You have been using the General Store at home for a few weeks and you are wondering if it is appropriate to take away tokens from your child when he does not respect the established rules or opposes your requests? At Les Belles Combines, we strongly believe that it is preferable not to do so, otherwise it will greatly harm his motivation to participate in the system and collaborate positively . Just imagine the idea of being given a salary each week for your work accomplished only to have it taken away a few days later! We therefore suggest that you instead apply logical consequences to your children's inappropriate actions , which will undoubtedly have a much more effective effect than using classic punishments (" go take a walk in your room! " or " you will not have dessert! ") or taking away hard-earned tokens. Are you lacking inspiration or struggling to come up with ideas in the heat of the moment or in the heat of the moment? Here are some ideas to help you:
Your child refuses to comply when you ask him to put away his toys
Collect all uncollected toys and drop them off at the General Store. To collect them, your child will need to pay the number of tokens you have determined.
Your child is not completing his daily task as requested
Postpone the task each time until the next day, in addition to the task he already had to complete that day. He refuses to do his tasks throughout the week? Ask him to do them all over again on the weekend before he has a chance to play with friends or participate in the planned activities.
Your child is distracted or uncooperative during homework and lesson times
Ask him to make up for the time you lost helping him by helping you make dinner or do the dishes.
Your child is rude or engages in hurtful behavior toward another family member
Ask him to make a gesture of reparation to the person targeted. Are you short on ideas? Here are a few:
- Help care for the person the child has physically injured
- Repair the damaged item or pay the amount needed to replace it
- Give the person a nice surprise (draw a picture, write a letter, prepare a special snack, etc.)
Find several other suggestions in our calm-down kit !
Your child is disruptive or behaves unpleasantly during family dinner
Ask him to eat in isolation or wait until everyone has finished their meal to eat.
Your child enjoys making his little brother scream or his big sister angry.
Demand that he find something to do alongside you (while you continue to go about your business) so that you can provide the constant supervision he requires.
Finally, remember that, beyond simply applying consequences to your children's inappropriate behavior, it is the consistency of your measures and the use of positive reinforcement that will constitute your main allies when it comes to encouraging the full cooperation of your young and old alike!
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