We don’t really have a reward system in our house though we have had charts in the past for things like potty training etc. Lately I felt like we had got a bit stuck in the whole ‘consequence’ situation, you know what I mean, “if you don’t stop doing that you won’t go to the party” etc etc etc. Sometimes the the threats are followed through but sometimes they aren’t and then I feel like we loose respect and the threats are just seen as empty and the children pay no attention to it and now we are stuck in a vicious circle.
So, half term is upon us and I am determined to make it enjoyable for all of us. I’m a positive person and love books like ‘The Secret’ so I’ve been looking for something positive we can do to maintain a good atmosphere.
Here is what we have decided on, I’m not going to claim this idea as my own but I have added in extra bits that I think will work for us.
Reward Jars!
In a nutshell, the children get a token to put in their jar when they have been good. Importantly, they won’t get one every time they’re good as I’m trying to make sure their behaviour is good whether or not they get a token.
I’ve been thinking about the things I most want to change, firstly I really need them to try and do things the first time I ask them to, I’m sure everyone can sympathise with this! It drives me bonkers asking 50 times for them to just put their shoes on! Secondly I really want them to share with one another. We definitely have to stop snatching from eachother. With that in mind I’m going to focus on those things so almost every time they do something the first time I ask or share a toy they will get a token for their jar, hopefully positively reinforcing the good!
Half way up the jar I have drawn a line, once they fill their jar up to the line, they will get a treat. We will decide together what that treat will be for each of them, maybe a packet of sweets, a magazine, 15 minutes iPad time, something of low cost but high value to them. I’ve decided to do that to keep them interested and remind them that if they keep up good behaviour they will be rewarded.
When the jars are full we can go on an exciting day out! I already have this planned for Friday of half term and my husband has booked the day off work but they don’t know and I think it will have a huge impact for them as it will be a real treat.
When the jars appear in the morning I’m going to explain how it works and and we will go through the rules and the types of things they can think of that might get them a token for their jar
Here is what I’m using:
- 2 Coffee Jars (it’s important they’re both the same size)
- 1 Jar to keep your ‘rewards’ in
- ‘Reward Tokens’ – These can be marbles, Pom poms, pebbles, foam eggs, anything you think will be visually appealing to children. – (note that the heavier the token, the better the noise will be when they drop it into their jar! )
Optional Extras:
- Chalkboard labels from Tiger to label your jars
- Heart Stickers from Tiger to decorate
- Sparkly Eggs (reward tokens) from pound land
- A sharpie / permanent marker to mark your half way line
- An elastic band to mark your half way line
- Lucky Dip Reward tokens for half way line – e.g. so the children can have a lucky dip treat, you can write on small pieces of card things such as, 15 minutes tablet time, sweeties, stay up 30 minutes later etc etc etc
I hope you have found this useful! We are starting our reward jars tomorrow, the first day of half term so I will keep you all updated! Please do let me know if you have any other ideas or things you have tried and tested before that work for you, I would love to hear from you!
Have a lovely, positive half term!
