Rewards

Whether in conjunction with a behavior program or in our everyday interactions with young children, we employ different methods to reinforce or reward behavior. The most common and effective method is for caregivers to target their attention and affection to children for appropriate behavior. More on this later.

One method employed by caregivers to reward or reinforce behavior is the use of tangibles. A tangible, by definition, is something that is real. . . something that can be touched, appraised or valued. One popular tangible used by caregivers are stickers. These are awarded to children when they participate, cooperate or just for a job well done. Stickers provide immediate rewards for children's behavior however, they have little intrinsic value and tend not to be able to reinforce behavior over the long term. Once given, stickers quickly lose their importance and, contrary to definition, they quickly become unstuck. Hand stamps or stick-on tattoos can also be used to reward compliance but their power to affect behavior soon fades as well. Another method using tangibles is the prize box or the "Treasure Chest". These are generally used by caregivers to reward children for appropriate behavior over an extended period of time, for example a day or, more often, a week at a time. However, an arbitrary schedule of rewards may not be appropriate for many children beset with problem behavior as they may require more immediate or frequent rewards to support their needs. They often experience feelings of loss as their peers are awarded prizes and they are not. Unfortunately, these feelings will have an overall negative impact on behavior. Food or sweets are often used as tangible rewards for appropriate behavior. Like stickers, they are useful as immediate rewards but have little long term value once ingested. For health and dietary reasons alone, sweets are a poor choice to reward or reinforce behavior.

While we might consider the manner in which a caregiver attends to or demonstrates affection for children as an intangible, don't underestimate it's importance in affecting behavior. Children respond to these intangibles as an affirmation of the value we ascribe them as individuals of worth, competence and capacity. These gestures are reassuring to young children whose emerging developmental skills may leave them ill-prepared for the vicissitudes of the childcare environment, particularly for children experiencing problem behavior. Therefore, the personal relationship caring adults establish with children will have a more potent effect on behavior than any tangible reward we could offer. Moreover, the success of most relationships doesn't depend on material goods or things, but flourishes because it provides each individual the opportunity to participate in or contribute to the relationship in some meaningful way. Therefore, if you are looking to reward or reinforce children's behavior, what you can give them is an opportunity to contribute consequentially to your childcare activities. Be creative in what opportunities you provide children in regards to playing a significant role in childcare activities as a result of appropriate behavior. Recognize, as well, that you probably provide some opportunities at present, but not realize it. These opportunites may be called; door holder, line leader, flag holder, weather spotter or table setter. Although we may consider these opportunities to participate routine, children do not.

Children should always have occasions to contribute in significant ways to their childcare experience. However, for children experiencing problem behavior, providing additional opportunities that celebrate their strengths and abilities will have lasting benefits. And, what better way to celebrate than in partnership with a caring adult.