What are inexpensive "rewards" that I can use daily as positive reinforcement for my 3 children?

Question

I have three children (ages 2, 3, and 7) that I'm making a game board for. It's to track their interaction and behavior during the day. The better they act, the further they go, and the more "rewards" they earn.

I need realistic ideas as I am unable to buy movies and such on a daily basis. We stay away from fast food so something like a Happy Meal would be equivalent to a grand prize. Still, I'm a little unsure if I want food to be a reward on any level.

THANKS FOR THE HELP!

Answer 1

Do you have anywhere nearby that uses tokens, like Chuck E Cheese?  You can give the child some tokens each day (equivalent to a quarter each), then at the end of the month, take them to Chuck E Cheese and let them spend their tokens on games or little rides.

Or you can give them regular quarters and then the reward would be to convert them to dollars and have a trip to the dollar store.

Answer 2

just use tokens (poker chips, little card board animals, bouncy balls) that represent one good behavior. give one for good behavior, take one for bad behavior. They should each have their own jar to put them in.

this way they can cash in their tokens for rewards (have a friend over, a trip to the movies, etc).

possible rewards (depends on your present lifestyle)

-more time on the computer, video game

-stay up a little bit later

-get to pick any game to play with mom or dad

-pick what the family watches at night

-rent a video from the store

It kind of teaches them about money in that you have to save for the things you want.

i also don't like the idea of using food as a reward. if you're going to do that, i would say maybe have a cookie from the bakery or something instead of 1000 empty calories from a fast food joint.

i'm sorry if this is not fully answering your question.

Answer 3

Hi,

I have a 3 y.o daughter and a 9 y.o. son. I use the following methods :

1. Praise : works for both

2. Letting him / her take the lead (that maybe even when they take the stairs) : works better for the 9 y.o. He knows that he earned that right.

3. Let her turn the light switch on. She gets excited !!

4. Let her choose which cereal to eat for breakfast the next day. I do that with my son too. It works less as they age though !

5. If I have any special food for them that I cooked, I let the winner or the one with the best behavior get the share first.

6. I praise her and help her organize her toys.

7. I play with him ( the 9 y.o.) with his transformers. He  gets my undivided attention.....that is his reward.

You can also come up with your own ideas.

You know what is best for your children. So, I cannot be too prescriptive. You will have to sort out the ones that are acceptable to you.

Hope this helped :))

Answer 4

Why not use arts. The reward can be the child gets to choose the art activity for the day?

My kids love art, and will always be good to paint, and paste.

Or you could have a sticker chart, and place stickers as a reward, and once that child had (whatever amount u think) stickers, then he/she could get a prize.

Also choosing a movie to rent and watch

Answer 5

Keep a chart with each child's name on it.  If they have a day where their cooperation and behavior was good, they earn a star.  For every ten stars they earn (or what ever number you decide--seven would also be good, because it allows them the potential to earn a reward each week), they get to choose a reward, such as going to McDonald's, a small toy, going to the movies, or something like that.  

The stickers themselves are the smaller reward, and it allows each child to track his or her progress throughout the week.  Make a big deal out of it when you put their stars up, saying "Great job today, Emily--you're almost there!"  If they don't earn one for the day, try to be encouraging, and remind them that they get a clean slate tomorrow.

Answer 6

you could use stickers and once they get to a certain number they can trade their stickers on the board for a prize or let them roll for a bigger prize. the dollar store has really cheap stickers for the board. u can make different prize levels. like 10 stickers could be maybe stay up like a half hour later, and so on the more stickers the better the prize. u could do maybe extra tv time, let them pick dinner, special time with mommy, maybe a trip to the dollar store for a toy, just simple things like that can seem a reward to them. hope this helps if i think of more i'll let ya know

Answer 7

Instead of material rewards, try things like saying "I'm proud of you" or "Great job!" when they behave.  Children do not need to be rewarded daily for doing the right thing when the right thing is what they are supposed to be doing in the first place.  

In real life you don't get a new i-pod when you behave at the office.  The same should apply at home.  They don't need rewards on the materialistic level.  It only sets them up to believe they will get rewards for good behavior throughout life.  

Answer 8

Hmmm lets see...what are your kids into? Movies? Dolls? Hot Wheels? Use those as more of the big prizes and something like they get to pick the movie to watch at night or they can stay up a little later or even choose a fun activity like going to the park for more of the smaller rewards...

...i use marshmallows with my 3 year old :)

Answer 9

Choosing where to go for dinner, getting to stay up an extra 30mins, choosing somewhere special to go (park, movies, batting cages) etc are all great rewards for anything. Rewards of time make more of an impact than something materialistic...because the next time they're good, they get somethig new and the old reward is a thing of the past. We had a system in my house with coins.

You got X amount of coins for doing your homework with no issues, cleaning up after yourself, getting along with your siblings etc. At the end of the week, a certain amount of coins could be traded in for any of the thing I listed above and only a certain amount can be used each week. (Kept my 8yr from saving up and handing me 50 coins so he can stay up all night lol.) What I liked about the coins is that their reward was something small at the end of the week...something we would do with them anyway.

Best Wishes =]

Answer 10

Good idea!  

Stickers, get to pick the bedtime book, get to do something first, get to use a special toy, pick what to eat for lunch, alone time with mommy or daddy, extra tv time, temporary tattoos, a couple m&ms.

Answer 11

My neighbor does the same for her 6 and 4 year old.  She bought stickers, candy, or things from the dollar store that they can pick out.  What she does, she has a board with their names and squares for the stickers.  She has a list of easy chores for them to do, and if they do it without being told, they get to put 2 stickers next to their name, or if they are good, they get to put 1 sticker by their name.  When they get 20 stickers, she gives them a dollar to put in their piggy bank or they get to go into a basket and pick out a prize.  I can't wait for my boys to get to that age, I think it's such a good idea.

Answer 12

I would be nervous about using this approach, period.  Constantly rewarding them for good behavior as children sets the expectation that good behavior will be always rewarded with something tangible, which can cripple them later in life when they have been conditioned to only choose a good behavior if a reward is attached.  Very often in "real life", good behavior must serve as its own reward, and they might as well learn that early in life, otherwise you're just setting them up for disappointment and confusion later.