Radio Commentary
It can be fun for children to
create a “success chart” by designing a bar graph or a line graph to show
progress on various tasks.
Be sure to keep the goals
realistic. You might want to coordinate the plan with your child’s teacher,
factoring in assignments or improvement in grades.
Ask what makes more sense for your
child: aiming for an 80 on a test or a
90? Start out with smaller goals so your child can gain some momentum that can
lead to larger successes.
Giving incentives can be an
important part of this activity.
Figure out what types of items
would work best in your family. Rewards like a movie or a computer game rental
might be effective.
Monetary rewards for reaching a
goal might be appropriate if children learn to save it for something they
really want, or use it to support an important cause.
Though positive reinforcement is an
effective tool in changing behavior, everyone reacts differently. What is right
for one child might not work well for another.
Allowing your children to chart
their own progress is a great way for them to see results.
And seeing improvement in such a
graphic fashion can show them that their efforts do actually pay off. The hope
is that they will work harder as a result.
