Children Charts

Being a parent is one of the most difficult, yet rewarding jobs a person could ever take on. While it’s easy to be reminded of the rewards of being a parent throughout each day, it’s easy to become discouraged when your child develops negative behavioral tendencies, such as refusing chores, a bad attitude or not fully applying themselves in school. Luckily, utilizing children charts can help you monitor and modify your child’s negative behaviors and nudge them in the right direction.

Children’s charts are more than your simple everyday charts; they’re an effective tool which can help you implement permanent change into your child’s behvaior.

What Are Children Charts?

In its basic form, children charts are intended to promote positive behavior and activities and reduce undesired behaviors. A child’s chart will allow the child to see for him or herself whether their behavior is improving, becoming stagnant or edging towards the undesired effect. Kids charts can be used in conjunction with incentives. In fact, this practice is highly encouraged. When providing a reward or incentive, these kids charts are referred to as “Rewards Charts” or "Incentive Charts.

A child is far more likely to reach towards excellence when they know a reward is involved. This is because children are more apt to reach their fullest potential when under an incentivized, simple to follow plan, such as a behavioral, chore or similar chart. The prizes offered can be as simple as a sticker or as lavish as a bicycle or weekly dinner at the restaurant of your child’s choosing. However, it is advised that you take into account the lavishness of the reward and offer larger more elaborate rewards less often. Large prizes are more likely to promote immediate change. However, the goal is to achieve a long term effect. And, providing your child with a new bike, DVD or new toy each week may become too costly and unmanageable to keep up with.

Popular Rewards when using Children Charts:

Small children prizes
Coloring book
Extra minutes of television/outdoor play
Favorite snack -Stickers
Play date with a friend or classmate -
Trip to the park
Ability to skip an undesired chore for the week -
Small Monetary reward (e.g. $.25, $.50 $1)
Sleepover
Later bed time for one night

Of course, these ideas are simply the tip of the iceberg. You can choose to simply provide your child with a special homemade breakfast of his choosing once the goals are achieved. Or on the flipside, you can opt to forgo rewards altogether. All parenting styles are unique; therefore you should choose the method which best suits the needs and personality of your family.

Type of Children's Charts

There are many different types of children's charts:

Chore Charts - used to outline what kids can do to help around the house
Routine Charts - to help kids with brushing and flossing, waking up in the morning or going to sleep in the evening
Exercise Charts - to keep kids active in a fun way
Goal Charts - helping kids reach a goal they set
Pet Care Charts - teaching kids how to take care of their pet
Progress Charts - allowing kids to track their progress on a particular goal
Reading Charts - charts which help kids keep track of books they've read
Reward Charts - charts that have steps to accomplish leading to a reward
Star Charts - accumulation of stars each time a task is accomplished
Sticker Charts - accumulation of stickers each time a task is completed.

Common uses for Children's Charts?

Children charts are used by both parents and teachers in order to promote desired behavior and achieve permanent results. They can be used at home to help parents modify detrimental, annoying or improper behavior, such as releasing your child of his dependency of sucking his thumb, discouraging the use of bad words, violent behavior, yelling and like behavior. It can also be used as a chore chart in order to help your child get their daily/weekly/monthly chores done without the need to be verbally told. The following are common uses of chore charts by parents.

Improving personal hygiene/cleanliness (e.g. brushing teeth, folding laundry, setting out school clothes, washing used dishes, picking up toys)
Discouraging bad behavior
Instilling personal accountability for successfully completing chores
Creating new, favorable behaviors
Eliminating sibling rivalry
Improving consistency in homework
Raising grades

How to Children's Charts work for Behavior?

A verbal cue, such as “good job” or “thanks for behaving so well, honey” may garner a smile or “you’re welcome,” but chances are that it won’t be enough to deter negative behavior over the long haul. However, a behavior chart can help you accomplish long term positive results. Children need simple, often times visual, cues in order to work towards a goal. Therefore, it stands to reason that a chart is ideal for monitoring their improvements, or lack thereof. It helps them make baby steps towards the right direction. And after a while, those baby steps will become natural habits.

Benefits of Using Children's Behavior Charts

Behavior charts are an effective way to monitor your child’s behavior and promote improvement without scolding or lecturing.
Provides visual cues which will promote positive behavior by allowing your child to monitor their own progress.
There are no guessing games involved. The things you’d like your child to do/stop are listed word-by-word in ink.
Behavior charts put an end to bad behavior and gradually help promote long term change.
Rather than simply stopping bad behavior, children’s charts help generate better behaviors to replace unfavorable habits.
Following a chart provides a mutually beneficial agreement.
Your child will feel a sense of accomplishment each time they gather more points.

When utilized over a long period of time, using a behavioral, chore or similar children’s chart can change a life. It can point your child in the right direction without necessarily making you “the bad guy,” and it’ll teach your child how to diligently work towards change and goals, regardless of how large or small they may be.