Being a parent is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. It's a 24/7 arrangement that brings a ton of responsibilities but also many, many joys. A child changes a person completely and makes them discover emotions and behaviours they didn't know they had. But having a kid is not just giving birth. Real parenting is turning the child into a smart, compassionate, strong and independent individual. Sometimes parents have difficulties doing this and turn to different strategies that encourage positive behaviour.

Use the Reward Jar

This is a method that a lot of parents turn to when they notice a wrong turn in their child’s behaviour. They go out and buy a set of acrylic reward jars and tokens. This is the ultimate way to track good behaviour and also some other minor milestones the child might have an issue with. The jar and the tokens come in different sizes and colours.

The jars can sometimes have different shapes as well. The tokens are very often hearts, but you can choose whatever shape you want. For example, one standard set has one jar and 22 tokens. You can mix and match depending on your personal preferences. This jar is easy to assemble, and it just requires some glue and a dry, clear surface. Stick the layers together and you’ll get the amazing reward jar.

You could also do this with a regular jar and some marbles, small balls or small rocks. You can mark the jar into sections and set a smaller reward for each section. Or you can wait for the whole jar to fill up and set a bigger reward at the end. This depends on whether you’re doing this for all of the kids together or if you have, a separate jar for each child.

When your children are pre-schoolers, you could reward them for remembering to brush their teeth, being kind to their siblings and helping them, putting away their things, being kind to their friends on the playground, helping set the table, helping with chores around the house or make their own bed. But this behaviour should be rewarded only if you haven’t asked them to do any of those things. They have to think of them on their own.

When they reach elementary school, you could reward them for helping with preparing dinner, putting away the laundry, finishing homework, reading to their siblings, sharing their toys, cleaning their room or taking out the trash. Of course, once again, without being asked. It's a good idea to ask the kids what the rewards should be. This will make them more eager to complete their goal. They'll get what they want, and you’ll reach your goal of making them responsible and caring.

Other Things You Can do

Be Consistent

This is one of the best strategies to encourage positive behaviour besides the acrylic reward jars. This means that every member of the family follows that positive routine and sticks to their rules and schedules. It's known that kids thrive when they’re on predictable routines. This doesn’t mean that they should have the same day over and over again until the last second.

They just need to know what actions they should carry out during the day. This also goes for the rewards from you. If you say you’ll take them to the ZOO after the task, you should stay true to your word and do it. Children rely on their parents to structure their world and when they know their parents are reliable, they’ll be more trusting.

Make the Rules Together

This task is suitable for children of almost any age, and it can be a lot of fun for them. They'll be able to remember the rules better if they had a part in their creation. Grab a big piece of paper and a marker and put them together. Hang them on a visible spot in the house where everyone can see them. Also, expect to get some reminders when you’re not following the rules.

Listen to the Child and Acknowledge Its Feelings

Sometimes, it’s not easy to stay focused and listen to your child’s problems, especially when their older sister won’t let her play with the doll. But, it has a great effect if you pause and acknowledge their feelings by saying “you sound very sad or angry”. Then, help them find a solution to the problem. This will help the child feel empowered. Also, it’ll have the courage to resolve all of the issues in the future. This will be especially useful in school when they have some sort of conflict with their schoolmates.

Have Fun Together

Enjoyable, stimulating activities in the day's schedule keep everyone more engaged and related. We can worry about many things, but in the long run, we won't recall the colour-coded calendars we created or the bread we baked. But the memories we made with our family will live on in our memories. So, make an effort to enjoy these brand-new family moments by slowing down. You never know, maybe some of the things you’ll do will grow to be a tradition for many years to come.

Give the Children a Job

Jobs can be a terrific method to inspire kids to work harder because they teach them responsibility and a sense of success. Give your child one job, then let them pick another. Together, make a chart to keep track of her work completion and decide on the reward for completing the tasks on a daily or weekly basis. They can fill the chart with stickers and get a reward when the whole chart is full. You can also use the acrylic reward jar blank, and start filling it with tokens or marbles.

Ignore Negative Behaviour

Even though it's not always possible to ignore bad behaviour, try to steer your kid towards something constructive as much as you can. Tell them you can’t understand what they’re saying when they’re shouting, and you’ll be delighted to talk to them as soon as they calm down and use their regular talking voice. This is a respectful way to treat the child and interact with them. And by seeing this, they’ll repeat it and use it towards you and everyone else around them.