If you enjoy using a variety of printable kids charts in your home to modify and encourage behavior, you know that motivation is a big deal. All children are different, of course, but here are three ideas I have used successfully with all four of my children to keep motivation high and achieve results.
1. Keep it fun.
Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, you can use printable reward charts, blank chore charts, or printable behavior charts. The main point of keeping the whole process bubbling with a bit of fun is vital. Chances are, what you’re asking your child to accomplish is less than fun or they wouldn’t need a chart system to begin with!
– Use short-term rewards to teach initiative and long-term rewards to teach perseverance. Both are vital lessons and neither comes naturally. As your child develops good habits, the short-term rewards may diminish, but until then keep things lively and fun.
– Even household chores can be turned into a game. Can one child go faster than the other? Set a timer for ten minutes; Who can do it, correctly, in that amount of time? Add music, jokes, and encouragement to the mix.
2. Teamwork.
Most children will cooperate more willingly when working together with another person. That is also true for most adults. Sure, your kids need to be able to do their assigned homework or work on their behavior at any given time, but adding some teamwork to the mix can really boost motivation. My little daughter is learning to play the keyboard. That implies a daily practice and many times it is boring. But more than wanting her to learn and enjoy the musical experience (however wonderful), she will never achieve it without learning the discipline of good daily habits. So after many years away from the piano, I am getting back to learning with her, including practicing daily with her. It is much more interesting to share our journey with each other and this technique is also much less annoying.
3. Put your charges in charge – a little.
Depending on the ages of your children, help them learn to manage a house by giving them the opportunity to be responsible for it from time to time. You set the schedule for your own situation, write everything down on your printable charts so everyone knows what’s going on and when, and then have your kids in charge for a week here and there.
They will discover that it is a very different game trying to manage the household than simply showing up and taking orders. Competitive schedules, different personalities, and the realities of daily life are a huge attitude adjustment for growing children. Of course, you will have to help and guide them, depending on their ages, and a child who undertakes this project deserves a better reward than one who only does their small part of the load.
Printable charts for kids are great tools when used effectively. Remember that keeping the process fun, employing teamwork, and giving your kids a shred of real responsibility can help keep motivation high and results strong.