The Things I will do for a Math kid (a support group...lol)

[sonya_post]

I don't see that there is a problem with learning when we reward - I don't like to call it a reward as I see it  it is a paycheck for a job. This right now is their job. They need to work hard at it. I have a base pay and then I do reward ( or as we call it, give bonuses) for going above and beyond what it required. I don't do this all the time, so my child never knows when he is going to get a bonus. Sometimes we give a bonus at Christmas, sometimes not. It is nothing he can count on. Recently, he needed to get new tires for his car. He only needed front tires, but the back ones were going to need replacing as well and the car is safer with all new tires. So, He told me how much money he had planned to spend, I offered to not quite double the amount if he agree to spend it on getting back tires also. He had to decide if my help was worth it to him.

I guess, you need to think about what you are trying to accomplish with "rewards". I wanted my child to learn to manage money, be creative, figure out what needed to be done and do it, and realize that the surest way to make money is to work. Next year will be a transition year for him. I will not pay for anything. He is also working at a job making pretty decent money for a kid. He knows that all of this is on his shoulders 3 months after he graduates. We;ve been preparing for this transition since he was 3. I'm not using this just to get him to perform. But if he didn't perform he'd be fined. So, money is a great motivator. But it is for all of us.

[Tamsyn]

My husband once said, "If there is no reward, why would a smart kid want to do it?"  Little kids have a hard time understanding the intrinsic rewards of academic work, so if we can help them along the way, great.

My son want Lego Star Wars.  Really bad.  This has worked so far for us, but he's starting to realize how much work we are asking of him for it- ie, finish a book and get a $20 ish prize.  Maybe we'll buy it, and incrementally give him the components.

My kids also know that they will get no computer time until he finishes his kitchen-table school, so that has been a motivator for him as well.

[cokers4life]

All your great ideas on rewards has been really inspiring.  I finally sat down this weekend and came up with a reward system for school work and activities to keep my kids motivated and excited to do more.  I need a system to keep me and the kids straight.   Three little ones and one big kid can be a lot to keep up with every day.  I created a Sticker store to redeem stickers (a list of activities with a sticker cost) on a daily, weekly, monthly and semester basis and a sticker chart to keep up with the stickers and the value of certain activities.  I gave certain activities like math games and reading a book a higher sticker value.   I too have trouble getting my little ones to practice reading an entire book (even one that is a few pages).   We cover seven subjects with one activity for each and each subject earning a sticker when completed (short ten minute activities), and then I came up with bonus activities to earn bonus stickers like worksheets and stuff. 

I can't give out money on a weekly basis, monthly or semester, but I did come up with some fun ideas that are more about making an everyday occasion special like movie night with popcorn (we rarely watch movies), a pizza (homemade of course) party and an ice cream party.  Funny how you can throw a party at the end of something and it makes it so much more special.    I even came up with a chore system without rewards so that we become a little more consistent on that front.  Here is hoping it that the rewards are exciting enough to keep me on my sticker game. 

[LDSMom]

My son (5) can earn a squinkie when his homework is done. We really don't need to use these for motivation anymore, but I really adore them and he loves to add more to his collection, so we continue to get them. Here's the link for them on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Squinkies

You can also buy their gum all machines and the kid can get a random squinkie. Love these cute little characters!!

[lzp11]

It's great to hear everyone's ideas and how they have adapted to suit different kids.
I've been using rewards more lately.  I read up on them online and the problem is that they can become addictive and potentially devalue learning because the kids are automatically less interested in an activity when they see that they need to be rewarded to do it.  I also read a criticism which said that although many people say that the rewards are removed in time, that this often does not happen.
However, for us, the benefits largely do outweigh the problems because I'm not convinced my DD will ever spontaneously be doing much in the way of maths so anything we can do is a bonus!

Having said that, I have noticed after a week or so of rewarding using the Eurotalk maths app (a sticker for every new activity she tries - these are actually fairly straightforward for her but she is not keen to try the newer ones without encouragement), I see some possible signs of "addiction".  Firstly, she values the stickers a bit less.  She's asking for bigger and bigger ones and being less interested in choosing a smaller one!  I've said the big stickers are for when she earns a certificate in the app by completing the entire level.  I tried to manage this by saying, "OK, no sticker today?  No problem..." and then of course she wants one.  This kind of reverse psychology feels a bit manipulative (which is another criticism of rewards).  Although are we really supposed to feel bad about helping our children find ways to enjoy learning?!?! 

I tried offering a sticker to do her rightstart when she was not really in the mood.  This didn't really help as she still did not concentrate well.  but I think she was just very tired that day and perhaps I should have been better able to read her mood.  I have decided to leave off rewarding this for the moment and try to find ways to enthuse her through the activity itself.  Yesterday I put on an oscar winning performance when teaching odds and evens, jumping the two fingers together onto pairs of dots and then the finger that didn't get one for odd numbers was devastated and howled with crying, while the other finger giggled hysterically      It must have looked crazy from the outside but in 5-10 minutes she had completely got the concept and was able to pick odd or even using the cards.

We have several different reward systems that we flip between or use for different activities and I do find that mixing things up helps a lot.  I'm thinking about rewarding different activities at a time, so perhaps a month for the app, then switch to something else.  So not allowing her to get bored or complacent!  And being very firm.  For soft mozart she earns one cardboard cupcake for playing and piece and another one for singing solfege along with it.  Yesterday, she decided to sing all the completely wrong notes just for fun, and wondered why she could not have two cakes!!

I also like the idea for the future of having to earn privileges such as pocket money but we are not quite yet at the stage of money meaning much more than fun coins to play with!!

But I would really appreciate any advice on how people have managed to maintain enthusiasm for learning over time whilst using rewards.  Thanks for all the ideas and inspiration!

[Mandabplus3]

To maintain interest over time here, I let the children negotiate the reward system for each activity.
 As they get older the rewards can be spaced out more but they tend to be more substantial.
A time will come when they don't need a sticker every time they play piano but will take one sticker on a chart at the end of a weeks practice and them trade the full chart for something bigger.
At the moment I have one child earning Lego by doing daily piano practice. One earning a 2 barbie movies for completing a math text book and one earning an iPod for completing Saxon 5/4.
I very rarely have more than one incentive going on at once. I do think my kids are old enough to know some things are expected of them. so i only reward things that other "normal" children wouldn't be expected to do. I am happy to reward with goods and toys as I don't tend to buy them things outside of their birthdays or Christmas.
For pocket money....well I confess I am not good at this, who has cash these days?    the girls are currently doing extra chores to earn money to send a shoebox of toys to a child in need for Christmas. It should be interesting when we go shopping for this one! It was their idea so they are going to have to follow throu and hand over the toys! 

[Tamsyn]

Here's another reward idea.  Take a jar, and every time a child does something reward-worthy, put a bean in the jar.  This can be a family project, to teach the children that we are a team, and that everyone benefits from each member's success.  This can be a reward for chores or academics, being polite, or even effort for overcoming a child's shortfalls, such as NOT having a meltdown over being interrupted.  (struggling with that one right now).  Anyway, once the jar is full, the family gets to do a fun activity together.  Some families pair the fun activity with a service project, such as visiting a rest home and then going to a restaurant with a soft-play.  The reward might be going to a museum, or the zoo, or buying a pizza and renting a movie.  Whatever works.

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