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Printable Charts For Kids -- Keeping Your Kids in the Game

If you like to use a variety of printable charts for kids in your home to modify and encourage behavior, you know motivation is a huge issue. All children are different, of course, but here are three ideas I've used successfully with my four children to keep motivation high and results happening.

1. Keep it fun.

Depending upon what you're trying to accomplish, you may be using printable reward charts, blank chore charts, or
printable behavior charts. The main point of keeping the whole process bubbling with a bit of fun is vital. Chances are whatever you are asking your child to accomplish is less than fun or you wouldn't need a chart system to begin with!

-- Use short-term rewards to teach about initiative and long-term rewards to teach about perseverance. Both are vital lessons and neither comes naturally. As your child develops good habits, short-term rewards can be decreased, but until then keep things lively and fun.

-- Even chores can be turned into a game. Can one child go faster than the other? Set a timer for ten minutes; who can get done, correctly, in that amount of time? Add music, jokes, and encouragement to the mix.

2. Teamwork.

Most kids will more willingly cooperate when they're working alongside someone else. That's true for most adults, as well. Sure, your kids need to be able to do their assigned chores or work on their behaviors at any given time, but throwing some teamwork into the mix can really boost motivation. My young daughter is learning to play the keyboard. That involves daily practice and it is often boring. But more than just wanting her to learn and enjoy the musical experience (as wonderful as that is), she'll never get there without learning the discipline of good daily habits. So after many years away from the piano, I am re-learning with her, including daily practice. It's a lot more interesting to share our journey with each other and this technique results in a lot less nagging, too.

3. Put your charges in charge - a little bit.

Depending upon the ages of your children, help them learn about running a household by giving them the opportunity to be responsible for it from time to time. You set up the schedule for your own situation, get everything written on your printable charts so everyone knows what's going on and when, and then have your children be in charge for a week here and there.

They'll find it's a much different game trying to manage the household than it is to just show up and take orders. Competing schedules, different personalities, and the realities of daily life is a great attitude adjustor for growing kids. Of course, you'll need to help and guide them, depending upon their ages, and a child who tackles this project deserves a better reward than the one who just does his small share of the load.

Printable charts for kids are great tools when used effectively. Remember that keeping the process fun, employing teamwork and giving your kids a whiff of real responsibility can help keep the motivation high and the results coming in strong. Colleen Langenfeld has been parenting for over 27 years and helps other moms enjoy mothering more at http://www.paintedgold.com. Visit her website and get free printable charts for kids at http://www.paintedgold.com/Kids/printable-charts-kids.html .

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