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I line up 5 small trucks every morning. If my son has any at bedtime he gets to play on the computer with me for a bit (more
trucks = more time) I intentionally made the reward fun for him but cheap and easy for me, I want him to get it every day.
He loses a truck if he breaks an old old rule (things in the mouth) or for safety stuff (opening the back door) Or for
not listening, usually preceded by, "if you don't do x (or do do x) I will take a truck." If X is something that
takes time, I use a timer or count to 3. (truck is lost when it dings, or I get to 3)
Truck earning behavior is more fun,
and really what I want to focus on, he gets a truck if he listens before I threaten with the truck,
Or if he cleans up with little or no encouragement from me.
OR if he does some brainiac thing (counts to 100 or does 'schoolwork', or answers 5 capital questions, whatever).
Or if he does something sweet and adorable with his sister (helps her out with building duplos, or helps her clean up,
or washes her hair, gently.)
Or anytime we go somewhere that behaving is actually hard (which is just about everywhere, Dr for anyone, stores of all
sorts, Grandmas 'specially if she is a rare sight)
Or for any other reason I find myself not feeling stressed over his behavior, dinner with no reminders to stay in the
chair and not put his hair in the face, medicine applied with no complaint, Got a truck today for relatively good behavior
while getting a splinter out (relative, he is only 3 and it does hurt)
Consistancy is the key
Any program can only be as good as it's implimentation. When I get lazy or spoiled because he has been so good, he tends
to backslide, but when I am on the ball and constantly looking for new ways to help him earn trucks, he is usually trying
to remember ways to earn trucks.
Adaptablility
This method leaves lots of room for adaptation, switch to points, offer mini goals (trucks after dinner gets to do a science
experiment, trucks after lunch gets art), have a weekly prize in addition to daily (or give up daily in favor of weekly for
a older, more responsible kid) And of course change the trucks to someting your child likes.
As my son gets better at listening and earning trucks we upped the requirement, he has to have at least 15 trucks to play
on the computer for instance. We never stopped giving trucks though, we want him to try to earn things, even if it is for
fairly normal expected behavipor, after all many parents would love for their children to follow normal easy rules! I certainly
did when we started, and now that I get them more often I am not going to stop rewarding him. Though at some point we will
switch to points and eventually drop them, I don't expect to be rewarding my college kid!
Back to behavior
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