‘Well Done’
An utterance of these words, along with a pat on the back for a job well done, are incomplete without that proverbial ‘cherry on top’: Namely, a Reward!
It’s true. Whether it’s granting them access to extra screen time, or perhaps even buying them that new toy they have wanted for the longest time, rewards are loved by all children. In fact, there’s perhaps no better way to encourage good behaviour in your kids, no matter what their age, other than by giving them a reward.
In this article from the team at EuroKids, we aim to show all parents, how setting up a reward system for kids can be instrumental in providing a positive incentive to them for behaving well.
Read on, to learn all about the nuances of a reward system for kids, and why it should be used in conjunction with other positive parenting techniques, to bring the best out of our children.
Table of Contents
- Decoding the Basics of Setting up a Reward System for Toddlers and Preschoolers
- Tips for setting up a Reward System for Preschoolers and Toddlers
- Tips for setting up a Reward System for School KIds
Decoding the Basics of Setting up a Reward System for Toddlers and Preschoolers
If you’re going to be teaching something important to your kids, you want to start them young!
Before we explore the stellar tips vis a vis creating a reward system for toddlers and preschoolers, let’s see how they should be best customized for children that are this young.
- Use a Sticker Reward Chart
- Use other means of visual rewards
Children that are younger, respond spectacularly well to ‘visual reward systems’, like this one. For instance, you might put a sticker on the chart every time they get dressed on their own.
Visual rewards need not be merely limited to those ‘stickers on charts’. They can also include things like ‘magnets on the fridge’, or perhaps even ‘coins in a jar’ – anything to make your little ones feel cherished and appreciated!
Tips for setting up a Reward System for Preschoolers and Toddlers
Can’t wait to get started, where it comes to gleaning some invaluable tips on how to set up a reward system for toddlers and preschoolers? Read on to know more!
- Reward them straight away
- Be ‘specific’
- Avoid using ‘negative’ words when giving rewards
- Shower them with Praise
The last thing you want is for your child to forget why they are being rewarded. You want to reward them ‘at once’, after they have performed the desired behaviour.
Tip: You might want to tell your child here, something like ‘You dressed up on your own, so I’m giving you a sticker!’
You want to be specific with little children, where it comes to encouraging their positive behaviour.
Example: You might tell them something to the tune of ‘Please put your toys back’, instead of ‘Please clean your room’.
Whether it’s giving them extra screen time or another sticker on that reward chart, you want to make sure you steer clear of ‘negative’ words like ‘no’, ‘don’t and ‘stop’.
Example: Instead of saying ‘Don’t hit your brother’, you might want to nicely tell them ‘Please share your toys with your brother’.
If there’s one thing that we know well about toddlers and preschoolers,it is this: they love pleasing their parents and being showered with praise! You want to tell them something like: ‘I’m so proud of you for putting your toys back, I’m giving you a sticker!’
Tips for Setting up a Reward System for School Kids
When children get older and begin going to ‘big school’, all those stickers on the chart are going to lose their earlier charm. Setting up a reward system for school kids, then, includes the incorporation of different incentives.
Presenting some stellar tips for setting up a reward system for school kids.
- Give them Points instead of Rewards
- Put a ‘penalty system’ in place
- Ask for their inputs!
Setting up a ‘point-based’ reward system, might actually work wonders with older kids. For instance, you can tell them that if they accumulate a certain ‘number of points’, they can get that cool video game that’s been on their minds for a while.
Tip: Here you might want to ‘broaden the avenues’ of getting points. For instance, they can procure points when they make their bed, or if they control their anger in challenging situations.
Just because your child behaves well on several occasions, it doesn’t give them the right to misbehave at whim!
Tip: You want to reduce the overall ‘score’ – that is the points they have accumulated for good behaviour – by removing some points when they behave badly. That will help teach them a thing or two about ‘consequences’, and make them think twice the next time round before indulging in any sort of bad behaviour.
This might seem a tad strange, but in fact it’s a most effective way to reinforce positive behaviour in older kids.
Tip: You want to get them to brainstorm around that reward system for kids, to see how it can work better for them. For example, they might not care about your incentive of giving them a ‘book’ when they accumulate a certain number of points, if they don’t like ‘reading’ in the first place!
At EuroKids we believe that setting up a reward system for kids, can certainly provide for an effective means of getting children to be on their best behaviour. Get that reward system for kids up and running where it comes to your own child, and see the difference it makes to their overall behaviour over time!
