Do you have a reward system?

[treestarfae]

Do you give rewards or have a treasure chest? Any suggestions?

[misidawnrn]

I am just getting started, infact tomorrow is our first day but I am going to adopt some of the same rewards that my DD's school did. It was a 12 student (11 now that I pulled dd out) that was at our church.

They did an ice cream for 2 100% on tests in the same week (I am not sure I am going to do ice cream since I am trying to cut more sugar out of our diets) but I am going to think of something like a dollar or something.

They also have "go to lunch" with 15 100's. The student gets to pick the place they want lunch.

THey participated in the pizza hut read for pizza program. The kids kept a calendar of the days they read and if they read every day of the month they got a coupon for a personal pan pizza. I am going to figure out something for reading but I am not sure what.

So, I guess I didn't answer all your ??? but I am interested to know what other families do.

[texasmama]

Our first year of hs'ing (last year), my sons had difficulty accepting me as their "teacher" and didn't want to cooperate with schoolwork. They were 6 and 8 at the time. I instituted a "marble jar" and put some marbles in it every day that they worked diligently and cooperatively. When the jar was full, we got them each a betta fish. That is the only real reward I have done. I needed a good incentive to get us on the right track, but I didn't want to become a slave to a reward system or cause them to expect regular rewards for doing homeschool work. If we hit a snag in the future, I will explore the concrete reward system again, but we have not needed it since then because much of the learning is fun and interesting to them and the rest is "character building". :001_smile:

[sheryl]

Do you give rewards or have a treasure chest? Any suggestions?

 

Yes, yes, oh yes. I will say upfront, I believe some kids just need an extra motivator...my dd is one of them.

 

This idea came from a friend of mine and now I'm using it with success...for a year now.

 

I typed up a list of about 20-25 "expectations" I have for my dd related to her homeschool/work, etc. At the end of our school day, I GENEROUSLY give out "tokens" as much as possible. Although she has to EARN them, I look for every opportunity to give her one. She accumulates them and may "trade" them in for something in our "goody basket".

 

Expectations: I list a few:

 

Joyous

Organized desk

On-time w/books etc ready to start school

Initiative

Perseverance

Self-control (behavior)

Smile

 

And, the list goes on. She gets 1 token for every successful expectation met.

 

Goodie basket contents:

coupon for Wendy's frosty

Handmade/homemade paper coupon for: redbox movie rental, lunchable

Books

Fancy pencils

Candy

Popcorn

Bookmarks

So many other items. Just picked up water gun today at dollar store.

 

HTH. Sheryl <><

[amyco]

We use a coffee can filled with strips of paper with various "prizes" written on them, and they can earn a "draw" from the can for various reasons. (E.g. our latest one was when they found a metaphor or simile in any book or poem, or if they recite all their Latin correctly, etc).

 

The things written on the strips (actually the strips are from cardstock--it's sturdier) are things like

 

Pick the next family movie

Pick the next family game

Extra 30 minutes Wii time (my ds's favorite)

Get out of one daily chore

Enjoy a candy bar (I know...but thankfully it doesn't come up often!)

And there are lots of strips that say things like Mommy and Daddy love you, You are a superstar, keep up the good work, etc. There are more of these than the actual prize strips. :)

 

It's worked well for us this year. My ds will ask before he takes a test, "If I get them all right can I have a draw?" :)

[Snickerdoodle]

I have been known to randomly slip in a chocolate treat or two to brighten a day.

Edited April 5, 2010 by Snickerdoodle

[Osaubi]

Last year I told my ds that if he got done with his math book (we worked on it for about 1 1/2 years) by the end of the year he could have an ice cream sundae for breakfast. I told my dd that she could get one too, by not bothering us during math.

 

We don't eat a lot of sugar around here so it is a big treat in our house. His sundae was just a scoop of ice cream with lots of fruit on top. He loved eating his sundae for breakfast so much he didn't really care what was on it. :tongue_smilie:

 

I also have a coupon book I got a long time ago from Hallmark. It has lots of coupons that the kids love. They are creative, cheap, and fun.

[KJsMom]

THey participated in the pizza hut read for pizza program. The kids kept a calendar of the days they read and if they read every day of the month they got a coupon for a personal pan pizza. I am going to figure out something for reading but I am not sure what.

 

 

The pizza hut program is open to HS families. We just signed up for next year.

