Although we would like to see our children help us with household chores in a natural way and without flinching, the reality is often quite different! Although the little ones are often happy to help us vacuum or empty the dishwasher, the older ones often lose their motivation when the task in question no longer represents a real challenge for them. Because intrinsic motivation is not always enough to convince children to collaborate actively and positively in the accomplishment of daily tasks , the use of a motivation system like the General Store is often a great ally! Here are some tips to ensure its effectiveness and use to its full potential :
Offer attractive rewards
Be sure to include rewards and perks in your General Store that will really appeal to your kids and match their needs and interests . Do not hesitate to ask them their opinion about what they would like to find there; this way you will ensure their willingness to get them thanks to the tokens they have accumulated! Out of inspiration? Find our list of suggestions here .
Set realistic expectations
For the motivational system to work, it is important that the child is able to experience success . So be sure to set realistic expectations based on the child's developmental level and actual skills. To help you establish the tasks that you can assign to children according to their age, do not hesitate to use our magnetos provided for this purpose.
Work one challenge at a time
To avoid seeing your children get discouraged by the magnitude of the task, be sure to give them only one new challenge to take on at a time . When a challenge is met and the child has integrated the new task well into his routine or is no longer adopting the inappropriate behavior, set a new goal to achieve. For more tips on learning a new task in stages , check out our blog post on the subject.
For more tips on using a motivational system like the General Store at home and understanding its positive impact on family life , take a moment to check out our articles on the subject:
- How to learn the meaning of effort from the General Store
- Learn about real life through the General Store
- Learn about saving with the General Store
- Practical advice on how long to reinforce good behavior
- The General Store: should we remove tokens?
- 40 privilege ideas for the General Store