Who knew kids could be so motivated by something so common? We tried special snacks. Occasional small toys as “special treats”. M&Ms. Trips to the bouncy house. Promised excursions to the beach. Positive words, hugs, high-fives, thumbs up, big celebration song and dance… But none of those things worked consistently to motivate good behavior. And none of them could subsequently be taken away as a consequence of misbehavior.
But then we found rocks. You can buy them at Wal-Mart. Or you can just comb the ground with your eyes when you’re outside. You’re bound to find a few rocks (as any toddler). Here’s how it works for us. The very first rock I gave was for specific good behavior (a trip to a restaurant with no whining). I promised that I would never take that rock away. It’s hers for good and she can keep it where ever she’d like. And she could earn more rocks for respecting mama and doing what is asked of her. The catch is, those rocks can be taken away. For instance, she gets a rock for sharing her favorite toy with her brother; but if she turns around and snatches it away from him a minute later, I’ll take that rock back. And it’s gone forever - she can never earn that particular rock back. Sure, she can find her own rocks when we’re outside, but for some reason that doesn’t detract from the excitement of a rock mama gives as a reward for good behavior. This week, we’re going to see if she’ll make her bed every day to earn a rock at the end of the week…
At 3, this works great. I’m not sure my 17-month old has the logic to put it all together, but I do reward him with rocks when he’s behaving really well. And it’s amazing how quickly he learned that a rock thrown is a rock taken away.
Great motivation for little ones! For more Works for Me tips, head over to Rocks in My Dryer.
SeaBird said,
May 30, 2007 @ 11:49 am
“A rock thrown is a rock taken away” ….. ha! I will keep this idea in mind as my boys get a little older!
Amy @ Experience Imagination said,
May 30, 2007 @ 4:22 pm
This is a great idea. I’ll have to figure out whether it would work here, though. We have a gravel driveway, so our little one has access to more rocks than she knows what to do with.
javamama said,
May 30, 2007 @ 4:33 pm
That is a good idea both of my sons love rocks!
Kim said,
May 30, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
I’ll have to remember this to use with my daughter when she’s further past the put everything in your mouth stage.
sincerelyanna said,
May 30, 2007 @ 10:30 pm
Oh my gosh, this is such a great tip for me. Thanks! My little boy Jake has a rock collection right at the front door and we snicker at it everyday…he shows everyone in the neighborhood so I’m sure he’d like to see it get bigger with good behavior rewards! This is perfect! Check in…surely I’ll blog about how this works!