Rewards For Managing Sleep Problems

Key points to remember about rewards for managing sleep problems

This page is about sleep in primary school children. It's part of a whole section on sleeping sound.

• rewards can really motivate a child to improve their behaviour
• they work best if given soon after the behaviour, not after a few days
• choose a reward that your child will want
• try not to make food the reward
• never take away a reward

How can rewards help my child's behaviour?

Rewards can really motivate a child to improve their behaviour. They work best if given soon after the behaviour, not after a few days. After a couple of weeks, they may not work as well but by then you hope your child’s behaviour has improved!

How do I set up a reward system?

• choose a reward that your child will want
• keep rewards small and cheap (for example, stickers, stamps)
• make sure your child has a chance to get a few rewards over the first few days; for example, at first you may reward them for staying in their room at the start of the night
• once they can do this, you may then reward them only if they stay in their room the whole night
• give the reward as soon as possible after the good behaviour (for example, first thing in the morning)
• you can build on rewards (for example, 4 stickers = a lucky dip or a trip to the park or a choice of DVD after dinner
• some parents buy cheap toys from the $2 shop and wrap these up for a lucky dip
• try not to make food the reward
• NEVER take away a reward – if your child has earned it, they keep it!

How do I make a star or sticker chart?

You can download free charts from the internet or you can make your own.