LEGO® rewards Feedback Thread – Non testers: what occasions do you usually reward your children for? 10 MNers will win a LEGO® set of their choice worth £50 *NOW CLOSED*

[AngelieMumsnet]

This thread is for the 30 Mumsnetters who are currently participating in the LEGO® reward activity.

Here’s what LEGO® have to say: “Here at LEGO®, we’re interested to see what occasions you would consider rewarding or treating your kids with LEGO®? A great school report. Holiday treats. Good behaviour on a trip to the dentist. Helping in the garden. Tidying their room. Mum's little star. There is a great LEGO® gift idea starting from £2.49 that is fun, creative and made for every occasion. With so many sets to choose from, we think LEGO® is a fantastic gift for every occasion and we’d like you to tell us about it!”

Non-Testers: LEGO® would love to know what occasions you usually reward your children for. Everyone who adds a comment will be entered into a prize draw where 10 Mumsnetters will receive a LEGO® set of your choice worth £50.

Testers: We'll be asking you to add feedback three times - we'd like your first impressions now and at the end of each week of the testing period, we’d like to know when you rewarded your DCs with a LEGO® set, if at all.

So for your first impressions, we’d like to know:

• Which LEGO® sets did you receive?
• Which of your DCs would you be rewarding, if a reward/treat situation arises during the testing period?
• Over the testing period, are there any particular occasions (other than Birthdays, of course!) which you think might be a suitable time to reward your DCs with LEGO®?

Every tester who posts their feedback will be entered into a prize draw, where one winner will receive a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

PS: We've 'highlighted' the testers posts on this thread so we can see them!

Please note: LEGO® and the LEGO® logo are trademarks of the LEGO® Group.
©2015 The LEGO® Group.

We reward the children via a tick chart for good behaviour (chores, making their bed, doing above and beyond, being really lovely to each other), the child with most ticks that week gets a reward at the weekend. We only spend a few pounds so a big lego set isn't a reward but a little thing, Lego Friends or a box of about £5 is used.

Non-tester

My son gets rewarded for various things - some small, some big. He's struggling to like school at the moment and if he gets through the week without a constant stream of 'I hate school, I'm not going, it takes up too much of my time' (he's 5) then I will reward him with a little treat.

We visited Bluewater the other week and as he was very patient during all the appointments that I had at the opticians, I let him build and buy 3 mini figures in the Lego Shop. He was in his element. We love Lego and he knows that getting the Lego out is a sure way of guaranteeing that mummy will join in the play.

Tester here, thank you for the lego!

So for your first impressions, we’d like to know:

• Which LEGO® sets did you receive?

We received the lego city swamp set and lego city building site.

• Which of your DCs would you be rewarding, if a reward/treat situation arises during the testing period?

I will be rewarding my 5yo DS

• Over the testing period, are there any particular occasions (other than Birthdays, of course!) which you think might be a suitable time to reward your DCs with LEGO®?

Over the testing period we have a hospital appointment where my DS has to have a blood test (something which he really dislikes) I am hoping to be able to reward cooperation at the hospital with the Lego. We also have a jar of marbles which is nearly full after quite some time of good behavior so perhaps it will be a reward for that. DS should be able to fill up the rest of the jar with good behavior at swimming and family events as well as completing his homework.

Tester - thank you for choosing us!

• We received the Lego City Starter set (with a digger in it) and the Lego Friends pool set.
• I'll be rewarding my dd aged 5 over the testing period.
• dd has a behaviour chart at the moment and gets a sticker each day if she doesn't scream/fight/refuse to move on the way to or from school. At the end of the week she gets a comic if she's earned 4 or 5 stickers. Next week I'll be replacing the comic with Lego. During half term she's going to stay with family while I work, so I'll be sending the other Lego set with her for being brave.

I am pretty impressed that the 'city' set includes a female construction worker figure

Non tester here. Lego is a super reward DS (5) loves it, so it has a lot of bargaining power. I also love it so I prefer it to other rewards and it's infinitely better for him than e.g. sweets, chocolate, lollipops. It also has much greater longevity than a small reward like a magazine (though we have bought lego magazines..)

