Rewards work, but only sometimes.
When you reward a child, even with words, for the things that bring them pleasure, they lose interest. Instead of rewarding them, simply comment.
“Wow, Trevor, that’s a great Lego fort” will actually reduce his motivation to build. But, “Wow, Trevor, you really enjoy yourself when you build” will not impact his motivation.
When kids know they’ll be rewarded, they spend less time doing even enjoyable things.
When they know they won’t get a reward, they actually spend more time and if an unexpected reward is given, their motivation slightly improves.
Currently, our society celebrates kids for every little thing. This practice may backfire on us and create a generation that’s always waiting for the reward. In real life, this doesn’t happen.
Be careful how you reinforce your kids. Remember what Einstein said, “Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts”.
Claudia
Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch.
At DrClaudia.net, click on the “Ask Me” button and send me a question.
Sign up for the Sunday newsletter. Don’t miss a thing!
When you reward a child, even with words, for the things that bring them pleasure, they lose interest. Instead of rewarding them, simply comment.
“Wow, Trevor, that’s a great Lego fort” will actually reduce his motivation to build. But, “Wow, Trevor, you really enjoy yourself when you build” will not impact his motivation.
When kids know they’ll be rewarded, they spend less time doing even enjoyable things.
When they know they won’t get a reward, they actually spend more time and if an unexpected reward is given, their motivation slightly improves.
Currently, our society celebrates kids for every little thing. This practice may backfire on us and create a generation that’s always waiting for the reward. In real life, this doesn’t happen.
Be careful how you reinforce your kids. Remember what Einstein said, “Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts”.
Claudia
Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch.
At DrClaudia.net, click on the “Ask Me” button and send me a question.
Sign up for the Sunday newsletter. Don’t miss a thing!
