Tips for using a reward system effectively

Use it before you lose it. As parents we tend to bring out the reinforcers when all else fails. Introduce reward charts to your children to encourage good behaviour before there is an issue.

Focus on the positive. Reward charts are used to encourage good 
behaviour. If you want your child to stop hitting reward gentle touching. The focus must be on the behaviour you want to see. Take this as a time to take stock of your families values and beliefs and decide what you would like to teach your children and then reinforce this behaviour when you see it happening.

One way street. Stars, tokens, check marks can be given when 
the positive behaviour occurs. Do not take these away when the child does something inappropriate. Reward charts are meant to be rewarding. Other strategies can be used to discipline negative behaviour.

Timing is everything: The timing of stars and tokens should be in short approximations for  younger children. Initially allow children to earn their rewards over an Hour  and slowly move up to half a day or even an entire day. Older children are more  capable of delayed gratification and could work for rewards over a couple
of  consecutive days.

Motivating reward. Keep the reward novel and make sure  your child is motivated by it. Your child will not respond to a Barbie DVD
if  she is allowed to watch it throughout the day or doesn’t even like Barbie. 

Take  this as a time to become curious about what motivates your child.

Ishtar Gabriel
ParentEasy

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