I reward:
being helpful in the morning for a whole week (i.e. no being late for school all week, putting on shoes, no meltdowns! - this was a problem when he first started school) I don't always reward this weekly but sometimes I get a small lego thing for him e.g. a mini figure packet. I tend to buy a slightly bigger bit of lego at least once a month though

I also reward good reading or good effort with reading, and excellent behaviour. I try to award the effort not the end product as he struggles with confidence with reading and sometimes has pretended he can't and has refused.

I also find lego a very helpful reminder to him, and a quantifier of cost. e.g. if we are in the shop and he is whingeing wanting to buy things, I will say 'if I buy that I cannot buy lego for x weeks or months' or 'wouldn't you rather have lego? we need to save up for lego' or 'no way I'm not buying that that costs the same as a new lego set!' and his response is always 'oh no I don't want this, I want lego! let's save up mummy'

I also try and play with him and his lego for a while at the weekends and he finds it really calming to do that, and we have started to try and make lego movies on the iPad.

I sometimes feel like I buy too much lego (!) but I think it's better to get something that lasts and can be re-used indefinitely in so many ways.

Tester here!

Delighted to get the Lego and looking forward to giving it to DS (7). He loves Lego and likes building his own creations with it - it rarely looks like the picture on the box!

We received the Lego City Construction pack and the the Lego Friends splash pool, neither of which we have used before.

Over the next week DS will be juggling SATS with hospital appointments, so I think it will be the perfect opportunity to give him an unexpected treat and hopefully take his mind off everything else for a bit. I am looking forward to being able to give them to him. Will report back on what he thinks of them!

Tester here. Thanks for choosing us. The boxes did arrive a bit battered but I don't think my children will particularly notice.

We received the building site and swamp sets.

I will use them as rewards for my 2 foster sons, who are 6 and 7.

We've had several reports of bad behaviour at school. Particularly for the 6 year old, though the 7 year old quite often doesn't get much work done. I'm going to set up a sticker chart and, if they get a good report that day, they can have a sticker. Once they've got 5 stickers they can choose one of the Lego sets. It might be problematic if they both get 5 stickers at the same time, in case they both want the same set, but getting a good report every day for a week seems very hard for the 6 year old so it might be the case that the 7 year old picks first. I'm actually hoping that if it comes to seeing his brother get something and not him, it might spur him on a bit.

I'm thinking of running it in conjunction with the Daily Mail Lego promotion that starts tomorrow - letting them have the free set each day if they get a sticker (or if they've been good in general on non school days), then the bigger set once they've got 5.

Non - tester here

I reward my seven year old son for doing extra chores without being asked and when he gets awards/certificates at school for going the extra mile. He also gets pocket money every week for doing the chores that are deemed "his", such as setting and clearing the dinner table. He saves up his money and then spends it on Lego! This is more if an ongoing reward rather than instant.

Thanks so much for letting us 'test' these! DD is very excited, as am I.

• Which LEGO® sets did you receive?

We received the two friends sets. One is the vet ambulance. The other is the splash pool.

• Which of your DCs would you be rewarding, if a reward/treat situation arises during the testing period?

DD2 (age 5). She has already received a reward as it arrived a great time. We are completing a reward chart for taking medication without moaning. A big deal as she has scarlet fever again and hated the meds last time. ONly 7 days but 4 times a day is not fun when she is not keen. Anyway, rewards are for every 7 doses without moaning. She got to 7 this morning and chose te vet ambulance.

The next reward will be for the next set of doses (assuming she manages this). I think that the first lego set will help motivate though. She is at school now so is eager to play with it on her return later.

• Over the testing period, are there any particular occasions (other than Birthdays, of course!) which you think might be a suitable time to reward your DCs with LEGO®?

We use lots of reward charts. DD3 is for potty training and DD1 has a more general one for answering the register at school (it has been a battle!) Those types of rewards but also exceptional behaviour like fab bike riding and swimming. These are also things that DD2 has massively struggled with. I am a firm believer in rewards.

Non-tester:

My kids are Lego mad. Ages 7 and 3.

We use them as reward for the older but younger one is too young to understand.

Lego is the only you in the house that gets played with ALL the time. It even beats the iPad some days.

Non tester here.

I actually can't think of an occasion that I reward my children with something tangible at the moment (they're 4 and 1). If they do well I praise them lots, display certificates and drawings, thank them for good behaviour. But I don't specifically give them anything. Like someone else mentioned upthread, I don't want them to expect rewards for normal, everyday things. I do accept this may change when they're in school and have more stresses!

