Sticker Charts

I LOVE sticker charts!! I have 3 kids...7, 4, and 8mos. I use them for both of my older kids. I started using them close to 2yrs old, and for just about everything!! Chores, brushing teeth, homework, potty, etc. I have one in the bathroom for my 2 older kids for a "reminder" to brush their teeth. My 7yr old uses one for his chores & reading. My 4yr old uses it for chores, and good behavior. They were most successful for us with potty training, and now they're a great help with chores as well! My kids get rewards for certain increments of stickers. For example, get 10 stickers, get $1; Get 20 stickers, get a toy from dollar store or similar; Get 1 sticker every day for a month, and we go out to eat at McDonalds! It works wonders. Now, I also run a home daycare & I started this with those kids as well. They get a sticker for completing their workbook pages, for helping prepare for meals, for using good manners, etc. They each get a page for each week. If at the end of the day, they receive all 5 stickers, they get to choose something from my "reward box". That box consists of small things...pencils, candy, stickers, cheapy dollar store toys. It is great with them as well & they range in age from 1yrs up to 5yrs.
I think if used in a positive way, they can be great for both the children and the parents!!

We use a sticker chart for my daughter in regards to staying in bed at night. She was Terrible about getting out of bed 5, sometimes 10 times a night!! We have been using it for about 6 months and works great! (She will be 4 in March)
At first we had her try for 5 stickers, and at 5 she would get to pick a reward (something reasonable like a thing of playdoh or whatever). Now we have been able to increase how many she earns to get a "prize" and she gets something a little more exciting. Right now she is aiming for 15 and is working for a small toy that she has really been hoping for. It's actually pretty fun!
She is learning that with good behavior comes rewards. When she has a rough night and doesn't earn one we don't make a big deal out of it. We don't punish or scold her, we just say "we had a kind of rough night, but we'll try again tonight" and leave it at that. Seems to be working great and she is very proud to get to go shopping with mom and dad to get what she has earned. :)

My son has had a chart of some kind since just before two (now it's a laminated sheet that we check stuff off with a dry-erase marker. We've always called it a "job chart" but obviously the jobs change.

At two, his only jobs were "sleep in my bed" and "stay dry all day"

Then he started having more self-help jobs: "dress myself," "wash my hands" "wipe myself"

Then more personal chores: "pick up my toys" "put away clean clothes" "make my bed" "clear my plate" "get myself a snack" etc.

Then more family chores: "set the table" "bring in mail" "take out trash" "feed the cats" etc.

That's where we are now. He just turned 5 and it's all family chores because the self help is automatic at this point.

It's worked really well for us, but he's that kind of kid. He's kind of an engineer personality and he has ADHD, so lists with check marks are really nice for him.

HTH
T.

We just started using stickers in regards to potty training ... he did not like them before but now (4) he digs them. We have a colorful sheet of paper that says the day of the week and it is taped to the wall facing the toilet that he places the stickers on. For every 5 stickers he gets a "mailbox present" we got a mailbox for a buck at target and we put a party favor type toy in it for a daily thing. He has to pee/poop to get a sticker and he works hard (drinks/eats a lot) to get two in one day! Yesterday he was trying for three drank soooo much water he was short by 2 before bed time. You can really use them how you see fit in our house instant gratification is the key.

Hi J.,

We use sticker charts for potty training. I started at 2-1/2. They get a sticker for each time they go to the potty or try. After 5 stickers, they get a trip to the toy store with dad to pick out a special toy, like something they would only get for thier birthday (about $15-$20). I was using M&Ms, praise, etc, and nothing was happening. My neighbor gave me the idea of the toy store. It then took my daughter 2 days to get 5 stickers which would normally take her 2 weeks!

The next set of 5 stickers is a less expensive toy, then the next set is a trip to a fancy ice cream shop (where we never go otherwise). We found if we make a BIG deal out of the first few sets of 5, it shapes their behavior to continue on.

We have a reward chard for each of our boys. We started at about 3 for our older son (he's now 5 1/2) and a little earlier for our younger son (he wanted one like his brother). We use the Melissa and Doug one and a Target knock-off.

We use them for behavior (hands to yourself, no whining, manners) and also for some small chores (set the table, clear the table, clean up toys).

THEY ARE AMAZING! In our house, if they get all their "magnets" for the day they get a quarter to put in their jar. Now that my son is in school, we added one for "homework" so if he does his homework or practices that day, he will get a quarter automatically. Since this isn't every day, we don't feel it's excessive.

My older son is learning about money, so he picks an item he wants to save for and we tell him how many quarters he needs to get to it. It's a double benefit as then he counts the coins and is learning about saving.

at 2 and quit at 4 they dont work I used them for chores but gave up on them

I started using one when my child was just 2 years old. I remember that was the time when I first taught her how to read. I gave her stickers as a reward every time she was able to pronounce words correctly. In fact, I got a whole bunch of custom stickers printed from http://www.printrunner.com/sticker-printing.html just to motivate her to learn how to read.