Morning Completion Bonus

The Morning Completion Bonus is a powerful gamification feature that rewards children for finishing all their morning tasks before 1 PM. This incentive encourages starting the day strong, building morning routines, and developing the habit of completing work early.

+50 Points
Awarded when all morning tasks are completed before 1 PM

How It Works

The Morning Completion Bonus follows a simple but effective pattern:

Before 1 PM
Morning Tasks Assigned

Tasks scheduled for the "Morning" time period appear in the child's morning column. These might include making the bed, morning hygiene, breakfast cleanup, and other early-day responsibilities.

Throughout Morning
Child Completes Tasks

As the child marks each morning task as complete, they earn the base points for that task. The system tracks how many morning tasks remain.

Last Morning Task
Bonus Check Triggered

When the child marks the final morning task as complete, the system checks whether ALL morning tasks for that day have been done. If yes, the bonus is awarded automatically.

Immediately
50 Points Awarded

The bonus points are added to the child's balance with a celebration animation. The child sees a message confirming they earned the Morning Completion Bonus.

1:00 PM
Morning Window Closes

If any morning tasks remain incomplete at 1 PM, they automatically move to the afternoon column (if Auto Afternoon Move is enabled). The opportunity to earn the bonus has passed.

Key Requirements

To earn the Morning Completion Bonus, all of the following must be true:

  • All morning tasks complete: Every task assigned to the morning time period must be marked complete
  • Before 1 PM: The final task must be completed before the 1:00 PM cutoff
  • No deferrals: Tasks moved to "Do Tomorrow" or otherwise removed from today's morning count disqualify the bonus
  • Feature enabled: The Morning Completion Bonus toggle must be on in the child's settings

Note

If a task was assigned to the afternoon but completed in the morning, it does not count toward the bonus. Only tasks originally scheduled for morning count toward the requirement.

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1: Perfect Morning

Dominic has 3 morning tasks: Make Bed (5 pts), Brush Teeth (3 pts), and Feed Dog (5 pts). He completes all three by 9:30 AM. When he marks the last task complete, the system sees all morning tasks are done and awards +50 bonus points. Dominic earns 63 points total (13 base + 50 bonus) before most people have finished breakfast.

Scenario 2: Almost But Not Quite

Sophie has 4 morning tasks. She completes 3 of them by 10 AM, but the 4th (Clean Room) feels too big to start. At 1 PM, the incomplete task moves to afternoon. Sophie misses the Morning Completion Bonus because not all morning tasks were complete before the cutoff.

Scenario 3: The Last Minute Save

Marcus has been procrastinating on his morning homework. It's 12:45 PM and he still has one morning task left. He starts working frantically and finishes at 12:58 PM. Because the task was completed before 1 PM, he earns the +50 bonus points along with the base task points.

Scenario 4: Deferral Disqualification

Ava decides to move one of her morning tasks to "Do Tomorrow" because she doesn't feel like doing it. Even if she completes all remaining morning tasks before 1 PM, she does not earn the bonus because she intentionally avoided one of her morning responsibilities.

Why This Feature Works

The Morning Completion Bonus is effective for several psychological reasons:

Clear Goal

The requirement is simple and measurable: complete all morning tasks before 1 PM. Children can easily see their progress and understand exactly what they need to do to earn the bonus.

Time Pressure

The 1 PM cutoff creates urgency without being unreasonably tight. Most children can complete morning tasks in the hours before noon if they focus, but the deadline prevents endless procrastination.

Reward Proportionality

Fifty bonus points is a significant reward—often worth more than several regular tasks combined. This makes the bonus feel special and worth pursuing.

Morning Routine Building

By consistently rewarding morning task completion, children build habits around starting their day with productivity. This often carries over into other areas of life.

Visual Celebration

The bonus triggers a celebration animation and positive feedback message. This positive reinforcement strengthens the connection between completing morning tasks and feeling good about accomplishment.

Configuration Options

Parents can customize the Morning Completion Bonus in several ways:

Setting Default Options
Feature Toggle Off initially Enable or disable completely
Bonus Value 50 points 25-100 points (per child)
Cutoff Time 1:00 PM 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Strict Mode Off On: bonus requires all tasks including deferred ones

When to Enable

The Morning Completion Bonus works best for children who:

  • Are able to complete morning tasks with minimal supervision
  • Respond well to time-based challenges
  • Need motivation to start their day productively
  • Are old enough to understand the 1 PM deadline

Consider disabling or delaying the Morning Completion Bonus for children who:

  • Have trouble with morning routines due to age or developmental needs
  • Feel stressed by time pressure
  • Are prone to anxiety about deadlines
  • Have medical or physical needs that make morning tasks take longer

Combining with Auto Afternoon Move

The Morning Completion Bonus pairs naturally with the Auto Afternoon Move feature. When both are enabled:

  1. Morning tasks must be done before 1 PM to earn the bonus
  2. At 1 PM, any incomplete morning tasks automatically move to afternoon
  3. The combination creates a complete "morning window" with clear start and end

Recommended

For children who respond well to these features, enabling both the Morning Completion Bonus and Auto Afternoon Move creates the most powerful incentive structure for building morning habits.

Troubleshooting

Bonus Not Awarded

If the bonus should have been awarded but wasn't, check these common causes:

  • Was the feature enabled in the child's settings?
  • Was there a morning task that was deferred to tomorrow?
  • Was the final task completed before 1 PM?
  • Was the task originally assigned to morning, not moved from afternoon?

Child Feeling Discouraged

If missing the bonus is causing stress:

  • Reduce the number of morning tasks initially
  • Lower the bonus value to reduce pressure
  • Consider disabling the feature temporarily
  • Focus on celebrating completion rather than bonuses

Related Features