How to reward siblings without "that's not fair"
By Arif Ul Islam · Updated
To reward siblings fairly, make the effort equal rather than the task identical: give each child a challenge matched to their age and ability, keep the reward and its price the same for everyone, and never compare one child's result with another's. In ThinkForTreats, each quest has its own difficulty, so an older and a younger sibling can earn the same treat with puzzles that fit each of them.
Fair doesn't mean identical
A seven-year-old and a ten-year-old doing the same task isn't fair to either of them: it's too hard for one and too easy for the other. What siblings actually check is whether the deal is the same: the same treat for the same kind of effort.
Say that out loud. "You each have a quest for your level, and you each get ice cream when it's done" answers most complaints before they start.
Match the challenge to each child
Set the difficulty per child. ThinkForTreats has Easy (ages 5–6), Medium (ages 7–8) and Hard (ages 9–10), and you choose the pass mark for each quest, so a younger child isn't set up to fail next to an older one.
When each child's puzzles fit them, both finish at roughly the same effort, and neither gets the treat for free.
Keep results private
Comparing scores turns a reward into a competition, and the child who loses stops wanting to play. Celebrate each child finishing their own quest, not who got more right.
Each child having their own profile helps: their quests and progress stay separate on the same device, rather than one shared list to compare.
Share a goal now and then
Occasionally make the reward a shared one, such as a family movie night that unlocks when both children finish their quests. The siblings are then on the same side, and helping each other becomes the point.
Common questions
- Can I set up more than one child in ThinkForTreats?
- The free trial covers 1 child profile. Unlimited kid profiles are a Pro feature, and each child gets their own nickname, avatar and quests.
- What if the younger child finishes first?
- That's fine and often good for them. Each child is racing only their own quest, and nothing on the child's screen shows how a sibling did.
- Should siblings ever get different rewards?
- Yes, if they want different things. Keep the size of the reward similar and the price the same, and let each child choose what they're working toward.