Fabric Interchangeable Chore Chart

As a counselor one of the things I encourage parents to do is to use Chore or Behavior Charts to celebrate their success!

3 Must Do's for an Effective Chart:

• A simple chart the child can follow and understand.
• Rewards should be given that week if the child is younger you may  have to do 2 rewards (midweek/end of the week)
• Always follow through on your reward

Okay I led there are 7 must do's:

• Rewards should never be extravagant: easy & accessible.
• LOTS of praise when task is accomplished.
• For behavior charts once the behavior is changed take chart away otherwise it will loose its impact.
• Make sure you clearly explain the chart and its purpose and the rewards if there are any.

For years I have used paper charts: interactive charts, potty-training charts.  They are great b/c I can change them according to the season or the behavior we are trying to improve.  I finally decided to make a cloth chart for my boys!  I tried not to use any appliques so they are not outgrown that way I don't have to make another chart.  So I went with polka dots, stripes and jean fabric. 

Here's the interchangeable component the popsicle sticks are changed according to the need.  Right now we are trying to help my child stop wetting the bed at  night so that was one of the tabs on his stick.  I went to Microsoft word and just printed out different tabs from their clipart to glue onto the sticks. 

If you were to use this as a behavior chart for a child having problems hitting you can glue a picture of a hand on a stick. If your child didn't hit anyone at school today when he gets home he can put his stick in the Monday pocket.  Depending on the childs age you can choose how many days will go by before they get a reward.  So if it's a 3yr old I usually encourage parents to go midweek to reward and then another on Friday.  Also, don't go with extravagant rewards the simpler the better as long as its something that motivates them.  It can be an actual thing or a priviledge.  Just make sure you reward him the day you said.  I always discourage parents from big rewards like I will take you to McD's or I will buy you that train set you have always wanted.  The bigger the harder it is to follow through.  You may have been able to take him to McD's on Wed. but when Friday came you had a lot going on so you postpone it til Sat. then its changed to Sunday and before you know it your child is no longer interested in your chart.

I linked up with:
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/

interactive behavior charts

I came up with a fun idea to motivate my kids with their behavior charts.  Right now they are both having problems wetting the bed at night so it was time for mommy to get creative.  I had them paint some styrofoam balls brown and I printed out the head you could even draw it on construction paper and add eyes and beak.  The feet are toothpicks. Everytime they wake up dry they get to pick a feather of their choice and add it to their turkey.  Right now my youngest has 12 feathers after every 3 feathers they get a small reward cookies or candy and with 12 he will get a bigger reward coloring book/book to choose from.  They get so excited in the morning to pick their feather.  Last month, I did a pumpkin patch and cut out lots of pumpkins and had them glue a pumpkin onto a pumpkin patch.  Unfortunately, we will need to continue the chart for my oldest so we put cotton balls on santas beard everytime he wakes up dry.   

behavior charts and potty training

One of the things I constantly encourage parents to use are behavior charts, incentive charts or reward charts whatever you want to call them they work like a charm for most children.   Consistency is key on your part, finding rewards that are not too luxurious and easily accessible and immediately "celebrating their success" is very important.
They work wonders on my boys, really!  I made one up for all the little battles we were having on a daily basis which were for things like chores, daily hygeine and drinking milk. They get to put a sticker on each space everytime they accomplish something from their chart.  They were so excited that they couldn't wait to do the next thing. 
Warning: The excitement wears off.We only use these for hard to manage problem areas which means they are not permanent in our home. They serve their purpose and then we remove them until we need them again. 
I am about to delve into potty training issues with my boys so I found these great potty training charts online from http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/ They have fun ones with different cartoon characters or generic ones and even reward coupons like free movie, icecream,etc...  I usually make my own because our behavior situations usually vary but I was glad to find these cute ones. Say a little prayer for me as we take on this gargantuous task.  At times like these makes I realize all the little things my parents had to do and teach us that I took for granted. The joys of parenting:)