Most people are familiar with a reward system for children, but how do you apply it properly? A reward system will only work well if you apply it properly and consistently. There are numerous reward systems available on the internet, but you can of course also make one yourself. There are a number of things you need to pay attention to if you want to be successful with this.
The task
Consider for which task the child can earn a reward. This could be anything. For example:
- Becoming potty trained
- Don’t wet the bed
- Fall asleep peacefully
- When they wake up, stay in bed until mom or dad comes to get them
- Controlling tantrums
- Good food
- No teasing brothers/sisters
The task must be clear and concrete for the child.
How many days
Consider how many days the child must perform the task correctly before receiving his reward. It must be clear to the child after how many days he can earn his reward. Assume a reasonable number. For example, if a child eats well for 7 days he gets his reward.
The reward
Make sure the reward is not too great. For example, if the child has eaten well for 7 days, he can choose what to eat on day 8. Or if the child has not wet his bed for 7 nights, you can do something fun at the weekend, for example going to the playground or the petting zoo. It can simply be a free activity, but something the child likes.
How does the reward system work
If you choose to create a reward system yourself, I will now assume that you have chosen 7 days. Choose a nice color of paper. Draw 7 boxes on it (next to each other). You make a large area for the child’s name, where you can also attach a photo of the child and a picture. For example, a bed, a toilet or a plate of food. You can just cut this out of a folder. You also need stickers. Explain to the child that he can stick a sticker every time the task goes well. If things don’t go well on a day, that’s okay, but be consistent that the child is not allowed to stick a sticker and explain to the child why he doesn’t get a sticker. He can try again tomorrow. This way the child has a lot of insight into how many days he still has to complete the task before he gets his ‘real’ reward. Also be consistent if the child has completed the task well, he can actually stick a sticker. If the child does something else that is not allowed and is therefore not allowed to stick a sticker, this is very confusing. So avoid this.
Pride
You will notice that the child is very proud when things have gone well. He is proud of himself. Every day that things go well, he will proudly show others that he has earned the stickers himself. If the child has done well every day and has received his reward, you can either extend it (if there were a number of days in between when things did not go well) or you can work with the child (this depends on the age). ) think up a new task and then start over.