Christmas Tree Decorating Reward System

Here is a fun and easy way to offer rewards to your child leading up to Christmas time! First, cut a Christmas tree shape out of green construction or foam paper. If you don’t have any green paper, you can have your child paint or colour a white piece of paper green. Then, when it dries, cut the paper into the shape of a Christmas tree. This will be less messy than cutting out the tree shape before your child paints it. You can freehand the cutout, or use a template by simply conducting a Google image search for Christmas tree templates.

Once your tree cutout is ready, place it in a conspicuous place, like your child’s art wall, or on the refrigerator. Have Christmas themed stickers ready close to the reward tree. Mine are of little ornaments, but yours can be stars, or bows, or whatever you and your child prefer. Reward your child with one Christmas sticker of his or her choosing when a landmark is reached or when positive behavioural conduct is demonstrated. For example, did your child clean up after himself without having to be asked? That deserves a sticker! Did he share with a sibling or peer when he normally wouldn’t? Reward him with a sticker! These are the kinds of actions that receive reward stickers at my daycare. Your child will be motivated towards positive behavioural conduct through the constant reminder of the reward tree via its visibility and his or her desire to choose, place and admire more stickers on the tree. Explain to your child that the goal is to have his or her tree fully decorated with reward stickers by Christmas. Your child will enjoy slowly seeing his tree becoming decorated.

Please remember to never dangle the Christmas tree as a leverage or as a threat for desired behaviour. It is there as a reward for positive behaviour only, to encourage and inspire your child. It is not to be a source of stress for your child, nor a thing of shame. If you have more than one child, it is important not to compare their trees. Comparing a child's success to another's can create hostility, and feelings of competition, which leads to an array of issues.

Your child should never be rewarded for negative behaviour. In my daycare, if a child demonstrates negative behaviour (such as hitting, or other forms of direct disobedience) he or she loses sticker privileges for the entire day. I will explain that to the child, who immediately understands that his or her behaviour caused the loss of a sticker. I explain that she doesn't get a sticker for the whole day, but that she can try again tomorrow. Then the next morning, I may tell her once that I want her to earn her sticker for the day. This encouragement has really worked in my experience! Be careful not to overemphasize the tree, though. You want your child to learn the difference between proper and improper behaviours, not the spoiling of doing things for a reward in particular. To complete the tree, before Christmas, cut out a brown paper rectangle as a tree trunk for the base of your child's tree. The final touch and greatest reward for your child's tree will be the bright yellow star or angel that he or she will place at the tip of the tree. There! Now your child can enjoy the display of over a month's worth of behavioural successes, and you can appreciate that each sticker represents a positive behaviour, and a great feeling that you and your child shared! Post any questions, difficulties or success stories in the comments box below, or discuss this or any other blog topic in our discussion forum. Biblical Reference: Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.