Using Stickers as rewards!

[littleelm]

Hello!

I have vast experience of using stickers as rewards... children love them, and most children i've met will do anything to get a sticker.... some examples:

5y.o. after school/holiday child who wil not ever tidy up when asked and just ends up having a tantrum... yesterday 'B if you help to tidy up you can choose a sticker!' cue instant and amazing (not just bunging stuff any old place) tiding up!

3y.o. who is stubborn as muck with her lunch and always wants to have her yoghurt first, general 'children who eat all their lunch can have a sticker' not specifically aimed at her. She was the ONLY one who ate all her lunch, so made a big song and dance about her having a special sticker!

Can we over use stickers though? Do you use stickers in your setting? How do you use them? Why and how often?

[christine e]

I use stickers!

Cx

[adele1985]

I have a sticker chart for each child (homemade :D with pictures of the childs favorite thing and name on them, under their name it says "today I have" then under that it was 3 sentances. Ive got a 4 year old mindee who has a fit as soon as mum picks him up and refuses to put on his coat hes not a very good eater either so on his sticker char the 3 statments are "ate all my lunch" "put on my coat" and "helped tidy the playroom" each time they do this they get a sticker (I give a maximum of 2 stickers for each statement a day - once the sticker chart is full it goes homw with the child and they get a little gift as a reward

the statments change for each child and as they are home made i can change the statments as they master them :D

[rosebud]

I don't use them as a general rule but have used them when I want to focus on a specific behaviour with a specific child. For example X aged nearly 3 still desperately needed a sleep during the day, without it his behaviour later in the day was simply appalling for both me and mum. He had outgrown the travel cot and wouldn't stay in a bed so I couldn't get him to sleep and both mum and I were struggling. I made him a little card with the days in the week and he got a sticker / star each time he stayed in the bed for 10 minutes (By the time 10 minutes were up he'd gone to sleep!) It worked a treat and both mum, me and him were much happier for it.

I do think they can be overused though and then they mean less - what I mean is if they're really easy to achieve or the child gets used to having them all the time then they're less of an achievement.

[watgem]

I did use to, but just been doing motivational psychology module in uni, and most of the research currently suggests that in the longterm stickers etc don't work and we should be supporting children's intrinsic motivation through praising effort, as opposed to cleverness/outcomes etc however some of the research acknowledges that in practice most settings use a combination of strategies so I think its about knowing your children/families and doing what works for you:)

[onceinabluemoon]

I use them - because they work for us.

[blue bear]

I've never used them, not because I don't agree with them it's just something I've never thought if doing. Might be because ds3 hated them with a passion, teacher used to insist on sticking them on when he'd done well but it really upset him (later diagnosed with autism)

[loocyloo]

i don't use sticker charts, but will give a sticker if somehelps tidy up, does something amazing etc and either they ask for a sticker or i remember !!! :blush:

i got some lovely ones from PTS that i personalised.

[Mollymop]

I use stickers too, the kids love them :)