Incentive ideas needed

[Liberty Belle]

I have a son who is going into first grade. Last year his behavior was a little rocky at the beginning of the year and I'm hoping to help him to make it better this year.

I've thought one thing I could do was to have a "theme" week for incentives. For example, The first week would be "chocolate chip cookies week." If he has a good day Monday, he'll get eggs (or a piece of paper that says eggs), Tuesday, chocolate chips, Wednesday, butter, and so on. Then when he gets all the ingredients, we'd make the cookies together.

I'm having a hard time coming up with themes that have separate components. Can any of you think of anything else?

 

[NHdisneylover]

that is a cute idea Of course the ingredients work for any homemade treat (brownies, sundae bar, rice krispie treats, etc.)

Could you sometimes use letters to spell the names of the prize? For example, if he is earning a trip to the movie theatre he can earn the M then the O then V and so on to spell Movies?

Maybe home movie night? Earn the DVD, popcorn, juice, pizza?

Day the the park? Earn slide, swings, merry go round, etc?

Game night? Earn the different tokens needed to play the game?

 

[golfgal]

I wouldn't do anything at all. Incentives to behave at school? That should just be expectations. Maybe after a week or two of school tell him he is doing a great job of listening to the teacher or whatever the problem is and take him out for an ice cream cone. I think providing incentives to do what they should be doing already is the wrong way to approach this and gives him the message that he will get something for doing what he should be doing already. I would just remind him that he is expected to behave at school. Plus, having a year of school under his belt will be easier for him and now that he knows what he has to do in school you probably won't see any real problems. Why plant the seed??

 

[Liberty Belle]

I wouldn't do anything at all. Incentives to behave at school? That should just be expectations. Maybe after a week or two of school tell him he is doing a great job of listening to the teacher or whatever the problem is and take him out for an ice cream cone. I think providing incentives to do what they should be doing already is the wrong way to approach this and gives him the message that he will get something for doing what he should be doing already. I would just remind him that he is expected to behave at school. Plus, having a year of school under his belt will be easier for him and now that he knows what he has to do in school you probably won't see any real problems. Why plant the seed??

Thank you for your opinion. I think it will be something fun to look forward to.

 

[Liberty Belle]

that is a cute idea Of course the ingredients work for any homemade treat (brownies, sundae bar, rice krispie treats, etc.)

Could you sometimes use letters to spell the names of the prize? For example, if he is earning a trip to the movie theatre he can earn the M then the O then V and so on to spell Movies?

Maybe home movie night? Earn the DVD, popcorn, juice, pizza?

Day the the park? Earn slide, swings, merry go round, etc?

Game night? Earn the different tokens needed to play the game?

Great ideas! Thank you!

 

[shortbun]

I think this is great!!! Little ones respond to things they like. Make it not too hard but not too easy and the rewards should be small. As a bus driver, I let kids pick stickers when they have a really good day. You should see the behaviors change when I put those stickers up in my mirror and they remember they can earn one-simple, cheap stickers. I never make food a reward because lots of kids have issues with sugar that really changes their behavior. It's so obvious after a party at school and they've had cookies, candy and juice or pop. Good luck with this. I hope your little one has an easier year. Perhaps wait to see if the teacher he has might be a better fit or has some ideas of his/her own.

 

[Pomlover2586]

Movie night!- popcorn, video gift card, cool pajamas, video shopping, and then watch movie at end of the week.


Beach/Park play [depending on where u live]- Shovel, bucket, basketball etc....then go to the park/beach


Same line of cookies can be used many ways......brownies, cupcakes, pirate pudding etc.

 

[princess momma]

I can't say that I have any ideas but I think it's a really creative idea.

My kids are slobs so I keep a chore chart. They get a star a day for picking up their rooms and playroom each day. They can save up their stars for various prizes or treats. It's really worked for us.

 

[alexandria674]

Well, I think that maybe if he turned in all his homework and did his chores then Friday should be a special day, like a Disney movie night where you put a movie on like Lady and the Tramp and make spaghetti and meatballs, a nice day in the park or maybe just a fun craft idea. This way you can spend a lot of time with him on those special Fridays and he will have fun.

 

[shortbun]

Well, I think that maybe if he turned in all his homework and did his chores then Friday should be a special day, like a Disney movie night where you put a movie on like Lady and the Tramp and make spaghetti and meatballs, a nice day in the park or maybe just a fun craft idea. This way you can spend a lot of time with him on those special Fridays and he will have fun.

This sounds great but don't most families have a game night or family night at least once a week? I hope so, kids need it and grownups could use the slow down as well.

 

[alexandria674]

This sounds great but don't most families have a game night or family night at least once a week? I hope so, kids need it and grownups could use the slow down as well.

