I’m trying to figure out the best way to set up a reward chart for my kids but not sure where to start. What works best in terms of choosing rewards, how often to give them, and what behaviors to focus on? Any tips from parents who have used these successfully would be really helpful.
My 5 year old loves the visual part of tracking progress, so we made a simple grid together with colorful squares. He gets to color in a square each time he does something like putting his plate in the sink or feeding our cat.
What I’m wondering is how long you stick with the same chart before switching it up? Mine seems to lose interest after a couple weeks. Do you change the rewards or the whole system when that happens?
Right now we’re doing a mix of immediate little things and saving up for something bigger, but I’m still figuring out the right balance.
Honestly, we went through a few versions before finding what stuck. My kid responded better to earning points toward bigger things rather than daily small rewards. We tried stickers at first but that fizzled out pretty quick. What actually worked was letting my daughter help pick both the behaviors and the rewards. She was way more invested when she had a say in the whole setup. Also learned not to pile on too many things at once or it just becomes another chore list.
We started with simple daily tasks like brushing teeth and making beds. Put the chart somewhere visible and kept rewards small like extra screen time or picking dinner. Focus on just 3-4 behaviors to avoid overwhelming everyone.