I’ve been thinking about ways to help my kids learn good behavior, and I came across the idea of using games. Has anyone tried this approach? I’m curious how well it works in practice. Are there specific games that are particularly good for teaching things like sharing or being kind? Or is it more about creating your own games tailored to what you want to teach? Any experiences or insights would be really helpful!
Games can be a great way to teach positive behavior. When my kids were younger, we used a sticker chart for things like putting away toys or being kind to siblings. It wasn’t exactly a game, but it had that reward element that kids love. As they got older, we switched to a points system. They could earn points for good behavior and cash them in for privileges. It worked well because they could choose their own rewards. My daughter saved up for a new bike, while my son usually went for extra video game time. One thing I learned is that the system needs to grow with your kids. What works for a 5-year-old won’t interest a teenager. And sometimes, you need to shake things up to keep it interesting. But overall, game-like approaches helped make good behavior feel more rewarding for my kids. 
Games can be a fun way to encourage good behavior. We’ve had success with a simple ‘kindness jar’ in our house. The kids add marbles when they do something nice, and we celebrate when it’s full.
It’s not fancy, but it gets them thinking about being kind. They love seeing the jar fill up. We talk about what they did and why it matters.
One thing I’ve noticed is that it works better when we keep it light and fun. If it feels too much like a chore, they lose interest.
I’m still figuring out how to make the lessons stick outside of ‘game time’ though. Anyone have tips for that? It’s tricky to find the right balance.
I’ve been trying games with my 5-year-old to teach good behavior. We made a simple board game where they move forward for kind actions. It’s fun, but I’m not sure if it’s really sinking in long-term.
I’m curious about other types of games parents use. Do you find digital or physical games work better? And how do you connect the game lessons to real-life situations?
We’ve had some success, but I feel like I’m just stumbling through this. What games have worked well for your kids?
We’ve tried a few games for teaching good behavior. The cleanup race works well for my 9-year-old. My 12-year-old likes earning screen time for helping around the house.
Nothing complicated, just simple stuff that fits into our daily routine. It’s not perfect, but it helps sometimes.
I’ve had some success using games to encourage positive behavior with my kid. One thing that’s worked well is turning cleanup time into a race against the timer. It’s simple, but it gets the job done without fuss most days.
I’m still experimenting with different ideas though. Lately we’ve been trying a points system for various tasks and good deeds. My child seems to enjoy earning points, but I’m not totally sure how much it’s impacting behavior outside of ‘game time’.
Has anyone found ways to help the lessons from games carry over more into everyday life?