Well, growing up we didn't really have a family night. My mother often worked nights and my dad wasn't really around so my siblings and I would have our own little night by begging mom to let us rent a movie while she was gone and the only way that could happen was if we did our chores and such. So, she would leave for work on a Saturday night and let us order pizza and watch our movie. Somehow we would make a day of it.

 

[princess momma]

We don't have a game night or designated family night every week. Between the lessons and the practices we just don't have time for that. Even during the summer there's too much going on.

That doesn't mean we don't spend time together, though. We go to the beach, hike, bike, walk the dog, cook together, and take little weekend trips (just to name a few family activities we enjoy.) I even try to get everyone involved in the house cleaning.

 

[mjkacmom]

As a parent of some children with undiagnosed ADHD (straight A students, though), we've used smiley faces in the agenda pad - happy, stright smile, sad face. Believe it or not, this has worked SO well. As for a PP who said good behavior is expected in school, yes, I agree, but some children have a harder time than others controlling their behavior, the same as some children have a harder time learning math facts.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

How about having a picture of the reward (say afternoon at the park- could be a picture off the city website or whatever)?Then cut into 5 pieces, like a puzzle. Gets one day for each good day, more of the reward becomes visible as he earns more.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

How about having a picture of the reward (say afternoon at the park- could be a picture off the city website or whatever)?Then cut into 5 pieces, like a puzzle. Gets one day for each good day, more of the reward becomes visible as he earns more.

Clever.

To expand that, you could use letters to spell it out. You could have a sentence or words and he gets to pick some daily and then try and spell out the surprise.

Or remember the game "Concentration"? You could use items that spell out the activity. Either cut out or actual items.

Or you could give "clues" and he has to solve the mystery.

How about a punchline to a joke?

 

[slk537]

As a parent of some children with undiagnosed ADHD (straight A students, though), we've used smiley faces in the agenda pad - happy, stright smile, sad face. Believe it or not, this has worked SO well. As for a PP who said good behavior is expected in school, yes, I agree, but some children have a harder time than others controlling their behavior, the same as some children have a harder time learning math facts.

Our son has diagnosed ADHD and I so totally agree with this! He was in 1st grade last year and had a smiley program as well. Every element of the day was broken down into lines and he got a smiley, straight or sad face for each (different classes, behaving in hallways, lunch, recess, etc.). If he had 75% smileys or more, he'd get a sticker for the day on a chart. His teacher would give him an origami book (he loves this) and special computer time after 20 stickers. DH and I would set goals for him based on 4/5 stickers in a week, perfect 100% days, etc. Sometimes the reward was a toy, sometimes it was an event, sometimes a privelege. I was surprised how well it worked. If he had a few sad faces in a tough morning, he had plenty of opportunity to still turn his day around instead of giving up.

I love the OP's idea of theme weeks but I'm not ambitious enough to keep that up all year....

 

[PollyannaMom]

What about a Lego car? - One day the windshield, one day the wheels, etc. You could build it at the end of the week and play with it together.

Or draw a big ice cream cone with 5 scoops, and have him color in one for each good day. When you get to the top, go out for ice cream.




As far as incentives go, I agree that you can't reward *everything* without spoiling kids, but I do think sometimes a little nudge is OK. I did it for summer reading this year. - I have one of those kids who CAN read when necessary, WILL read to get information he wants, but simply does NOT see it as something to do for fun! And summer should be fun, so I did offer a prize. The reading got done, without an argument-a-day, and hopefully, he ran into some books that he will remember actually liking!

 

[Liberty Belle]

How about having a picture of the reward (say afternoon at the park- could be a picture off the city website or whatever)?Then cut into 5 pieces, like a puzzle. Gets one day for each good day, more of the reward becomes visible as he earns more.

Oh, that's a good idea, too.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Thank you everyone! You gave me wonderful ideas that I will carry out.

All the classrooms in the school I'm in give incentives and rewards. It works. Some kids do not need them. I'd say almost half do, though. My son is a very active boy who may or may not have ADHD (he's only going into first grade). He does have some traits. We'll have to see where this year takes us.

And some kids need the incentives to do well, so they can see how great doing well feels. It becomes a habit and the incentives can be gradually taken away.

Now I just have to decide what week we'll start with. The lego thing would be heaven for him, so I'd better not start with that.

 

[NHdisneylover]

OP--yeah save the "good" ones (Legos) for weeks you know will be difficult for him (testing week, right before winter break, etc.--weeks that are difficult for kids in general) to give him extra incentive!

Another idea--Playmobil usually has 4-5 advent calanders in a year (with different themes--one mostly animals one police officers, one knights and castles, etc.) and Lego usually also has one. I have found htem on clearance for very little by mid December. Maybe you could stock up on them this holiday season and let him open a box from the calander every day that is a good day in January, February, etc. Obviously if this takes away from an advent tradition you already have then it won't work--but if you use something totally different for advent, or do not do advent then this could get you a lot of bang for the buck and is easy to boot.