I’ve been thinking about starting a sticker chart system with my 6 year old to help teach them more responsibility around the house. Things like putting toys away, brushing teeth without being reminded, that sort of stuff. Has anyone tried this? Do sticker charts actually work for building good habits long term or do kids just do things for the reward and stop when you take it away? I want to make sure I’m not wasting my time or creating the wrong kind of motivation.
My kid had mixed results with sticker charts. At first, they were excited about earning stickers for making their bed and putting toys away. It worked great for a couple months, then the novelty wore off. Funny thing is, some habits stuck; they still brush their teeth without reminders. But keeping their room clean? Back to being a struggle. I think it really depends on the specific task and whether it becomes part of their routine naturally.
Sticker charts have been really helpful in my home. It’s important to connect the stickers to things your kids already enjoy doing. For instance, when my youngest started hanging up her backpack without reminders, she felt proud, and the sticker just boosted that feeling. It’s best to choose tasks they’re nearly ready to take on by themselves. My older child was already brushing his teeth most nights, so the chart motivated him to stick with it. However, I tried using it for cleaning up toys when he wasn’t ready, and it just didn’t work. In the end, we moved away from daily stickers and focused on celebrating the moments when I noticed them being responsible. That approach felt more natural than trying to maintain a formal system for too long.
We’ve been using sticker charts with my 5 year old and I’m still figuring it out. She gets pumped about earning stickers for basic stuff like putting her plate in the dishwasher, but I’m worried she’ll only do chores if there’s a reward involved. How do you know when your kid is ready to ditch the stickers? Maybe I’m overthinking this.
Tried sticker charts for tasks like brushing teeth and getting ready for school. They were engaged for about six weeks, but then lost interest. Daily habits became easier to manage than weekly chores.
Sticker charts were a lifesaver when my kids were that age! Both responded really well at first. My younger one loved watching those stickers pile up. You’ve got to evolve the system though. After a few months, plain stickers got boring, so we switched to small rewards after they earned enough. Extra bedtime stories and picking dinner were things they enjoyed.
Interestingly, I noticed which habits stuck after we ditched the charts. Tooth brushing became automatic fast, but keeping rooms clean took a lot longer. Some tasks just click with kids, while others don’t.
Gradually spacing out rewards helped way more than stopping cold turkey. We went from daily stickers to weekly goals, then just occasional recognition. It felt less like bribery and more like celebrating good choices. 
Every kid’s different though. My older one needed completely different motivation when they were six.