SAMPLE REWARD SYSTEM
by Dr. Daniel A. Bochner
Morning Daytime weekend 10-4 Evening
No Questioning Authority or Demanding* No Questioning Authority or Demanding* No Questioning Authority or Demanding*
Do what you’re told the first time* Do What You're Told the First Time* Do What You're Told the First Time*
No Wild Behavior No Wild Behavior No Wild Behavior
Get Ready for the Day Complete Work Neatly Pick Up Clothes and Put in Basket
Keep Voice Down in Car Keep Voice Down in Class Homework Done Without Complaining
On Weekends: Clean out Sink, sweep porch
front and back
1. The purpose of a reward system is to motivate children without frustrating parents. Kids do better when their behavior is not associated with being
“bad” children, but is associated with success and getting what they want.
2. Four out of Five things done to earn a chip. Items with asterisks (*) must be done.
3. If the ability to earn a reward is lost during one period, start the next period immediately so all time will be covered by the system.
4. With behaviors (arguing, talking back, doing what your told the first time), two warnings.
5. Parents are the judge and jury.
6. Create full list of what can be earned: screen time, trip to movies or dollar store, desserts, time with one parent or the other.
7. Priveleges are given at parents’ convenience.
8. Chips are given at specific time. You might want the kids to be responsible for coming to you for the chips. You don’t want to be in the position of
remembering whether or not chips were earned several days after the fact.
9. Everything will depend upon the rewards being rewarding enough without being too rewarding. Some kids will save chips and then not care about
earning them because they have so many. Some kids won’t think what they can earn is worth the effort. So as their parents, you have to know what
they will find rewarding. Like money, the reward must keep them working. Also, like money, becoming rich will likely result in laziness.
10. Encourage spending of chips so that not too many will be saved up and result in your kids feeling like chips are not worth earning.
11. Only give priveleges for free if you are really doing it for yourself. If you want to go to the movies, you can go and take the kids. But if they want
to go, they need to have some chips.
12. Consequences are still necessary when bad behavior is out of hand. For example, screens can be taken away for a week and thus become one
reward that cannot be earned through the system.
13. Make chart and get dry erase so kids can keep track themselves.
14. Sometimes it works well to give kids an added bonus for earning a certain number of chips during a week. For example, you can give a gift of any
amount you think is appropriate for earning 14 of 21 chips in a week.