Reward ideas and reward systems for kids

What a reward system is

A reward system is a chart plus a menu. The chart tracks stickers or stars. The menu decides what those stickers buy. Most parents set up the chart and forget the menu, then the chart fizzles by day three.

Pick the reward before the first sticker goes on. Let your child choose from a short list. Keep the reward small and soon, not big and distant. A reward tonight beats a prize in a month.

Every reward on your menu should be one of three kinds: time, choice, or privilege. Time is an extra story or ten more minutes at the park. Choice is picking dinner or the family movie. Privilege is the front seat or control of the playlist.

Two kinds of rewards to avoid leaning on: food and screens. A cookie now and then is fine, but it does not build the habit. Screen time works, but it gets expensive fast. Save those for special days, not the daily menu.

Reward ideas for kids that cost nothing

Here are 20 reward ideas sorted by age. They cost no money, just a few minutes of your time or a little extra freedom. Print this list and circle three your child likes.

• Under 5: an extra story, choosing the song at bath time, a sticker on the hand, a silly dance party, the first pick of the bedtime book
• 5 to 8: choosing dinner, a later bedtime by 10 minutes, a park trip after school, a friend over for an hour, the front seat on the next drive, a family game of their choice, a picnic on the floor, control of the car playlist
• 9 plus: a day off one chore, a phone call to a grandparent, an extra 15 minutes before lights out, choosing the family movie, a solo walk to the corner store with a parent watching

Pricing the menu in stickers

A reward is only as good as its price. Too cheap and it is gone in a day. Too expensive and your child gives up. Use this simple sticker menu and adjust it as you learn what motivates your child.

The prices below are starting points. A 1.5 inch round sticker or a 1/2 inch star sticker counts as one. You can change the price anytime, just tell your child before the next sticker goes on.

Keep the menu on the fridge next to the chart. When your child earns a sticker, they can see what they are working toward. That is the whole trick: the menu makes the chart mean something.

The reward jar and marble jar systems

A reward jar works the same way as a chart, but the reward is a marble or a pom pom dropped into a jar. Every good choice earns one marble. When the jar is full, the child gets the agreed reward.

A jar beats a chart when you have more than one child or a whole clasroom. It also works well for a child who likes to see the pile grow. The clink of the marble is the reward in the moment.

A magnetic reward jar sticks on the fridge. Use a clear jar so the child can see the marbles climb. You can buy a jar with a magnet or just tape a regular jar to the fridge. The visual is what matters.

For more on the boards and sticker paper that make the jar and chart last, see our boards page.

Reward coupons and the reward box

This page hands out two free printables. The first is reward coupons. You write the reward on the line, like "one extra story" or "choose dinner." Your child draws one from a jar when they earn enough stickers.

The second printable is reward box labels. Print the labels and tape them to a shoebox. Fill the box with small prizes: a new pencil, a pack of stickers, a tiny toy. Your child picks one when they fill the chart.

Use coupons for rewards that cost your time, and the box for small things you can buy in a pack. Both printables work with the sticker chart or star chart on this site.

Incentive charts and when a reward system should end

An incentive chart is the same thing as a reward chart, just for a school goal. It tracks homework, reading, or practicing an instrument. The menu works the same way, with small rewards for a set number of stickers.

A reward system should not last forever. Once the habit sticks, start fading it. Skip a day of stickers, then a week. The child learns the behavior is its own reward.

The last reward is the chart coming down. When your child has done the chore or habit without stickers for two weeks, take the chart down together. Celebrate that. You do not need to replace it with a new system.

For more on when to use a chart and when to stop, read the incentive chart guide.