If you would like to see results using printable charts, you’ll need to organize your efforts a bit. The good news is these ideas are not difficult. Consistency is the real key here.

1. Be clear.

Do your kids know exactly why you are asking them to participate in using a reward chart? I mean EXACTLY why? Before you fill out one chore or behavior chart, you need to sit down with yourself and ask what you want to accomplish using these tools.

* Are you trying to teach a specific chore? For example, how, when and what to clean? Or getting control of clutter?

* Are you trying to improve your child’s organizational habits? Or are you really trying to improve *your* organizational habits?

* Are you aiming for character development training? Improving a bad attitude or dealing with non-stop sibling rivalry?

* Do you really need printable homework charts instead of reward charts?

The point here is that until you are crystal clear about what you are aiming for, you probably are not going to achieve it. Once you get clear on your goal, explain this to your child. For example, if you tell your child that he needs to keep his room clean but don’t spell that out in detail, you can be assured that your idea of his room being clean and his idea are totally different.

So be clear with your expectations, explain them to your child and write those expectations on the reward charts you use. Now everyone is on the same page.

2. Be positive.

No one likes to be nagged. In over 27 years of parenting I’ve never seen nagging produce lasting results. Momentary ones, yes. But then you must keep nagging and you will get less and less satisfactory results.

There’s got to be a better way and there is.

Keep the whole process positive and matter-of-fact. Use rewards and prizes to keep people excited and in the game, but remember, ultimately, family members have to take ownership of the tasks you put on the reward charts in order to be successful. Nagging keeps you owning the situation. A positive attitude puts the ball back in your child’s court.

”I see by looking at your reward chart that you have two items left to work on today (or whatever the situation is in your home). Those must be done by dinnertime; let me know when they are completed.” (What if they won’t do their chores? That’s called consequences; keep reading.)

No nagging. Remember, your attitude will be picked up by your child. As the parent, you set the tone in your home. Kids of any age have difficulties with their attitudes; it’s called growing up. Be straightforward and let your kids know that positive is the tone you want in your home. Then show them how to do it and practice together.

3. Follow through.

Since you’re reading an article about reward charts, you must be interested in offering your kids a reward or prize for some sort of behavior modification. That’s fine, just make sure you follow through. Nothing will kill motivation faster in your household than a child learning that she won’t *really* get the reward she was promised for doing her part.

Likewise, if there are consequences for not getting the tasks completed you have assigned (and there must be consequences), then those must be followed through on as well or you have no hope of motivating your child to change their behavior. All children test their parent’s boundaries with great consistency. This is normal behavior. Likewise, it’s normal parenting behavior to have to enforce the boundaries that have been set.

Obviously, what this really means is that you, as the parent, must give careful consideration to both rewards and consequences before this process even starts. Don’t overdo or under-do. No trips to Disneyland for a clean bathroom and no groundings for forgetting to hang up a towel once. Bottom line is always the Golden Rule. Treat others as you want to be treated. And enforce those boundaries!

Using printable reward charts can be a ‘rewarding’ experience in a family if you remember to use these tools effectively by getting clear on your expectations, staying positive and following through from start to finish. Consistency with these three keys will yield tremendous success over the lifetime of your family.

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These Secrets will also surprise you. They work quietly and effectively beneath the surface of your child’s brain. If you use these Five Secrets, they will make any safety technique that much more effective. Without these Five Safety Secrets, your child will never be able to keep themselves safe. Ever.

Secret #1: Confidence.

Confidence and a positive self image are crucial in good child safety. Confident kids are less of a target for sexual predators. Not only do they stand taller and keep their heads up higher, they represent a problem, a less than easy victim for sexual predators.

Confident kids project “struggle” for any predator trolling for kids and more often than not, predators will pass them by. More often, predators will choose kids that appear weak and sad, a child in need of a friend. These are the kids that hang their heads, shuffle down the street and have a hard time looking anyone in the eye when they talk to them.

