I NEED incentive ideas!!!!!! Please!!!!

[simka2]

First of all, I am really bad at staying on top of incentives. Part of me isn't even sure I like the idea of them. Today though, we have had some really bad attitudes and I can tell some of it is because the routine is getting old.

 

I want to help my kids with this, but I am unsure how. I know this sounds a little bit scattered, because that is how I am feeling right now ;)

 

Something simple please!!!

[JenniferB]

I would gather for a meeting, sit in a circle, and say, "OK - we're all having a hard time today, aren't we? Yeah, me too. So, here's what we're going to do. If you get all your lessons done today, you get one candy. If you get them done with a happy heart, you get 2 candies, and if you get them done with excellent penmanship on top of a happy heart and getting them all done, you get 3 candies. Then, at 4:00 we will all sit down with our candies and watch a movie."

 

If you don't have any candies, offer to take them all to the local drug store where they can pick out their penny-type candies when all the school work is done.

 

Good luck!

[extendedforecast]

Two weeks ago, I printed a 100 number chart for each child and put it up on the wall for all to see. I told them that for every subject they completed with a good attitude, quality work, and no complaining, they could color in one number. For every ten, a reward is given. This has made the last few weeks so much more productive and peaceful. Also, they love to show Dad what they've accomplished each day. I'm glad I implemented it, because this time of year can be so stressful. So far the rewards are small things like painting my girls' toenails or letting them complete their assignments in dry erase marker on the table (it can be easily washed off). I plan to do something a bit bigger for number 100 and start all over with a new chart when the first one is used up. We do an average of 5-7 subjects per day, depending on my schedule, so I figure every four weeks or so, I will be printing out a new chart until we finish school for the year.

 

Cindy

 

BTW, my kids are 7, 9, and 11

[susancollins]

I have a reading chart that I printed for every twenty books my children read they can pick a prize under $20, but if they complain about reading it then they don't get a sticker. This makes reading much easier. I also give them sticker 1 for completing their work and 1 for behavior at the end of the week they get to get a prize out of my basket my son calls it the treasure box. I put suckers, stickers, dollar tree items in the basket. This helps them to stay on task and gives me a break. I hope this helps!

[spradlin02]

First of all, I am really bad at staying on top of incentives. Part of me isn't even sure I like the idea of them. Today though, we have had some really bad attitudes and I can tell some of it is because the routine is getting old.

 

I want to help my kids with this, but I am unsure how. I know this sounds a little bit scattered, because that is how I am feeling right now ;)

 

Something simple please!!!

 

 

No incentives.

[Perry]

This is more long term, but I used to tape a $5 bill at the back of a workbook. When they were done with it, the money was theirs. My dd finished a math workbook in a couple days once, because she really wanted that money!

[....]

I have to say, I think parents meet the most resistance to schoolwork the first few months of homeschooling. I think this could be one explanation.

 

I don't use incentives or rewards, either. When my kids start getting crabby with school, we take a day off (maybe they're burned out) or we do some major switching around to bring in some variety and challenge.

 

Here's some things we've done to alter our routine:

 

 

• Have school outside (we did this when we first started hsing)
  
• Nature journaling - I literally let them wander around outside with notebooks for hours last fall
  
• Go to the library for an hour of independent reading (this might only work with my kids :lol:)
  
• Ride bikes BEFORE school starts (gets it outta their system)
  
• Unit Studies (oh, yeah the Leonardo da Vinci Unit Study saved my life once)
  
• Taking a day off for a field trip
  
• Going on a half-day schedule for a couple of weeks
  
• More hands-on activities (we just bought Snap Circuits...my son literally had drool running down his chin when he saw the box)
  
• Doing schoolwork with another homeschooling family (once again, this might not work with most people, but we are really good friends and take schoolwork seriously)
  
• I've even switched the order of the subjects in our day, made a giant Independent Work packet for my oldest kid to disappear and complete on her own, had class all day with ALL of the kids participating together and I've broken the kids down into groups and they tutor/work together
  

If I can think of any more suggestions...I'll let you know. I do feel your pain, though. I have a Wiggly Willy and a Social Sue - they're a handful. They also spend a lot of time irritating the Perfect Paula, because everything needs to be...you know...Perfect. :svengo:

[Purpledaizy]

My little guy loves to 'feed the pig,' his piggy bank that is. After our lessons, if they go well without major complaints, we have bonus rounds. He got the idea from Family Fued (which we no longer watch, another story) for every correct answer he gets a penny. We do this with vocab words, math facts, history facts etc..The rounds are quick, and he can pass if he doesn't know the answer. The only catch is the money can only go to the piggy bank and this piggy bank is for long term savings only. I don't think we've ever paid out more than 25 cents per day. I choose facts that will give him a challenge and a few that I know he'll get easily. If its been a tough day for him and he's behaved admirably, I usually choose easier questions to give him a boost. The other day I had to take $20 and change it to pennies to replenish the bonus round jar.

