How to Use a Positive Reinforcement Reward System to Improve a Child's Behavior

Positive reinforcement is an effective way to improve a child's behavior. By rewarding your child when she displays a behavior you want to encourage, you build her confidence and teach her to repeat those actions. You may spend less time yelling and both of you will feel better about the discipline system.

Things You'll Need

  • Incentive chart
  • Tokens

Instructions

    • 1

      Decide on a type of positive reinforcement reward system you will use with your children. A token system or rewards jar, which "pays" your child each time she behaves in a desired way, can be especially effective for younger children. Tracking results on an incentive chart or a calendar might be useful for an older child who needs to repeat a positive behavior, such as completing his nightly homework or daily chores.

    • 2

      Decide which behaviors you want to focus on with your positive reinforcement reward system. Focusing on a few specific behaviors can be more effective because both you and your child understand the expectations.

    • 3

      Decide on the rewards for the positive reinforcement system. After your child has repeated the desired behaviors often enough to collect a certain number of tokens or complete her incentive chart, she earns a reward. The reward doesn't have to be a toy or other physical reward; it can be an activity, such as a trip to the mall or extra computer or TV time.

    • 4

      Create expectations for your own behavior within the positive reinforcement system. It's easy to focus on negative behaviors, so you need to be aware of what you need to do to make the positive reinforcement system work. Think about your tone of voice. Remember that smaller battles sometimes don't need to be battles. Setting behavior expectations for yourself may help the positive reinforcement system be more effective.

    • 5

      Explain the positive reinforcement reward system to your child. Make sure she has a good understanding of how the system works and the expectations.

    • 6

      Start using the reward system. Praise your child each time he gets a reward, reinforcing his behavior by explaining exactly why he earned the reward. Kids need to know specifically which behaviors you want them to repeat. Giving them general praise, such as "you're being good," doesn't teach them specifically what they are doing correctly.

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