When I talked about children being rewarded with candies for good behaviour or feeling sad or getting an “owie”, I realized that the best reinforcement for a child is with a hug and words of praise…but is that enough?

Children are naturally born wanting to please and most of the time a simple smile, that wonderful hug or words of praise are enough to encourage any child to continue with good behaviour but there are those times when being given something will make a kid puff up with pride and feel so good about themselves that I thought that these reward ideas would be useful for any parent or teacher to want to use – so here are my top ten rewards for children:

1.  Stickers or stamps

2.  Printed out certificate

3. Pens, markers or pencils

4    Create a small surprize bag with small items, for girls hair things, for boys do it yourself models

5 .  A plant or seeds or a pot to grow something

6.   Extra time added onto curfews or bed times

7.  Choosing a meal that they like and being told why

8.   A sleepover with a special friend

9 .  A special time with a parent doing something just for them

10.  Going to a movie, skating, swimming or any other entertainment outlet.

Most of these ideas are so simple to do and inexpensive when using dollar stores and even with the most stringent budget can be saved up over time to help make that reward very special.

To me the highest reward one can do for a child is to give of yourself, your time, your attention and your hugs.