Rewarding Your Kids Good Behavior

Rewarding your children for their good behavior can be great motivation for your child. Most of the time simple comments of praise as "You did great", "Well Done", and "Keep it Up" or hugs will do. If you choose to implement an incentive to reinforce your child's behavior be careful, especially if you rely on material or monetary rewards. This will set the wrong expectations that the child holds the reward a greater value than doing the good behavior as the right thing to do.

If you decide to do a rewards chart, children do love them and they tend to break the cycle of nagging for a specific behavior only if you consistently maintain this and work as a family. I would suggest on handling and rewarding only one or two behaviors at a time. This will allow both you and the child to focus on working together to tackle the issue. Use reward charts in moderation because it may end up being not fun anymore for you or your child. This also depends on your child's personality and how your child responds to rewards.

If you want to reward your children with simple praise that is always best and here are some other ways without monetary or material rewards that your children will be sure to love:

• going to the park with a parent without siblings
  
• helping out in making food, helping mom or dad
  
• wash the car
• bouncing on the bed
• staying up a little later
• having a special dessert
• having friends over
• choosing where to go out to eat the next time
• playing a game with a parent
• going for a picnic
• and trips to special places they love

Remember not to expect too much from your child. The goals you want your child to achieve must be realistic and achievable. Reward good behavior quickly and often. Stay positive and concentrate on praising success. You are who they want attention and praise from. Children can learn to do the right thing and make good choices because that is what is expected and best of all will be motivated to do it.