When your child misbehaves, rewards might be the last thing on your mind. But positive reinforcement can be one of the most effective behaviour modification techniques. You can use positive reinforcement to encourage prosocial behaviours, like sharing or following directions. You can use it to prevent misbehaviour, like yelling over an adult who is speaking or rule violations.
Positive reinforcement can also be an effective way to encourage and motivate your child to be responsible, do their chores, get along with their siblings, or complete their assigned homework without arguing.
Sometimes, parents accidentally reinforce negative behaviour. One common way this happens is with attention. Attention can be very reinforcing, even if it is negative attention. Parents may also unintentionally reinforce negative behaviour by giving in to a child’s demands when their child is acting out. Instead, make sure that negative behaviour doesn’t get reinforced. When your child misbehaves, follow through with a negative consequence, such as a loss of privileges or natural consequences, explaining why this action has resulted in this certain outcome.
Some ways that you can positively reinforce a child’s behaviour are:
- Clapping and cheering
- Giving a high five
- Giving a hug or pat on the back
- Giving a thumbs-up
- Offering a special activity, like playing a game or reading a book together
- Offering praise
- Telling another adult how proud you are of your child’s behaviour while your child is listening
- Rewarding them with an outing of their choice
- Letting them choose an activity for the family
There are many different types of reward systems you can use to aid positive reinforcement as well. Younger children often do well with visual reward systems like sticker charts, which can be downloaded online at no cost.
