Reward charts for kids are regularly used by parents all over the world to encourage their children to behave well and act responsibly. They’re a great way to encourage behaviour you want, discourage behaviour you don’t want and help your child form healthy habits. With a chart, children learn that they are in control of their own behaviour and that they are responsible for the rewards they achieve. We’ve put together a few ideas that may work with your children.
Star chart
A star chart for kids involves adding a star every time your child engages in a targeted positive behaviour, such as saying please, helping out in the kitchen or being kind. Once a certain amount of stars accumulate, you then offer her a reward such as special time with Mum, more pocket money or going for ice cream.
A star table can be a piece of paper you print out and stick on your fridge, or a kids reward chart app like the one on RoosterMoney. This is a great way to make earning rewards fun and easy to visualise.
Sticker chart
A sticker chart for kids is similar in that you add a sticker every time your child engages in a specific positive behaviour. It’s more appropriate for younger kids, for whom the sticker is itself a reward, and they don’t need to understand what an accumulation of stickers mean.
When your child completes that behaviour, place a sticker on a piece of paper. Let your child pick the stickers and hang it somewhere notable.
Chores chart
A chores chart helps keep track of your child’s activities every day, such as cleaning their bedroom or doing the dishes. It helps your child become more responsible, as they will be more likely to get their chores done when there’s a list ready.
Every chore completed can be a sticker or a star, which then accumulates into a reward, whether that’s a pony ride or a trip to the cinema! The idea behind the chores chart is to reward your kids for completing certain tasks, which means you can focus on the good behaviour not the bad! It’s also a great way to start teaching your kids about money – every chore could be attributed a certain value, which you then reward with every time they complete the chore. It’s a gentle introduction to the basic principles of money, earning and saving.
On the RoosterMoney app you can add additional chores you want your child to complete and link them to their stars or pocket money. Alternatively, check out our reward chart template for a free printable reward planner.
Behaviour reward chart
If you child is going through a phase involving specific negative behaviours, a behaviour planner is a great way to help. You want to be placing a sticker on your chart every day your child refrains from the negative behaviour, such as screaming or hitting. This is better than placing a sticker every time they do something negative – a reward chart for kids is best used to reinforce the positive.
After a period of time, promise to give a reward for a certain amount of days without any negative behaviour.
Goals chart
Setting goals is an excellent way for children to get motivated to improve themselves, whether it’s physical, academic or behavioural. Sit down with your child and talk about which goals they would like to try, and agree on a period of time you want to focus on each goal. You can place the goal as a picture on a piece of paper, or even use the Goals pot in the RoosterMoney app.
This works well because if you picture something and put it on display, you are more likely to work towards it. This is a great way to get your child in the habit of saving their pocket money and building up a Savings pot.
Habit chart
Finally, rewarding consistent actions are an excellent way to encourage your child to keep or create a habit, such as cleaning their teeth before bed and making their bed every morning. A schedule helps your child become more responsible – every time they complete the habit, place a sticker or add a star on the RoosterMoney app. Then present them with pocket money after a certain number of days of completing the habit. An example would be using a reward planner to help a struggling reader get into the habit of reading more.
You can choose to print out and use a physical reward chart for kids, or use RoosterMoney’s Stars feature which helps your children achieve their Goals. The app also makes it easy to look back on what they’ve achieved with a timeline and graphs – and you get to take it with you on holiday!
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