I’ve been trying to teach my kids about sticking with things, even when they get tough. I thought maybe using some kind of reward system might help, but I’m not sure how to go about it without making them only care about the prize. Any ideas on how to use rewards to encourage perseverance without overdoing it? What’s worked for other parents?
I’ve been struggling with this too. My 5-year-old loses interest in tasks pretty quickly.
We tried a sticker chart, but it didn’t work great for us. Now we’re experimenting with a ‘challenge box’ where we put in fun activities to do after finishing a task. It’s working okay so far.
I’m curious about longer-term goals though. How do you keep kids motivated for things that take weeks or months? Do the rewards need to be bigger? Or is there a way to make the process itself more engaging?
It’s tricky to find that balance between encouraging them and not making it all about the prize at the end. I’d love to hear what’s worked for others with slightly older kids.
One thing that worked well for us was tying rewards to effort, not just results. We’d celebrate when the kids kept trying, even if they didn’t succeed right away. It helped them see that pushing through is valuable on its own.
For bigger goals, we broke them down into smaller steps. Each step had a small reward, building up to something bigger at the end. This way, they stayed motivated along the way and learned to enjoy the process.
We also talked about times when we, as parents, had to persevere. Sharing our own struggles and how we overcame them made a big impact. It showed the kids that persistence is a lifelong skill, not just something for chores or homework.
Every kid is different. What worked for my kids might not work for younger ones. Finding what resonates with them and being consistent really made a difference. 
We’ve had some success with a ‘challenge jar’ at our house. My kid writes down tasks or goals on slips of paper and puts them in the jar. When they complete one, we do a small celebration.
It’s not always about rewards though. Sometimes just talking through the tough parts helps. We brainstorm solutions together or take a quick break if needed.
I try to point out real-life examples of perseverance too, like athletes or inventors who didn’t give up. It seems to click better when they see how it applies outside of chores or homework.
I’ve found creating a visual chart for longer projects works well. We put stickers on each step they complete. The reward isn’t the main focus, but seeing their progress feels good.
My kids like picking small treats for finishing big tasks. But we talk about how proud they feel when they keep going. They get excited to tell me what they learned or how they solved problems.
Sometimes they want to quit, and that’s okay. We take breaks or find a different way to do things. I remind them of other times they didn’t give up and how great that felt.
It’s not perfect, but seeing them push through tough stuff is pretty cool.
We use a simple point system. Small rewards for daily goals, bigger ones for long-term stuff.
My kids track their own points. They’ve learned to pace themselves and celebrate small wins along the way.
It’s not perfect, but it’s helped them stick with things longer.