[Guest]

I never did until this year. My daughter tried out eighth grade in private school in the fall, but got mono, had other difficulties, and was back home in November. She had a very hard time getting back into the routine, partly because of a combination of stress and boredom she'd experienced at school had ruined the whole idea of "school" for her. I let her just read and play for a few months. Then I pointed out that if she didn't finish Algebra, she'd have to take it over again next year, at home or wherever she ended up. She didn't want that, so she started at it again, but the endless repetition of math problems was one of the things that contributed most to her breakdown. So with math only, I am having her finish a chapter and then buying her a used, out of print Star Trek book.

[rafiki]

.

[jonnia]

Ours is more attitude-oriented. I post a small sticker chart at eye-level right in front of my son's work area. He can add a sticker for every day that he is cooperative and positive about chores and school work. It usually takes him about 6 weeks to fill a chart, then he can help choose a big treat. In the past, I've taken him to Chucky Cheese's for lunch, or bought him a book or small Lego kit that he gets to pick out.

 

There have been times I have SEEN an obstinate moment averted because he looked up and caught sight of that little chart!

[shehmeth]

Hi,

 

We do.. Well, I must confess we haven't been quite consistent with it the last few months....

The way we do it is as follow:

We have a "Surprises box" - candies, stickers, little trinkets, toys, etc are in the box... ALL inside different containers (the Easter Eggs, Clean Playdough containers, film canister types, etc).. Each Monday she gets to pick one of the containers..... She finds it funny that sometimes she picks a playdough container and there's is Actually Play Dough in it.. LOL

 

In the beginning - she would get a sticker each day if she met the expectations (very similar to those stated by others here), and on Monday we would see how many Stickers she got from the previous week, 3 stickers or more - she got to get a Prize from the "Surprise box" - then we moved it to 4 stickers+, then 5 stickers +, and then once we have the habit of school established- simply for fun - each Monday she got to picked one...

 

Kate

[amtmcm]

For a day of especially diligent work (excellent attitude and NO dawdling) the reward is 30 minutes of computer games.

[misidawnrn]

The pizza hut program is open to HS families. We just signed up for next year.

great to know!!! thanks. I will be stopping by Pizza hut today!

[KJsMom]

great to know!!! thanks. I will be stopping by Pizza hut today!

 

You do it through the website and they mail you the materials. Super easy to enroll and the kids love it. Here is the link.

http://www.bookitprogram.com/enrollment/homeschool.asp

[KJsMom]

I just realized that I didn't answer your question. LOL I get sidetracked and I wanted to share the information about book-it. No, we do not currently use a reward system (other than book-it for reading incentive) but I think we need to do something. My dd8 is a daydreamer and takes forever to finish assignments. I like the idea of a chart at eye level, she usually is looking around instead of at her book anyway.

[mom31257]

Our reward system is "do what is expected of you", you get to have a life, LOL! We do not reward our kids at all for what is their responsibility (school work, chores, etc.). If they chose not to do those things or had a bad attitude, they would receive punishment, though.

[KJsMom]

Our reward system is "do what is expected of you", you get to have a life, LOL! We do not reward our kids at all for what is their responsibility (school work, chores, etc.). If they chose not to do those things or had a bad attitude, they would receive punishment, though.

That is the way we have been doing it and it just isn't working aroung here. My daughter has pulled weeds for hours the last couple of weeks and she scrubbed baseboards, but still won't buckle down and get through her lessons.

[mom31257]

That is the way we have been doing it and it just isn't working aroung here. My daughter has pulled weeds for hours the last couple of weeks and she scrubbed baseboards, but still won't buckle down and get through her lessons.

 

If I understand right, she's not refusing to do them, she's just daydreaming so much that she doesn't stay on task. If I had one doing this, I would try setting a timer for individual subjects. You could also work along beside her. After she finishes a section, read the directions of the next section. Ask her questions that keep her moving ahead. I don't have a problem rewarding a child that is trying. It sounds like she needs help staying on task, which is a life skill. Find what helps her develop that ability.

 

You might try making a "barrier" to keep her focused on her work instead of looking around. We made these because sometimes my older dd will be taking a test or quiz and it helps her not be distracted by her little brother. It does help my ds, too.

 

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/homework-central-787551/

 

I hope you do find what works!

[s.z.ichigo]

I've implemented a rewards system this year (we're in week 7/36). I made a collection of "star dollars", which she can use to buy goodies from the school store, which is a box I've filled with items that cost between $1 and $4, like play-dough, small puzzles, packs of her favorite gum, a coloring book, etc.. I stuck each item with a number of those foil star stickers to show their value in star dollars. After setting this up I made each star dollar worth only a third of a dollar. This way she has to collect more of them, but I can hand them out more often.

