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1. Keep it fun.
Depending upon what you're trying to accomplish, you may be using printable reward charts, blank chore charts, or
printable behavior charts. The main point of keeping the whole process bubbling with a bit of fun is vital. Chances are whatever you are asking your child to accomplish is less than fun or you wouldn't need a chart system to begin with!
-- Use short-term rewards to teach about initiative and long-term rewards to teach about perseverance. Both are vital lessons and neither comes naturally. As your child develops good habits, short-term rewards can be decreased, but until then keep things lively and fun.
-- Even chores can be turned into a game. Can one child go faster than the other? Set a timer for ten minutes; who can get done, correctly, in that amount of time? Add music, jokes, and encouragement to the mix.
2. Teamwork.
Most kids will more willingly cooperate when they're working alongside someone else. That's true for most adults, as well. Sure, your kids need to be able to do their assigned chores or work on their behaviors at any given time, but throwing some teamwork into the mix can really boost motivation. My young daughter is learning to play the keyboard. That involves daily practice and it is often boring. But more than just wanting her to learn and enjoy the musical experience (as wonderful as that is), she'll never get there without learning the discipline of good daily habits. So after many years away from the piano, I am re-learning with her, including daily practice. It's a lot more interesting to share our journey with each other and this technique results in a lot less nagging, too.
3. Put your charges in charge - a little bit.
Depending upon the ages of your children, help them learn about running a household by giving them the opportunity to be responsible for it from time to time. You set up the schedule for your own situation, get everything written on your printable charts so everyone knows what's going on and when, and then have your children be in charge for a week here and there.
They'll find it's a much different game trying to manage the household than it is to just show up and take orders. Competing schedules, different personalities, and the realities of daily life is a great attitude adjustor for growing kids. Of course, you'll need to help and guide them, depending upon their ages, and a child who tackles this project deserves a better reward than the one who just does his small share of the load.
Printable charts for kids are great tools when used effectively. Remember that keeping the process fun, employing teamwork and giving your kids a whiff of real responsibility can help keep the motivation high and the results coming in strong.
If you would like to see results using printable charts, you'll need to organize your efforts a bit. The good news is these ideas are not difficult. Consistency is the real key here.
1. Be clear.
Do your kids know exactly why you are asking them to participate in using a reward chart? I mean EXACTLY why? Before you fill out one chore or behavior chart, you need to sit down with yourself and ask what you want to accomplish using these tools.
* Are you trying to teach a specific chore? For example, how, when and what to clean? Or getting control of clutter?
* Are you trying to improve your child's organizational habits? Or are you really trying to improve *your* organizational habits?
* Are you aiming for character development training? Improving a bad attitude or dealing with non-stop sibling rivalry?
* Do you really need printable homework charts instead of reward charts?
The point here is that until you are crystal clear about what you are aiming for, you probably are not going to achieve it. Once you get clear on your goal, explain this to your child. For example, if you tell your child that he needs to keep his room clean but don't spell that out in detail, you can be assured that your idea of his room being clean and his idea are totally different.
So be clear with your expectations, explain them to your child and write those expectations on the reward charts you use. Now everyone is on the same page.
2. Be positive.
No one likes to be nagged. In over 27 years of parenting I've never seen nagging produce lasting results. Momentary ones, yes. But then you must keep nagging and you will get less and less satisfactory results.
There's got to be a better way and there is.
Keep the whole process positive and matter-of-fact. Use rewards and prizes to keep people excited and in the game, but remember, ultimately, family members have to take ownership of the tasks you put on the reward charts in order to be successful. Nagging keeps you owning the situation. A positive attitude puts the ball back in your child's court.
"I see by looking at your reward chart that you have two items left to work on today (or whatever the situation is in your home). Those must be done by dinnertime; let me know when they are completed." (What if they won't do their chores? That's called consequences; keep reading.)
No nagging. Remember, your attitude will be picked up by your child. As the parent, you set the tone in your home. Kids of any age have difficulties with their attitudes; it's called growing up. Be straightforward and let your kids know that positive is the tone you want in your home. Then show them how to do it and practice together.
3. Follow through.
Since you're reading an article about reward charts, you must be interested in offering your kids a reward or prize for some sort of behavior modification. That's fine, just make sure you follow through. Nothing will kill motivation faster in your household than a child learning that she won't *really* get the reward she was promised for doing her part.
Likewise, if there are consequences for not getting the tasks completed you have assigned (and there must be consequences), then those must be followed through on as well or you have no hope of motivating your child to change their behavior. All children test their parent's boundaries with great consistency. This is normal behavior. Likewise, it's normal parenting behavior to have to enforce the boundaries that have been set.
Obviously, what this really means is that you, as the parent, must give careful consideration to both rewards and consequences before this process even starts. Don't overdo or under-do. No trips to Disneyland for a clean bathroom and no groundings for forgetting to hang up a towel once. Bottom line is always the Golden Rule. Treat others as you want to be treated. And enforce those boundaries!
Using printable reward charts can be a 'rewarding' experience in a family if you remember to use these tools effectively by getting clear on your expectations, staying positive and following through from start to finish. Consistency with these three keys will yield tremendous success over the lifetime of your family.