Let's Talk Positive Reinforcement

You may have tried creating a behavior chart in the past to help your child engage in household chores or other tasks.

Time and time again these behavior charts fail due to a lack of engagement from the child. The concept of positive reinforcement works best when the child is motivated to complete the behavior because they know there’s something of interest included in the end. Your role: To be consistent in rewarding your child when they complete their tasks (positive reinforcement).

Some tips:

1. Include your child in creating their chart and executing the tasks. Ask your child what behaviors you would want to include (they know what is expected of them!). They can check off each completed task throughout the day to increase their sense of autonomy. Make this their own— if they love stickers, use them! Have an artist on your hands? Have them draw on each box instead of using a check mark or decorate their chart. I love getting my behavior charts on https://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/ They have favorite characters included on their charts to further engage your child.

2. Start small— 3 behaviors max! Let’s set your child up for success with 3 simple and clear behaviors (for example, brush teeth, take bath, or 9pm bedtime).

3. Use gentle reminders. As with any habit, this may take some time to integrate into routine. Make sure you are invested in the process as well and remind your child periodically about their tasks. Eventually, and with application of reinforcements, it will become habit!

4. Let your child pick their reinforcement. Talk to them about what reward they would like to get once said behaviors are completed. You may want to start off with a daily prize, then increase to weekly (especially for younger kids who love instant gratification).