I give star dollars when she goes above what's expected. Showing a really good attitude will also get one, since we've had some attitude issues lately. She'll also get one sometimes for doing her chores without being asked (rare), or brushing her teeth at night without being asked, since it's something she hates doing (also rare).

[Pam B]

We just started a different reward system. Someone on here gave me the idea, and I tweaked it for our needs.

 

For math (our most dreaded subject), if they score at 95-100% they receive a treat- such as a tootie roll sucker, an Easter egg, pack of crackers, etc.

 

For working w/o asking me for help (being independant), I give them about 5 chocolate raisins, or jelly beans, some chips, something smaller. I got this idea from SWB's lecture. She said for each time they ask for help- you take one small treat away... hince the raisins, etc., that I can split up. This has been going fairly well, but I really, really hate the sugar. I need to find something else! I started them with these though, because we do not let them have a lot, and I wanted to really impress them to be more self-reliant.

 

We have tried in the past the "treasure box" type thing w/ coupons, but it just got to be too much!

 

:)

[3boysmama]

We do! I bought one of those charts with all the little squares on it, across the top I wrote in the days of the week (I was able to get in 5 weeks worth), then down the left side I wrote the childs name with a list of things to accomplish each day.

1. Did my work diligently

2. Did my work quickly

3. Did my work neatly

4. Didn't give mom attitude

5. Did my work cheerfully

6. Did all of my work

They get a sticker for each one if they have earned it. At the end of the week if they have at least 25 stickers (they can earn up to 30 each week) they can go to the treasure box. If they earn all 30 then they get 2 things from the treasure box. The treasure box has dollar store things in it; gum, candy, yo-yo's, toy guns, etc.

 

This has worked very well for us. It used to be if you don't get this done or have an attitude you lose XYZ, and I felt like no one was able to do anything by the end of the day. I was tired of the negative reinforcement so I decided to try the positive reinforcement and it has been so much better. I thought of it kind of like this, my husband is a good hard worker at work already, but if they offered him an incentive bonus, he would work that much harder to earn it, so why can't I offer an incentive bonus to my kids? Anyway, that's what works for us!!

[violinmom]

We don't do rewards systems here. The better organized our day, the better attitudes all the kids have. If they balk at something, there is usually a reason I need to figure out. It could be anything from a tiff with a sister, to the actual assignment. Do they really understand it? Is it just "busy" work, or meaningful? They each have a card with the work for the day, and they have the flexibility to decide in what order to do it. Once we started that, I noticed a big change.

 

One of my favorite books that was required reading while I was doing my Suzuki violin teacher training (before kids!): "Punished by Rewards," by Alfie Kohn. I implemented a lot of it in my violin teaching and it really works.

[hophr5]

We do have a treasure chest, but I have discovered it is more about saying no to the treasure chest. Our treasure chest are for days when everyone is on task, doing as they are asked and no one is crying under the table. (3 in K and 1 in 1st) There are very few days when they are allowed to pick from the treasure chest, because if they break the rules, there is no treasure chest. I do like to reward them for putting forth extra effort or being kind/sharing with the others though. (continuing to read a particularly difficult section for them during reading)

 

The cheapest way to fill a treasure box is to go after holidays and buy the trinkets that they have marked down. Bubbles, little notebooks, pencils, that sort of thing. I have 2 that are hyperactive, so we stay as far from the candy as we possibly can.

Edited April 6, 2010 by hophr5

[Lizzie in Ma]

Our reward system is "do what is expected of you", you get to have a life, LOL! We do not reward our kids at all for what is their responsibility (school work, chores, etc.). If they chose not to do those things or had a bad attitude, they would receive punishment, though.

 

Yup, that is pretty much it around here too. I do make sure I get them a healthy snack like a cheese stick or cheese and crackers with apple slices around 10:30 while they work, keeping blood sugar levels up helps, I think.

And I have been known to slip in a chocolate treat in the afternoon if they are working cheerfully and well.

 

I guess it is the same reason we don't do allowances. There are expectations we hold for them that are part of being a family. Everyone has their jobs to do and doing them helps the entire household. At present, their "job" is student and they are expected to do it.

[treestarfae]

:bigear:

[jjcmehl]

We just recently went to a homeschool conference and were introduced to Moti-venture! (Motivation and Adventure)

http://www.moti-venture.com

 

Very reasonably priced..$9 - $13!

 

Example of one adventure:

Kids play the part of vacationing explorers who uncover a century-old secret. They must race against time deciphering maps, making jungle paths, scuba diving and more to locate a hidden gold mine. (As they do their schoolwork, chores, etc...that you assign...they receive hints, tools, etc...to complete the adventure.)

