How to make a star good behaviour chart

One of the best ways to teach children good behaviour is to use positive reinforcement such as giving children rewards for good actions. You can make a simple chart to keep track of good behaviour.

Buy a large piece of posterboard to make your chart on, so you can hang the chart on a wall. It needs to be large enough so that you and your child can see it throughout the day and keep behaviour expectations in mind. Consider picking a poster that is your child's favourite colour so he or she will enjoy looking at it on the wall.

Down the left side of the posterboard, list behaviours that your child should get rewarded for. Some ideas are picking up toys, putting clothes in the hamper, clearing dishes, completing homework, and going to bed without being asked. Once the behaviours are listed, use a ruler to draw horizontal lines all the way across the poster between each behaviour, then vertically down the poster board (perpendicular to the other lines) to create a grid. You can use the grid to put star stickers next to good behaviours every time your child does them correctly.

Discuss with your child what rewards he or she wants for their good behaviour, and think about what has motivated previous good behaviour. Some children may be more motivated in the short term, and others are more driven by the big picture. You can offer small, weekly rewards like an extra cookie or getting to have a sleepover with friends, or a bigger, semester- or quarter- long reward like getting to go to sleepaway camp or buying a new puppy.

Decide how many stars your child will need to get a reward. If you are doing this monthly or longer, you will want to choose a high number, and if you are going to add stars weekly (then remove and start over at the end of the week), you'll want to choose a smaller number. You can vary the chart by offering small rewards for completely filling out one row, or wait until the entire chart is filled in.