Confidence is a powerful deterrent.

And yet, there is something more, something deeper when your child is confident. Confident kids display certain structural changes, physical changes in their bodies that serve them better than kids that have poor self-images. Confident kids can control their physical movements a little bit better. At the same time, they can move more quickly and with finer control of those movements. We find confident kids can actually focus better mentally and for longer periods of time.

In other words, these kids are better equipped physically, mentally and emotionally to learn the actual safety techniques that could save them from sexual predators than kids that feel bad about themselves. Kids that hang their head, shuffle around, are tired or ill, cannot move with as much control or quickness or think as clearly as kids that are healthy and confident. A high degree of self confidence and a positive self image matter in good child safety.

Secret #2: Empowerment.

Empowering your child to take care of themselves is one of the most powerful Safety Secret you can learn.

When you empower your child, you truly teach them to make choices for themselves. When you mentor them as a parent you actually guide them into learning to make good, positive choices for themselves on their own. When they can do this, they will truly be safe for a lifetime.

In its simplest form, empowerment means your child feels like they have a measure of control over their life. They feel they can make their own decisions. Most kids don’t feel this ability. Most kids do not have it, either. Parents and adults are constantly making decisions for children:

-When to eat

-What to eat

-When to get up

-When to go to sleep

-Where to go

-Who to go with

-What to do

The list can go on endlessly. Life for a child can feel completely out of their control. Kids will engage in a struggle with their parents to get some control of their lives. In doing so it usually comes across as conflict.

-No! I don’t want to go!

-I don’t like that!

-I’m not eating that!

-Stop it!

-I don’t want to!

-Leave me alone!

The Secret to empowering your child, even at the youngest of ages, is in giving them their own choices to make. Give them alternatives to situations in their lives, let them make some of their own choices.

This too, can be pretty simple. For example, instead of serving them broccoli, ask them to choose between carrots, peas or broccoli or another vegetable. Give them a choice to make instead of just putting one on their plate. Instead of the green dress, ask your daughter which one she would like to wear. Instead of forcing your child into the brown shoes, ask them which ones they would like to put on today.

These are pretty simple examples, but this about as easy as it gets in empowering your child. Giving your child choices is crucial in their development. It is crucial in their ability to keep themselves safe, too.

Making choices matters to kids. When you do this simple, easy thing, miracles will happen within them. An empowered child starts to feel good about themselves. And what would consistent, good feelings about themselves lead to? Confidence!

Will your child always make good choices for themselves? No. That is where you, Mom and Dad, come into the picture. You, as a mentor to your child, can guide them through the array of choices they will face. You can guide them and teach them about good choices and the benefits of making good choices for themselves. It is what safe kids are all about.

Secret #3: Catch Them Being Good.

When your child makes a bad choice, it’s important for you to stay calm about it. Yes, this is easier said then done. However, it is critical in your child’s ability to keep themselves safe, that you learn to take their mistakes in stride.

You have to spend more time and energy catching your child being good.

A subtle prodding towards better choices is more effective than highlighting, in a big emotional way, any bad choice they make for themselves. If you have to highlight negative behavior, be very careful in saying, “That was a bad choice,” rather than “You are bad.” Take care to say, “You can make better choices,” instead of saying, “How stupid!” Things like, “You’re a great kid but that choice could have been better,” keeps your child’s image of themselves solid and highlights the choice only, not them, as being bad. Your child is good, the choice is bad.

Building confidence, building a solid self image in your child, builds safety. Capitalize on this and highlight the good things they do more often than the bad things. As a matter of fact, focus on highlighting as many good things as you can rather than making a big deal about the bad things they may do.

Catch Them Being Good.

Positive reinforcement is a much stronger teaching tool and technique for child safety than negative reinforcement. Praise your child when you see them doing good behaviors. Lavish the praise and adulation onto them when they do really great things. This is also positive mentoring. This is channeling your child into learning how to make good, solid and positive choices for themselves. It builds and fosters that ever-so-critical confidence in themselves.