 

Most adventures take a few months...some can continue for years (if you want it too)

 

 

Wonderful ideas....I left wondering why I didn't think of it myself!

 

They have different adventures...suitable from age 2-18...someone even made a joke asking if it would work on spouses!:D (which of coarse, it would!)

 

We just started it a couple of weeks ago...we started with Winter Olympics...it has made a HUGE difference! Each morning the children ask to see their progress, after receiving the points from the previous days tasks.

 

It is fun and family inclusive...great for dads/moms who work outside the home and want to be included in the fun that they may miss...a wonderful way to handle disciplinarian issues (through positive reinforcement)....my husband started filling out the children's acceptance letters to our family adventure and printed off the "plane" tickets right away from the program....he was so into it!

 

We purchased all, but one adventure!

 

Winter Olympics-any age

African Safari-is more suitable for younger children 9 and under

Legend of the Island-good for 7/8 and up

Security Guard--this adventure can literally last for years good for 6/7 and up

[Marla]

:thumbup1: Thanks for sharing!

[treestarfae]

If I understand right, she's not refusing to do them, she's just daydreaming so much that she doesn't stay on task. If I had one doing this, I would try setting a timer for individual subjects. You could also work along beside her. After she finishes a section, read the directions of the next section. Ask her questions that keep her moving ahead. I don't have a problem rewarding a child that is trying. It sounds like she needs help staying on task, which is a life skill. Find what helps her develop that ability.

 

You might try making a "barrier" to keep her focused on her work instead of looking around. We made these because sometimes my older dd will be taking a test or quiz and it helps her not be distracted by her little brother. It does help my ds, too.

 

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/homework-central-787551/

 

I hope you do find what works!

 

I like this idea.

[EppieJ]

I instituted a "marble jar" and put some marbles in it every day that they worked diligently and cooperatively.

 

Ok. That is too funny! :lol: We also have a "marble jar". Ds has a daily check list with his assignments on it. Certain assignments can earn a marble if done with "good effort, good concentration and good attitude". These are mostly things requiring handwriting which he had issues with at the beginning of the year. I helped him write up a proposition to get "Dad's" approval & signature. I marked the jar in 1/4's (it's probably 1.5-2 qts) and at each level he earns something: first mark earns a small toy (usually something he's collecting); second mark earns him the choice of which subject(s) to study the following Friday; third mark is another small toy; filling the jar can earn him a free day, game day or field trip on the following Friday (depending on what's available).

 

He just finished filling his jar and, to my surprise, chose to forgo his free day in favor of adding to his "Go Go's" collection! Go figure!

[KJsMom]

If I understand right, she's not refusing to do them, she's just daydreaming so much that she doesn't stay on task. If I had one doing this, I would try setting a timer for individual subjects. You could also work along beside her. After she finishes a section, read the directions of the next section. Ask her questions that keep her moving ahead. I don't have a problem rewarding a child that is trying. It sounds like she needs help staying on task, which is a life skill. Find what helps her develop that ability.

 

 

 

OK, so I took your advice (more or less) and we made a schedule. She had a basic schedule before but it wasn't written down and didn't have a set start/end time. Now she knows what exactly she needs to do and how much time it should take in order to finish by a certain time. 1 week in and this has worked beautifully so far!

[treestarfae]

thanks for the ideas everybody

[Momma H]

I thought I would add that I just ordered the Accountable Kids basic starter pack. It uses positive reinforcement to get kids to do thier stuff. You can also add attitude accountability as well. http://www.accountablekids.com/ Here is a link. I thought it was just about doing chores but it is more than that. Pretty cool stuff. I like the idea that I will not be the bad guy nagging my littles to help out and have a good attitude and that they learn that thier choices have consequences, good or bad!

Stacey

[Hedgehogs4]

i give hugs and kisses. i do not believe in rewarding people for what they should be doing anyway. the gov't does not reward me for paying my taxes. i do not reward my children for doing their schoolwork. it's silly, and builds a mentality of entitlement. jmo.

 

i do let them know (heartily) when they have done well, when i am pleased with the quality of their work, and consistently reinforce obedient, respectful behavior...but a treasure chest? nah.

[johnandtinagilbert]

No. Finish your school work and household responsibilities, then you may enjoy all the wonderful things we have provided for you: trampoline, video games, books, games, playing with friends, bikes, skates, balls, your dog, going to the beach, etc. No little treasure chests, but a lifestyle that is very rewarding.