I know the best way to reward kids is to praise them immediately following the good behavior. This recognition is a given at our house. However, sometimes I like to randomly surprise them and go above and beyond to recognize what they’ve done. Especially when they aren’t expecting it!
Call me crazy, but I’m tired of rewarding my kids with time to play video games or watch You Tube. Our life is becoming consumed with these two things! It’s all they ever want to do.
My solution? Let’s shake it up! Find creative rewards for kids. As I started looking around for ideas, I quickly realized that there isn’t much out there to inspire! Everything I came across was very classroom/school focused. Or I saw the same tired rewards I was already using. Boring!
So I guess that leaves it up to me to create my own list. Today, I’m sharing it with you! These are all simple ideas that are either free or cost less than $2. You can also combine them with my DIY Scratch Offs to have a really fun way to hand them out! It will be like winning the lottery.
12 Rewards for Kids
- Trip to the library – I saw this idea out there and loved it! It can be a simple trip to pick out some new books to read. There are also lots of fun activities that go on at a library (story times, arts & crafts, music). Schedules can typically be found on their website and offer other ways to fulfill this idea.
- Picnic with Mom – I’m thinking simple here. Lunch or dinner out in the yard on a blanket. Just the 2 of us.
- Stay up 30-minutes past bedtime.
- Skip a chore – They get to pick one chore to opt out of. Maybe the next time you ask them to clean their room, they can opt out for that day. It means you likely have to step in and take over depending on the chore they select, but it’s only 1 chore…1 day.
- Choose dinner – Offer up a choice of 2-3 things that you could make. Let them decide which one is for dinner tonight.
- Dollar store trip – Let them pick out one thing they want. It could be a book, toy, candy, or drink.
- Family fun night – Let them pick the movie, snack, board game, outside game. Bonus is you get to have family time included.
- Take them for an ice cream cone.
- Download a song of their choice on I-Tunes.
- A trip to the park – Some 1-on-1 time at the park to take a walk, go to the playground, or do another activity together.
- Sleep over with Mom – If you have a pull out couch, you could make it a slumber party there. A blow up mattress in your room. Or let them climb in bed with you. My kids go crazy for sleeping in my room!
- Scratch off lottery tickets or cash (thinking $1).
As you start introducing new rewards, ask your kids what they would like to see on the list. It may surprise you what they come up with.
What would your kids like to see on the list?
4 Comments on “12 Rewards for Kids”
I love the idea of positive reinforcement through extra rewards! I haven’t put much thought into doing this, until now. It is definitely something easily missed in the busyness of daily life but would I am sure pay off in the end. not to mention allow for extra bonding experiences children will remember all the way into adulthood. it is the small things that they remember! I will try to keep all your ideas in mind the next time I am hoping to reward a positive behaviour! how would you go about tying the two things together though? would you say “if you do a, then you will get b”, or would you make it a surprise after they chose to do it all on their own?
I made little scratch off cards (post is linked in this one). Then I let them know the cards existed and tried to explain how/when they would be given away. It took almost a week for me to be able to give away the first one. I have really tried not to say “do this and I will give you this”. I’m trying to break that habit. I think it makes a bigger impact when they aren’t even expecting the reward…a nice surprise! So the first one I gave to my daughter because we had our first whine/cry/fight free morning getting ready for school. I made a big deal out of letting her pick a scratch card with a reward on it. I find myself continuing to explain that just because they got one today for X doesn’t mean they will always get them. Also that they won’t both get rewards on the same days or even at the same time. That’s been a big adjustment, but it’s going great! I’ve noticed more helping without being asked. Maybe a coincidence, but I will take it!!
Thank you for the extra reward ideas; I too was getting tired of the extra TV time. One of the rewards I use, when I am out of ideas, is The Surprised Surprise (corny name, I know. I couldn’t think of anything else). Nevertheless, on small slips of paper, I allow my daughter to write a ton of ideas of things she may want to do. It’s placed in a jar (big enough for her hand to fit inside) and she can choose one of her own rewards (Surprised Surprise because she previously wrote the “surprise” but doesn’t know which one she will choose). Anywhooooo…it’s worked out well and offered a host of new ideas.
I love this idea! Thanks for sharing. It’s always interesting to see what they come up with on their own. Usually it’s something I would’ve never thought of.