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How to Make a Reward Chart (and When to Stop)

By Chaz Bagri6 November 20266 min read

Two parents sit with their young daughter at a round table while she draws.

Make a reward chart with one clear goal, small activity rewards and an exit plan. Try a five-minute setup, with help when stickers stop working.

Where do you start with a reward chart?

To make a reward chart, choose one action your child can practise, agree a small reward and add a tick or sticker straight after they do it. Keep the goal specific, such as putting shoes away, following Welsh Government guidance. Start with paper and a coloured pencil; you can make something useful before you've even finished clearing the tea table.

Do reward charts actually work?

They can help with a specific task, but they don't suit every child or situation. Action for Children recommends using them for a limited period and warns that children may lose interest or start expecting rewards for certain tasks. Treat the chart as something to try, with an exit plan.

Choose an action you can see and explain. “Put your shoes on the rack” gives you something concrete to notice; “be good all day” leaves you deciding what counts. Keep the conversation about the task, rather than scoring your child's whole day.

How do you make the chart in five minutes?

Use this suggested five-minute setup for a shoes-away chart, with seven steps. Have paper and a pencil ready, and introduce it at a quiet moment. The times are a planning guide; take longer if your child wants to draw. Agree what counts before the first opportunity to earn a mark.

1. Write the action: 45 seconds

Say, “Let's practise putting your shoes on the rack when we get home,” and write that at the top. If your child suggests doing the whole hallway, keep this first chart focused on their shoes. Save coats and bags for another conversation.

2. Agree what help counts: 45 seconds

Ask, “Which bit would you like help with?” For this example, you can help undo fastenings while your child puts the shoes away. Write that agreement beside the goal, so needing the help you've promised doesn't suddenly cancel their tick.

3. Draw the spaces: 60 seconds

Draw three empty circles below the task, with a little shoe picture alongside it. Your child can colour the border while you write. Use drawn ticks instead of magnetic counters if under-3s live at home: the Child Accident Prevention Trust advises avoiding small magnets around them.

4. Pick the reward: 45 seconds

Say, “When these three spaces have ticks, you can choose our game after tea.” This is an illustrative target, so shorten it if needed. If your child wants an outing you can't arrange, offer an activity choice you can genuinely deliver when it's earned.

5. Practise the grown-up's words: 45 seconds

Try, “You put your shoes away; add a tick.” The NHS recommends naming the action you're pleased about and giving the reward after it happens. If your child talks about decorating instead, keep your explanation short and come back to the task when you next arrive home.

6. Choose the chart's home: 30 seconds

Put the chart beside the shoe rack and note the agreement for anyone else helping with arrivals. Ask your child to point to where the tick will go. If they'd prefer it somewhere less visible to visitors, choose that spot together.

7. Finish with a quiet look: 30 seconds

Sit together and read the goal and reward back once: “Shoes on the rack, a tick each time, then you choose the game.” Let your child ask anything that's unclear. Put the pencil down and finish with a quiet look at what you've made.

Which rewards don't involve sweets or screens?

Offer a choice your child wants and you can provide. The Welsh Government suggests free activities rather than sweet treats. These reward chart ideas put your child in charge of a small part of family time:

Choose the game you play after tea.
Pick the music for a kitchen dance.
Choose between the nearby parks you can visit.
Pick the opening pose for family yoga together, such as cat or tree.

Keep ordinary play, affection and time together available whatever the chart says. The extra here is getting to choose.

How much attention does the chart need each day?

Keep the daily job small: notice the agreed action, name it and add the mark immediately. East Lancashire Hospitals advises giving the sticker straight after the action, alongside specific praise. You don't need a review of everything else that happened that day.

For a morning goal, take a single task from our school-morning checklist. Keep the wider routine separate from what earns the sticker.

What if the stickers aren't helping?

Check the task and the reward before adding more boxes. Action for Children advises choosing something your child is ready to manage and changing or stopping the chart if it isn't right for them. Ask what is getting in the way, then adjust the next attempt.

If the shoe rack is out of reach, move it. If getting both shoes there feels too much, agree a smaller task together. If you're always forgetting the tick, put your own reminder by the door.

Keep earned marks: East Lancashire Hospitals says not to remove stickers for later behaviour. After a gap, explain the plan again and carry on from what's already earned.

If changes in behaviour or health worry you, speak to your GP or health visitor, as Berkshire Healthcare advises.

When can you put the chart away?

Start reducing rewards once the task is happening more reliably. Solent Family Assist advises making rewards less frequent as the skill improves, then phasing the chart out. Keep acknowledging the action as you make that change, and explain the next arrangement before it starts.

Put a review date a fortnight ahead as a practical reminder to check whether the chart is helping. Let your child's progress guide the pace.

For example, finish the current shoes-away chart and deliver its reward. Agree that the next chart gets a tick after every two successful arrivals, with praise each time. If the task stays reliable, retire the chart after that stage. Let your child keep it or recycle it. Keep the shoe rack and the reminder.

If choosing the family yoga pose appeals, explore Yogi-Me's mats. Each has 15 numbered poses laser-engraved into the surface, ready for you to choose from together.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best reward chart for kids?

Try a plain sheet with the task written at the top and room for ticks underneath. Add a drawing of the reward you've agreed, and let your child choose the colours. Start with paper you already have; you can decide whether you want a reusable board after trying the idea.

How many stickers should earn a reward?

For the worked example here, three ticks earn the agreed activity choice. You can start with a single tick if waiting longer makes the plan impractical. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS guidance suggests agreeing the number with your child. Keep the target achievable rather than filling a large board first.

Should siblings have a chart each?

Give each child their own goal if they're practising different things. For example, one might put their shoes away while another hangs up a coat. Keep rewards within reach for each child, and avoid races or comparing totals. A sibling who doesn't need a chart doesn't need to join in.

Do reward charts work for toddlers?

Sometimes, if they understand what the sticker is for. East Lancashire Hospitals suggests starting around age 3, or when your child understands the idea. For a child who isn't ready, use a smile, specific praise and help with the task instead. You can come back to a chart later.

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