The Importance of a Reward System

    As adults, we all secretly love to be praised or rewarded. It feels good when you work hard to make dinner, and your family compliments how delicious your meal is. During that miserable workout, you keep going because you know you'll treat yourself to an iced coffee afterward. We enjoy taking a nice family vacation with the money we worked hard to earn. Our adult brains love working towards a reward, so why would we not expect our children's brains to work the same way?

    The truth is, children thrive off of praise. Oftentimes they do so many amazing things that are worthy of so much praise from parents, but we are so caught up in the little tasks that we forget to recognize all their accomplishments, big and small. Elementary-aged children and, yes, even your adolescent children desire praise and approval from their parents. Their confidence is so fragile, and it is our job to help make them feel good about the person Christ created them to be. This means rewarding their Christ-like actions.

    The line of what should be rewarded depends on the rules within your home and the expectations you have for your children. For example, your toddler may get praise and a reward for saying please and thank you, but this should be an expectation for your teenager. Children need to be rewarded for different things based on their age and what they need motivated with for schoolwork. No matter your children's age or needs, creating a reward system can be very beneficial in motivating them as learners.

    Keeping up with a reward system can be exhausting and time-consuming. It is best to keep the reward system that is set up for your home separate from school, given that behavior during school hours can be different from normal family time. Below are suggestions and options for fun reward systems you can use to motivate your little ones. I hope you can find something that works for your life at home and your busy schedule.

Sainthood Badges:

    If your child is motivated by their actions being displayed for guests and their siblings to see in your home, then this is a great option for you! Simply fill in your child’s name and the saint-like action they did!

Access this item for free on Teachers Pay Teachers: Sainthood Badges

Virtue Certificates:

    This is a great option for larger homeschool groups and co-ops. Every month, have a little reward ceremony during lunch. Give out a certificate to children based on the virtue they displayed well that month. Fill out these certificates after downloading.

Access this item on TPT: Virtue Certificates

Weekly Goal Setting Sheet:

    If you see time to carve out 15 minutes a week with each of your children, this is a great opportunity to teach them how to create realistic goals, assess their progress, and work on your bond with your child. Every week you can create an academic goal with your child and a virtue goal with your child. Academic goals should be work-based instead of mastery-based. For example, your child’s goal is more realistic if it is “ I will practice my math facts for 15 minutes a day and try my best” instead of “I will know all of my math facts by the end of the week”.

Access this item for free on TPT: Weekly Goal Sheet

Punch Cards:

    This is great as an extra boost for someone who needs extra reminders. These punch cards can be motivators for simple things that your child struggles with, like waiting patiently while you help another child with their work or being quiet during silent reading time. Every time this child does this without a reminder, punch their card and have a reward they get every 10 punches.

Access this item on TPT: Punch Cards

Sticker Trackers:

    These are super simple and can be used to track numerous things like the number of books your child has read, standards learned, or even spelling words mastered! This form of reward is typically long-term and does not provide immediate gratification, but is meant to work towards a larger prize like a pizza night with friends or a trip to an arcade. This kind of reward system works better for older children since it is long-term. There are numerous affordable options for this linked on my Amazon storefront below!

Virtue Jar:

    If you homeschool kids who are at numerous different ages, this reward system is perfect for you! This is a reward that the kids can work towards collectively. Plan a fun activity or prize that your children earn if they fill the jar, like a family bowling night or ice cream shop trip. Every time one of your children does something virtuous during homeschool hours, put a fuzz ball in the jar. When the jar is filled, your family can celebrate by doing the activity you planned! Supplies for this reward are also linked on my Amazon storefront below.

Access this item for free on TPT: Virtue Jar

Amazon Storefront: Click this link to browse materials you may need for these reward systems and other fun incentive ideas!

Amazon Storefront

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.