Rewards for Children
Whether you would agree with me or not, I’ve learned that rewarding (okay possibly bribing) my toddler for good behavior is the key to him behaving in public or learning challenging things like potty training, transitioning from his pacifier, or sleeping in his own bed. I know many people might not agree with toys or food rewards for children, but I see it with the kids at school all the time. I could say that big jumps for joy and stickers shouldbe the reward of choice, but in all honesty, each child is completely different and what’s motivating to one, is not to another. I realize this could be a controversial issue for many parents. How do you feel about providing rewards for children in your home for good behavior? In general though, the hardest part of this concept is not giving in if the child doesn’t do what they are expected. I’ve suffered through screaming car rides when he didn’t get the promised reward because he did not behave appropriately.
I try to aim for inexpensive rewards. These days there are 2 really important motivators in our house, mini M&M’s and Safari Ltd. Dinosaurs. Safari Ltd. sells replica animals of all sizes and price points. These are very well made toys that are fantastic for pretend play and are so life-like that they have no choice but to grow up with your children and be passed on to your grandchildren for generations. Safari Ltd. has been making these toys for 30 years, and all items are phthalate free.
Okay, so back to the reward concept. Safari Ltd. sells not only large scale items, but these plastic TOOBS of animals. There are 45 different themes available like crocodiles, sharks, birds, revolutionary war fighters, zoo babies, dino babies, rainforest animals, monkeys, butterflies, etc. Items within these selections range from 1 to 3 inches in size. These TOOBS generally cost about $10.99 and contain about 12 different animals. So do you get my idea? Instead of giving away larger, expensive items, Gavin earns 1 small dinosaur for good listening and good behavior, not everyday, but when we see fit. A lot of times, I take these toy rewards and place them back in the container out of sight and re-purpose the same dinosaur for a reward on a different day. I hope this lasts for while before he catches on. Many parents struggle with not wanting to spoil our children, but let’s face it, even I am more likely to follow through on something if the end result is really motivating to me. How do you feel about providing rewards for children for a job well done?
Safari Ltd. provided samples for review. The opinions in this post are my own.
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