Sticker Power!

My kids love stickers. I don't mind them... except for when they are left stuck on everything in the house... especially the tile floor where they have to be scraped off.

Today I made a sticker chart with silly tasks listed that I am always having to remind/hound my kids to do plus some other tasks I'd like them to start being responsible for. When I showed them the chart and told them what they had to do to get a sticker to put on it, it was amazing! The toys got picked up, their room was cleaned, they finished their dinner and put the dishes in the sink, one of them unloaded the kid dishes from the dishwasher and the other one loaded the dishes from dinner! They are only 3 and 4 and I've been asking for them to pick up their room and the toys all over the house for 3 days. I just can't bend over too well right now (6 weeks left before baby #4) and I refuse to pick up constantly! I now love stickers!!!!!! I couldn't believe how well it worked. I made a sticker chart a few months ago that wasn't as successful, so it only lasted a few days. It had way too many things on it. This one just has a few things so they can fill it up easily. If it works all week, I'll surprise them with something. Not sure what yet, but I need to think of something they can trade their chart of stickers in for... like a jelly bean for each sticker or a penny or something else they would find motivating enough to continue for another whole week. If it works, I'll make new charts and laminate them so the stickers can just come off and we can start over each week without printing a new chart.

It seems silly to be excited about such a little thing. If you can't understand, you must not have kids. It's great to find a way to motivate them, praise them and reward them all at the same time. I don't do enough positive reinforcement, so this helps me remember to notice how great they are and let them know how much I appreciate and love them.