Sticker Charts for good behavior

kpips20

If you do this, can you share what it looks like/what's on it? Plus, do you do a reward once it's all filled up or is it just "yay you got all your stickers!"?? DS has fully embraced being 3, complete with talking back and general not listening and I"m hoping something like this will work...

ElopeToHawaii

My daughter is 4.5 and we've used sticker charts with her for the past year or so.  She responds really well to them - some kids love them and some don't.  I let her design them with circles where the stickers go.  Some sticker charts are just 5 circles (dinner at Chik-Fil-A with Dad) and some are 20 (princess dress).  It depends on the reward and the behavior we are trying to modify.  The 20 sticker princess dress one was for "no fussing in the morning and evening" so she could get 2 stickers a day.  We defined what "no fussing" meant and gave 1-2 warnings, ie. "I hear you whining about going potty.  If you whine again you won't get a sticker on your chart."  The sticker chart with 5 circles was for staying quiet at nap time at school - she'd recently gotten in trouble for talking at nap time.  In that case, we tell her teacher as well and she reminds DD of the sticker chart and tells us how she did at the end of the day.

sweetie645

I made up one myself.  I used a magnetic dry erase board.  I put a piece of scrapbook paper on top of it with spaces to look like a board game.  In the middle is start.  9 squares go up to a star and 10 squares go down.  The star is a prize.  I have a magnet for each boy that I move up and down the spaces. 

I don't have any set rules for getting spaces, I just use them as we are working on things (ex: ds1 needed us to lay with him to fall asleep, I started telling him that if he went to sleep by himself, he'd get a space...he now goes to sleep by himself every time and I no longer need to reward him).   We also award spaces for good behavior, listening, etc.  At the same time, we also take spaces away (after warnings) for bad behavior.  I think it works really well.

livinitup

I used a behavior mod chart professionally at a residential center for young boys (10-15 yo) that worked on a 3-point system for a list of daily activities. It was a wonderful and very effective behavioral intervention system.  

For my DD, I have used the sticker chart from time to time, with good outcomes. I make it a point to only use it for a short period or a specific issue because the catch with the Sticker Chart system is that it creates an "outside" vector of control, verses an interal one. That means, that the child learns to desire "external" validation for good behavior, rather than an internal sense of right/wrong for good behavior. So, you might hear something like, "Okay, I'll behave, what do I get for it?" Instead of demonstrating a consistent sense of good behavior becuase they want to do it, from within.

I think a sticker chart at home to solve a specific issue at school is fine. But I would do it cautiously and in very limted ways and for specific reasons. Because otherwise, you might be running the risk of teaching good behavior for reward/punishment sake, rather than good behavior for its own sake. And in a healthy, well adjusted child, you don't need to do that.  

luvmagoldn

You can find some free templates on-line.  Our current chart involves listening and doing what you are asked the first time (!).  Instead of gifts or toys as rewards (which we have used in the past) this time the rewards are things like going out for donuts with Dad or going to the pool with Mom one-on-one.  I let the boys pick their reward too which I hope will help them stay motivated to achieve it.

kpips20

luvmagoldn:

You can find some free templates on-line.  Our current chart involves listening and doing what you are asked the first time (!).  Instead of gifts or toys as rewards (which we have used in the past) this time the rewards are things like going out for donuts with Dad or going to the pool with Mom one-on-one.  I let the boys pick their reward too which I hope will help them stay motivated to achieve it.

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone! I went out and purchased a dry erase board and made a chart with 4 things we need to work on, figuring I can change them up as needed. I'm doing the outings rewards as well instead of gifts etc. I let DS pick it out for the first chart and he wants to go get ice cream with daddy once he's earned it. Here's hoping this helps us survive the 3's!

luvmagoldn

kpips20:

luvmagoldn:

You can find some free templates on-line.  Our current chart involves listening and doing what you are asked the first time (!).  Instead of gifts or toys as rewards (which we have used in the past) this time the rewards are things like going out for donuts with Dad or going to the pool with Mom one-on-one.  I let the boys pick their reward too which I hope will help them stay motivated to achieve it.

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone! I went out and purchased a dry erase board and made a chart with 4 things we need to work on, figuring I can change them up as needed. I'm doing the outings rewards as well instead of gifts etc. I let DS pick it out for the first chart and he wants to go get ice cream with daddy once he's earned it. Here's hoping this helps us survive the 3's!

That's great - good luck!

Mrs.RockyM

DD is 3 and I I made her a chart for each day of the week with pictures (so she knows what's what) to represent behavior at school, cleaning up, listening, going to the potty regulary and going to bed nicely. We try and do them before bed (except for the bedtime one) but if not we do them in the morning. 

I told DD that when she gets lots of stickers then we'll go get a special surprise. So far it's only been a week and a half.  We started the charts recently since lately she has had accidents because she doesn't want to go to the potty and stop playing and she's been a nightmare at bedtime.  This has helped because she really wants her stickers.  Once we have a couple weeks worth of stars we'll pick up a little toy for her. 

kpips20

-auntie-:

livinitup:

I used a behavior mod chart professionally at a residential center for young boys (10-15 yo) that worked on a 3-point system for a list of daily activities. It was a wonderful and very effective behavioral intervention system.  

For my DD, I have used the sticker chart from time to time, with good outcomes. I make it a point to only use it for a short period or a specific issue because the catch with the Sticker Chart system is that it creates an "outside" vector of control, verses an interal one. That means, that the child learns to desire "external" validation for good behavior, rather than an internal sense of right/wrong for good behavior. So, you might hear something like, "Okay, I'll behave, what do I get for it?" Instead of demonstrating a consistent sense of good behavior becuase they want to do it, from within.

I think a sticker chart at home to solve a specific issue at school is fine. But I would do it cautiously and in very limted ways and for specific reasons. Because otherwise, you might be running the risk of teaching good behavior for reward/punishment sake, rather than good behavior for its own sake. And in a healthy, well adjusted child, you don't need to do that.  

I'm not a huge fan of sticker charts for my kid. I find tying a reward to an emergent behavior ramps up anxiety to the degree that it undermines his ability to give me the behavior I want.

Sticker charts are especially difficult to purpose for behaviors like attitude that are entirely subjective (like being cooperative) rather than objective (like making the bed). KWIM?

And they're better for older kids. A 3 lives in the moment. A sticker chart that offers a reward days out may be be ineffective over time if he doesn't get his reward at first.

I don't do stickers at home and I insist teachers justify their use in the classroom for my son (he's on an IEP). I especially don't go for stickers where a child can lose progress made.

The special reward of time with mom or dad makes me feel a little sad. All kids should have one on one time with their parents. Kids need this attention even more when they're having a rough time; they shouldn't have to earn attention.

Thanks for the info. You bring up some really great points, especially about him maybe not being developmentally ready for something like this. However, I take issue with your last statement. You make it sound like I put my kid in a corner and only pay attention to him when he earns it which is hardly the case. He's played with, loved, cuddled and praised all day long.

FriskyPanda

DD has one set up for her potty issues.  Once she gets 5, she gets a reward.  The rewards are take a walk with mommy, extra book at bedtime, extra backrub at bedtime, bake cookies, extra playtime, blow bubbles with mommy  (I hate blowing bubbles), that type of thing.

Some of her rewards are things we do anyway, but it gives her a chance to do those with no stipulations-instead of waiting until after dinner to go on a walk we do it as soon as she earns the reward if that's what she chooses.