The Naughty Corner may be working for Supernanny, but in our house my preschooler simply clears the perishables out of the fridge and has her sister water her plants before she misbehaves. She could be gone awhile.
We’ve managed to find creative ways to stop a tantrum dead in its tracks and to reward our daughters for cleaning up their My Little Ponies after being prodded merely 238 times.
Our favorite method of rewarding the girls or correcting their behavior is to create a reward chart. This isn’t the shaky lined/gold starred grid of your childhood.
We make an event of having the girls help create a chart that is specific to their individual interests. Our youngest daughter loves cows, for example. We created a scene wherein the cow has to move along a path to a barn. With each positive behavior our daughter has, she gets to move the cow forward on the path, and for each time she attempts to ride her sister like a pony, using her hair as the reigns, the cow moves backwards.
If at the end of the day the cow has made it to the barn, our child gets her after dinner treat (be it a Popsicle, a trip to the park, an extra story at bedtime). If the cow is still on the path, there are no treats.
We’ve found that not only do our girls love getting involved in the creation of the chart, complete with markers, stickers and glitter, but their excitement in its’ creation carries over to their excitement in doing the right things to earn their rewards. A lot of behavior issues stem from a child feeling helpless in their ever changing world, but you can give your kids a sense of control and the ability to literally move forward from hairy situations.
And if not, don’t forget to have your child’s mail forwarded to the Naughty Corner.
