Rewarding Ideas

Figuring out the right reward system for your child can be challenging.

Every parent would love their children to be perfectly obedient or always complete their homework on time without being asked.  But we all know that that's just not how we learn and sometimes our kids need a little extra reinforcement to do the right thing or to choose work over play. 

So here are a few reward system ideas that I've tried in the past.

{Rock Bowl}

One  thateward systems we have used is filling a bowl (or jar) with rocks.  You can either place one rock in the jar for every "good" day or for a specific good behavior.  You can even let your child put in the rock to help motivate him/her a little more and get them more excited about their progress.  When the jar is filled with rocks, the child earns a reward. 

{Life Saver Bucket}
 
When I worked with an after school program we had a bucket with life savers.  If the kids were found doing something good or doing their homework, they earned a life saver from the bucket.  When the life savers were all gone, the entire group earned an activity.  This reward system worked really well because it included instant gratification for their personal accomplishments and an opportunity to work towards something bigger.

{Sticker Chart}

Sticker charts are a really common reward system, you can even find some cute free printables out there.  When I first started rewarding my kids I used a sticker chart and made sure that they were rewarded very quickly.  For instance, after earning only 5 stickers on their chart they could choose a small toy out of a basket.  Now that they are older and under the the concept I have extended it and it takes awhile for them to fill their sticker chart and earn their reward.

{Rewards}

Personally, I like having my kids earn activities rather than toys or treats.  For us, we already have a lot of toys and I don't really need more clutter, and we have treats fairly often as a family anyway so an activity is more unique.  Plus, an activity gives me a chance to spend some special one-on-one time with that child or to do something fun with the whole family.  Some of the activities that my kids enjoy working towards are: trip to McDonald's, swimming, having a friend sleepover, trip to the zoo, going out for ice cream, going to a park, and playing games together.  Most of these activities are pretty simple, so you can see that they don't have to be pricy or complicated.

You can also offer a reward in parts.  For instance, if your child likes crafts, they could earn beads for a bracelet or other craft that you will do together when they have earned all of the parts.

Another really great incentive is a hand-written note from you to your child.  You'll be amazed how excited they get to receive their own personalized "mail"--and you can express how proud you are of their accomplishments, which is another great positive reinforcement for their good behavior.

This is not an all-inclusive list, so fill free to be creative with your rewards and do things for them that they will really enjoy--after all, as their parent, you probably know your kid better than anyone.

Have you tried reward systems in the past??  Please share with us your experience and what you tried.  We're all learning together here, so any feedback you have would be great!