Reward system for preschool children?

Question

My son is almost 5 yo and he joined the school last December. In the class there is in place a reward system that rewards children whose behavior match some pre-defined pattern. They can earn a certificate and points. Providing they get say 20 points, they will be in turn rewarded and presented in a public party where a big size certificate will be given.

Okay, my son has no chances to win the big certificate, due the fact he joined the school later than his mates... But that set aside, I find this practice horrible... I cannot understand why the school do these things with small children... They should reward, but not create competition between children. It seems that they support this practice on Gordon's work, which I doubt.

Could you please help me to clarify this practice, giving me your opinion, and providing bibliographic references to support your thoughts. I need to make a presentation to the Principal, based on sound pedagogic grounds.

Thank you!

Answer 1

I certainly agree with you , but you need to do your research - not us!

Answer 2

candy is always good.....

Answer 3

Well, developmentally speaking, children of this age need more immediate rewards for their behavior, and in smaller packages!   A point system that spans the pre-school year is really inappropriate for children this age because they do not have a strong sense of time.  

Piaget would say that these children are in the "pre-operational" development stage.  This reward system is more conducive to much older students, say, the "concrete operations" stage.  Therefore, this system is inappropriate for pre-schoolers.

Children this age need rewards in much, much smaller time frames...1/2 day and end of the day rewards (stickers) or for some, even every hour, if that's what they need to stay on task and make good choices.  I used stars reward graphs for children, after each day, they could choose a sticker or pencil extra center time, etc.  

Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Do you think you would be thinking diffrently if it was your guy getting the Big Certificate or reward. I think you'd change your tune, but putting that aside I think it has its place in the school system. I would go to the parents meeting and see how other parents feel about it too.