Ideas for Student Rewards
Whenever a child comes home with an excellent test grade or a report card lined with A’s, parents should always remember to give their student plenty of positive feedback, ensuring their child’s hard work is acknowledged. However, although parents may believe their praise is highly valued by their academics-in-training, providing children with more tangible rewards to reinforce the strong effort that students put forth will go a long way in securing a consistent performance in school. Here are some ideas that parents can use to positively reinforce a strong academic record.
More Free Time
One of the easiest ways for parents to reward their students is by providing them with more free time after school. For younger children, this may involve allowing their children to spend more time watching their favorite TV shows or playing with some friends for a bit longer than usual. For teens, additional free time could include more recreational time on the computer or going to the mall. Parents should be wary not to allot too much free time, as maintaining an adequate amount of time to complete homework is still important.
Decision-Making Power
Kids love when they are given more responsibility and more power (as do most adults too!). Another great reward is allowing children to make more of the decisions around the house, which not only gives the student a stronger sense of responsibility – but also takes some of the burden off of the parent. The decisions which children can make could be as simple as deciding where to go out for dinner, or as grand as selecting the destination for the next family vacation.
Money and Financial Rewards
Plain and simple, money is a motivator for students of all ages. Parents can get creative and create a tiered system based on grades – for example, A’s receive $10, B’s are $5, etc. Instead of having their children spend all of the money on items like clothes or music, parents should encourage their students to save at least a portion of the money towards a college education fund.