It is easier to notice the bad behavior. We are tuned by society to notice the negative and bad things people do. It is very easy to notice the bad things your child does. It is a focus of many parents, naturally. Reverse the trend and make your focal point the things your child does well. Positive reinforcement will teach your child to repeat those behaviors you want and make it easier for you to guide them into those good choices.

Secret #4: Listening.

Another crucial Secret in teaching kids to be safe is to let them know you are listening to them.

Listening to your child goes beyond the standard, “Yep. Un huh. Sure.” These kinds of responses they get daily. True listening, the kind that allows your child to feel like they are really being heard and understood, is a special parenting skill.

Listening to your child happens in two ways: one, you allow them to say what they need to say, in their words, in their way, however they want to say it. It may be challenging to follow this advice, especially when your child speaks in disjointed sentences or jumbled words. They may take 5 or 10 minutes out of your busy day, but just let them talk without interrupting them. You can tell when it is important versus when they are just mumbling or making noise. Sit and listen to them. Take the time, make the time.

Two, listen to what they say without judgment. Even if you do not like what you hear, even if you feel upset by what you hear, listen to it. Be quiet, look them in the eyes with your full attention and simply listen to them.

Your child is coming to you. They need your attention. They believe at that moment you will listen to them. Do it. Reserve judgment and negative feelings about what they are saying for another time.

When you do this you are building on the future, on your child’s safety. They need to feel, deep inside, they can tell you about anything. They need the security of knowing you will listen to them and what they have to say. If your child is threatened in any way, they will need to come to you, Mom or Dad, and tell you. That rapport and comfort for them needs to be established at a young age. You start by simply listening to them.

Secret #5: Repetition.

This last Secret is probably the most important of all. You must use it and apply it, day in and day out at home.

True learning for your child comes with repetition. That is your job. You need to do it at home.

Repetition does not need to be boring, either. Make games out of things you want to teach. Use fun words and phrases your child uses when talking about safety. Fold in your child’s favorite toys, cartoon characters or things they like into activities you do several times a week. These are simple yet exciting skills for reinforcement activities. It’s repetition with excitement. What a great way to learn for any child!

Working with our techniques is also something to do a few times a week. Stay away from daily practice routines as if this was a sport as this is the surest way to bore your child and lose their attention.

Make learning safety fun. Make it exciting. Fold in the whole family and enjoy learning about true safety for a lifetime together.

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Some kid’s despise school and they can’t explain why. It could be to do with one or more of the following reasons. Let’s put ourselves in their shoes for a minute.

Peer pressure

Study or exam pressure

Lack of self confidence

Lack of self esteem

Lack of motivation

Unable to understand tasks

Too shy to ask questions

Bullies

The list could go on and on. Now we all know that parenting doesn’t come with a handbook. It’s live and learn all the way.

As a parent, if you have felt…

Frustration

Annoyance

Helplessness

…as far as helping your child deal with school – please read on because there is a solution.

What if there was a way that we could learn, as parents, how to help our kids through the entire schooling system so at the end of it all, they will have the opportunity to become a confident top achiever?

What if, by playing games and having fun at home, we can teach our kids to actually love going to school and want to go to school?

As parents, we all want our kids to be successful. We want our kids to achieve their maximum potential – in terms of their careers, their earning potential and their personal lives.

But the big question is – how can we ensure that success?

With this exclusive nine hour video course you can learn how to become a team with your child and overcome challenges together. This 16 module course covers discrete learning strategies for Grades 1 – 6, Grades 7 – 9, High School, College and University.

Please make a note of my contact email info@educationontheweb.net and if you have any questions whatsoever regarding this package, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Help to get your kids on the learning curve to inevitable success. Visit The Power of Success for Kids  they’ll thank you for it later. 

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