Children Reward Stickers

Positive reinforcement of good behaviour is one of the things every parent should do to raise a trouble-free child. Positive reinforcement means encouraging the good behaviour of the kid more than punishing the bad behaviour.

And while this is a good practice there are also rules for apllying it for getting the desired results instead of going in a completely wrong direction having the best intentions.

So here are the basic rules for communicating properly your message through the reward stickers:

First, children love pleasant surprises. Second, you don't teach the child that being good can be traded. While they still have some "teaching" potential, bargains are better at later age for teen age kids (you can go to cinema afer you clean up your room, for example). Toddlers would less apreciate a bargain; besides, this way they understand that they can manipualte you by doing "good things" -which is never a good thing.

Rewards should follow behaviours you wish to develop and keep, and they should not come on a regular basis.

Rewards should not be made a habit. Use them in most deserving cases. Teach the child that he or she is an independent individual, who should not always rely on your approval and/ or opinion. Leave the child sometimes to make things out for him (or her).

In case you overdo it, your child will all the time ask you questions like "Mom, was that good?", "Did you like my singing?" and so on and so on. They will always try to make things well but not because they have to, but to get someone else's approval. This is one of the most dangerous traps we should avoid since earliest childhood.