Rewards For Managing Sleep Problems

Rewards can really motivate a child to improve their behaviour. They work best if given soon after the behaviour, not after a few days.

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.

Acknowledgements

Starship Foundation and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand thank the Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, for making this content available to parents and families.

© Copyright – Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2014. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), no part of this content may be reproduced by a process, electronic or otherwise, without the specific written permission of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.