That said I do give them treats, whether it's a new toy or some chocolate. But that's because I want to treat them, and they don't come to expect it.

We love lego, but it's a birthdays/christmas/holidays gift in our house.

Non tester: we don't reward with Lego, it's not something I've thought of, but it is a good idea especially as you can buy the small packs now. It's something I'd definitely consider in the future.

Non-tester here.

I don't make a habit of doing 'rewards' for things but for big occasions my DD loves Lego. I brought her some back from a work trip in Germany last year (as a visited a factory where they carry out part of the manufacturing of the blocks) and I've promised her some sets when we move house in a few weeks. She sees Lego as a real treat and her sets are played with a lot so its far better and lasts much longer than an ordinary treat like chocolate or magazines.

Non Tester
My 8 y/o son has a reward chart for maintaining good eye contact (he really struggles with this as he has sensory issues), doing his spellings and times tables and not shouting. He will do literally anything for Lego Ninjago or Lego Star Wars or a trip to LegoLand!

Non tester here...

Occasions that merit a reward for my four year old are when he is a "good loser"-currently in an ultra competitive phase! A reward of a small item such as some star wars stickers seems to be helping!

Non Tester Here - My son is a huge collector of Minifigures, and we use them as a weekly treat. If he can fly his rocket from Mecury to Pluto (our homemade reward chart) then he is rewarded with a new minifigure. I do spend hours stood in the shopping aisle feeling the blind bags to ensure we get all the characters!

Non tester

Lego would for a significant reward , for eg a month of good behaviour. DC is 5

Non-tester. DD got Peppa Pig stickers for doing a poo on the potty, and when she had collected 10 got to choose a toy (which was - surprise surprise - a Peppa Pig!)

Tester here: boxes a bit battered on arrival, which I'm not that bothered about, though would have been if I'd paid of course!

So for your first impressions, we’d like to know:

• Which LEGO® sets did you receive?

we got the swamp set and the one with the digger.

• Which of your DCs would you be rewarding, if a reward/treat situation arises during the testing period?

DS1 who is 5 years 2 months

• Over the testing period, are there any particular occasions (other than Birthdays, of course!) which you think might be a suitable time to reward your DCs with LEGO®?

nothing specific. There might be a house move, which might require extra cooperation and therefore reward. In general we are trying to work towards getting ready for school quickly and completely without nagging, and eating meals without constant reminding. So will be rewarding for doing this consistently.

We don't tend to do rewards as such. Eldest DS is only 3 though so we might introduce rewards once they get past the phase where us getting excited is enough motivation for them. On the whole, we're trying to teach them to behave properly as an intrinsic thing, not for materialistic gain. They get duplo at every birthday/Christmas though!

Non tester here

My sons age 8/12 are rewarded for good behavior and good school work. especially good school reports and good parents evenings. I think its important to encourage them at school and if they are trying hard they will get a reward

Non tester
I reward my son when he has tried really hard at something or tried something new. This weekend I will give him a little treat for doing so well with his school reading homework and not making a fuss about doing his homework!

Non tester with serious tester jealousy here. Really any occasion we can get away with finding a reason to buy a new Lego set, but usually we reward our 8 & 10 year olds with it for lovely school reports and doing all their homework. We've got Lego going back to the 1960s from my cousins through the 70s/80s from my childhood to many Starwars, Harry Potter & Lego Friends kits my children have collected. I'm working hard in the hope that someone will reward me (aged 41) with the Simpsons House.

Non tester-

My son is 6.
He loves lego- always chooses sets for birthdays, or spends birthday money on them.

As for rewarding, I have rewarded son with Lego in the past (the smaller sets or mixels) this has been for exceptionally good behaviour, head teachers award and so forth.

Non- tester here,

My 5 year old son is obsessed with lego and will happily sit and play with it for hours. Since we believe that lego is fantastic for our child to play with (what he can create by himself is amazing, he is currently sitting on the floor building his own version of star wars aeroplanes!) we often use it as a reward and a treat. He was rewarded with some minifigures when he was star of the week at school and when he has his booster vaccinations soon (without making a fuss) may result in his first box of star wars lego ;-) Grandparents also buy lego for his birthday and Christmas presents as it is all he ever asks for!