Star chart. Ideas and thoughts please.

[macmama73]

I am thinking about doing the star chart thing with my DCs as DD is quite naughty at the moment. She is getting into lots of trouble at kindergarten and I don't know what to do with her. She had to sleep in a different room yesterday because she was disturbing the other kids.

Can you buy them/download the star charts or do you have to make them? Do you do a new one every week or do you get reusable ones?

What do you use as reward/punishment for bad behaviour and what system do you use?

And most important, do they work?

Thanks for your help!

we make our own - they work for a while then we all lose interest and everything reverts to chaos
work best if you have minor rewards along the way (eg "new scooby doo pants for every three stars earnt" [when toilet training] worked better for us than "bunk beds when you've got 350" [when trying to get DD1 to go to bed better])

I made my own start chart. I downloaded pictures of the Thunderbirds off the internet and stuck them on to black card. I made stars out of gold card and used velco to stick them on the star chart. I managed to buy stick on velco.

I don't think star charts work before the age of four. They don't have the patience to wait for 16 stars. I give my son a star for tidying his room unprompted, putting dirty clothes in the washing basket. Sometimes he gets a star if we go past a gift shop and he doesn't throw a tantrum when he doesn't get a gift.

Using bribary has drawbacks though. In particular using stars for encouraging your child to do their homework, doesn't encourage extrinic moviation. Also you have to wean your child off the stars once they have learn't to do task X.

I think you have to be specific what gains stars otherwise you find yourself being pestered for stars to complete the star chart. There is no point in giving a star for just being good. A child has to understand why they have got a star.

With young children, delayed punishments don't work. Its up the the kindergarden to control her will you daughter is in daycare.