Yes - it is true. I fully bribe my children.
Now some things just must be done...good manners, room cleaning, being kind to others. Things that fall under that category do not earn "bribes". Reading an extra challenging book (Prince Caspian) rather than a super easy book (Junie B. Jones) might be bribe worthy. Both kids have reading charts (I'm such a fan of a sticker chart. I wish I could get gold stars for chores or something!) Jonathan just completed 2 sticker charts to earn a dinosaur collection. For him, that meant completing 40 reading lessons - a big accomplishment. The reward for his hard work was a great incentive during tough lessons. While Nathan was here he and Kaitlin had charts. Nathan got a sticker for every book he read to me and K got a sticker for every chapter book she read. In the two weeks he was here they each earned 15 stickers and got to go to Chuckie Cheese.
Now we are encouraging Kaitlin to read a few longer, more challenging books. At school they are encouraged to compete for "points", and it is very tempting to read a lot of "easy" books to get more points. We however, do not encourage that. So, we are creating a list at home. She can still test on these books at school, but for every book she reads from the list she gets a sticker on her fancy new frog chart I made today. (Jonathan just got a new one made with dinosaurs. He wants to work toward a dinosaur backpack.) She can read fun books as well (reading is f-u-n after all), but this is just an extra incentive to read some classics, etc.
An example of her challenge list includes books from the Narnia series. If you have something awesome that you have read that is appropriate for an 8 year old - let us know. She is at a level that everything has to be previewed. Its not easy finding age appropriate books at this reading level, so I'm up for suggestions.
You may be wondering what she is working toward - a Claire's gift card. Homegirl loves her some Claire's and some gift card action. It is pure joy for her!
As far as bribing goes - I believe that hard work should be rewarded. I try to look for life lessons whenever possible with my children - and I do want them to understand the work/reward connection. Another saying that I have drilled into the kids and that Charles and I truly believe is "It's not how smart you are; it's how hard you work."
3 comments:
That's such a good idea! The girls have been ready for chapter books for a long time, but I have the hardest time motivating them to move past the easy stuff. I'll have to try some sticker charts!
Also, besides Narnia, my favorite, favorite, favorite at that age was Tom Sawyer, which is way too long for just one sticker, I would think, but could be broken up into three parts, maybe. Also any of the Black Stallion series. Those get really addictive. And the Little House on the Prairie series. And all of Beverley Cleary and Judy Blume (although some of her stuff is more for older girls, dealing with the onset of puberty and such). And Roald Dahl. Of course. :)
P.S. I'm praying that the doctors figure out what's going on, and that it's something really easy to manage.
You're such a cool mom! Have you nosed around on the SonLight curriculum reading lists? They typically include challenging, wholesome titles. Their levels are not exactly like traditional grades, but they should list age ranges. Enjoy your day.
love-
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