 

ETA: I know these small amounts work now, but will need to be adjusted as he gets older. I like incentives. I give them to myself often :)

Edited May 20, 2010 by Purpledaizy

[MariannNOVA]

• Have school outside (we did this when we first started hsing)
  
• Nature journaling - I literally let them wander around outside with notebooks for hours last fall
  
• Go to the library for an hour of independent reading (this might only work with my kids :lol:)
  
• Ride bikes BEFORE school starts (gets it outta their system)
  
• Unit Studies (oh, yeah the Leonardo da Vinci Unit Study saved my life once)
  
• Taking a day off for a field trip
  
• Going on a half-day schedule for a couple of weeks
  
• More hands-on activities (we just bought Snap Circuits...my son literally had drool running down his chin when he saw the box)
  
• Doing schoolwork with another homeschooling family (once again, this might not work with most people, but we are really good friends and take schoolwork seriously)
  
• I've even switched the order of the subjects in our day, made a giant Independent Work packet for my oldest kid to disappear and complete on her own, had class all day with ALL of the kids participating together and I've broken the kids down into groups and they tutor/work together
  

I think the suggestions above are very good. I've used incentives in the classroom when I was a classroom teacher - we did something called ELEVEN STONES: Everyone started with 11 stones (drawn on the board), you would LOSE stones by conducting yourself 'above and beyond' what was expected. If you wanted to whine and complain, you certainly could - but you wouldn't lose stones for that and your classmates would have stones erased because they were being encouraging to their fellow students, offering to hand out papers, sweep the floor, etc. When you lost all your stones, before I drew ELEVEN more next to your name, you could go to treasure box -- Target's $1. bins, Michael's $1. bins, ice cream for dessert, whatever works in your house -- in the classroon, stickers, hot wheels cars, pretty packs of tissues -- you get the idea.

 

My 4th grade class won the admiration of the entire school b/c early on in the year, they began going around the cafeteria after lunch and picking up trash, washing tables, pushing in chairs.

 

Just my .02

[Entropymama]

I agree with the poster who said take a break! It's hard to get basic work done with incentives, but I find they work great for going above and beyond. We have a jar full of marbles. Any time someone does something with a good attitude or exemplary behavior they get to put a marble in a second jar. When all the marbles are moved over we go on a field trip.

 

Good luck!

[Parrothead]

Dd's incentive to do her work is loss of outside lessons if work is not done.

[Night Elf]

I think natural consequences are better than incentives. When I worked, an incentive referred to something above and beyond our regular expectations. I needed to work x number of files per day. If I worked x + 25, I got a bonus. But in the case of schoolwork, it just has to be done. Whatever happens when schoolwork is over is the natural consequence of when schoolwork is over, right? So if schoolwork doesn't get done, then the natural consequence is changed. The thing that normally happens when schoolwork *does* get done, doesn't happen.

 

Do they play outside? Do they watch tv? etc.

 

If it's bugging you because you are being tied to their procrastination, turn their assignments into homework. Your business hours are until 3:00pm [insert whatever limit you have]. Anything after that must be done by the student but not checked until the next school day. Anything done incorrectly must be repeated. My kids hate redoing assignments. :) And if they sit there for hours? It is their problem to be sitting there. And (I hate so many ands), if their further procrastination interferes with something you have planned and you are the one inconvenienced, that seems like a discipline problem and not one that should be begged to change by the promise of some reward.

 

Just my take.

[Greta]

No incentives.

 

I second that. I think incentives just delay the problem until another day, they don't really address it. At least, that's been my experience.

[MBM]

First of all, I am really bad at staying on top of incentives. Part of me isn't even sure I like the idea of them. Today though, we have had some really bad attitudes and I can tell some of it is because the routine is getting old.

 

I want to help my kids with this, but I am unsure how. I know this sounds a little bit scattered, because that is how I am feeling right now ;)

 

Something simple please!!!

 

I recently began using a simple psychological technique to get my youngest to commit and comply. Here's how it works:

 

1. I decide what needs to improve -- the goal -- and how to go about it -- the implementation -- concentrating only on what needs the most attention. I keep this very simple, and I write it down on paper.

 

2. Then I sit down with my son to discuss it allowing him to input as well.

 

3. Once we come to an agreement, he signs the paper, and it's posted on the fridge.

 

For example, ds, who is in junior high, takes math at our high school. This leaves him at least one to two free periods to work on math back at the junior high. However, his math teacher is busy teaching other kids, so she doesn't oversee him as he works. For awhile, he was spending his time playing Spider Solitaire instead of doing math, so we wrote down the goal -- work on AoPS -- and how to implement it -- bring AoPS book to school and go over problems with Dad every few nights or so. Most important of all was having him sign this once he was on board and posting it where he could see it often.

 

This has worked surprisingly well, and I haven't had to cajole, bribe, threaten, etc. It might be worth a try. Good luck!