Behavior Charts for Kids

In an earlier post, I shared a blank example of the Bronco reward chart for kids.  Since I have quite a few of my counseling clients requesting ideas and examples for behavior/ reward charts, I decided I would post some examples of the charts I have used with my daughter Jade, age 2 1/2.   For us, 2-3 weeks of the charts are plenty to establish behavior expectations, and we are able stop using them.  (To be honest, she usually only needs a couple of days before she follows the expectations pretty easily.)  Not every child is going to respond this quickly, and you may have to use behavior charts ongoing for your child.  I have shared 3 examples here: One for daily behavior (Go Diego), one for nap time (Minnie Mouse), and one for bed time (Peppa Pig).  I recommend using only one chart at a time; these three are examples and were not used simultaneously.

Here are some guidelines on using behavior charts:

- Choose 2-4 behavior for your child to work on (I don't generally recommend this for kids younger than 2, and even at 2, they may need to have only 1 target goal.)
-Make your expectations clear and specific, rather than saying "Jennifer will behave all day," break it down into something more realistic such as "Jennifer will decrease talking back to less than 2 times per day."
- If you are having issues throughout the day, use one chart and identify 2-4 main behaviors you want to address (1 target behavior during the day, 1 at nap time or after school, 1 at bedtime).
- Discuss the expectations and the reward with your child beforehand and write it on the chart.
-Post the chart on the fridge or bathroom mirror- somewhere it is easy to see and access.
- Older children should work up to earning bigger rewards for an overall weekly goal; younger children need frequent reinforcement, so they should receive a reward per sticker or at least daily.
- Review progress regularly and give your child lots of praise for the positives.
-Update goals weekly, once a child has reached a goal for 2 weeks in a row, they are ready for something new.
-  I usually recommend just using rewards when using charts, rather than imposing consequences for not earning stickers.  Too many factors makes this confusing.
- Come up with a list of acceptable rewards for your child.  It doesn't always have to be candy- use can use 1:1 time with an adult, choosing what to eat for dinner, video game time, free chore pass, etc.  Younger kids may need more tangible rewards, but the key is to find something that motivates your child.
- Keep it a simple as possible.

I use the character charts from freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com.  This website has a ton of different types of charts with favorite characters, sports teams, and themes to fit your child.  I usually download these and then use the "sign" option in Adobe.  This has an "add text" option, where I use text boxes to type in the goals.  If this seems to complicated, you can just print the pdf and hand write the goals.

Happy rewarding!