Raise the Praise! 5 Healthy Ways to Rewards for Kids

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Raise the Praise! 5 Healthy Ways to Rewards for Kids

Sometimes parenting feels like a constant negotiation with your kids. If you want healthy ways to incentivize them, try these cool rewards for kids.

The one big question that’s crossed every parent’s mind is “how can I get my kids to behave?”. With all the opinions out there, it can be hard knowing which advice is best. 

A little under half of American parents rely on taking away privileges and/or time out for bad behavior. That’s a fine last resort option, but it’s best to nip misbehavior in the bud and it’s easy to do so. 

Studies have shown that praise helps reinforce good behavior. You can show your appreciation to your little one with rewards for kids. 

Here are five great ideas to get you started! 

1. Doing Fun Things Together

Have a craft that’s hard to put together but your child loves to do? Maybe it’s just really messy and you don’t want to deal with it every day. 

Break it out when they’ve been good. Go above and beyond your usual activities during your next playtime together and they’ll remember it when they need inspiration to do good. 

2. Go on a Special Trip

If they’ve been really good, a special trip might be in order. That doesn’t have to mean a week-long vacation at Disney, though. 

It can be something silly like going through a long car wash. Maybe you can go berry picking at a local farm. 

Make a mental note when you’re driving around of someplace fun you and your child can go next time they’ve earned an extra-special reward. 

3. Fun Certificates

Creating a fun — and funny — certificate for your kid is almost as great as giving it to them. They’ll love to collect and display certificates for goals that you work towards together. 

Get creative. Make awards for Best Nap Time Dream Sequence or Most Broccoli Destroyed (by eating it). 

You can find lots of creative free certificate templates online to get your imagination going. 

4. Later Bedtime

Remember when you got to stay up past your bedtime? It was kind of thrilling and cool! 

Reward your kids for good behavior by letting them stay up a little later than usual. They’ll feel grown up and will probably go to sleep quickly anyways. 

5. Praise Them — the Right Way

Praise is always important. An “attaboy” (or girl) goes a long way towards making your kid feel proud of their accomplishment. 

There is a right way and a wrong way to give your child praise. Here’s your best bet:

• Don’t use it too much. A little goes a long way. 
• Make sure you praise their accomplishments and not their attributes. 
• Recognize their effort over their outcome. Working towards a goal is a reward all by itself.

Above all, always keep your praise genuine. Say what you mean to make your child feel special and loved. 

Rewards for Kids and More

As you can see, finding rewards for kids that reinforces good behavior doesn’t have to be expensive, time-consuming or difficult. You and your kid can probably dream up a few more ideas all on your own, too. 

Want to learn more ways to raise them right? Check out our tips section to find more useful articles!