set a mutually agreed upon time limit for getting it completed in order to receive her chocolate treat at the end. The one caveat? The homework must be done correctly and mom is going to check it before the chocolate is handed over.
Mom: TRIDENT Spearmint Gum 3 Pack or TRIDENT Cinnamon Gum 3 Pack or SWEDISH FISH Soft & Chewy Candy
Homework time can be painful for parents too, right? My treat of choice to get through homework is TRIDENT Gum or SWEDISH FISH Soft & Chewy Candy.
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The candy motivators have changed homework time at our house from a dreaded task to a time of motivation. Our evenings are so much smoother now and the grumbling about homework is gone! From one parent to another, this holiday stocking stuffer idea couldn’t have been simpler to create and I love how it served so many purposes. Whether it’s homework motivation or simply just to give your kids a treat, stockings packed full of TOBLERONE, SOUR PATCH KIDS Soft & Chewy Candy, SWEDISH FISH Soft & Chewy Candy and TRIDENT Gum are sure to be a hit at your house!
My family and I were so excited to share stockings loaded with all of our favorite gum and candies with two Macaroni KID readers. Check out their reactions.
