Rewards For Managing Sleep Problems
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.
This page last reviewed 29 April 2020.
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