Are they old enough for a sticker chart?

I've been rewarding my girls with stickers for using the potty, and they've been getting all over my furniture, the floor, etc. Also, I happened to pick up a few new toys today, and I thought it would be a good idea for them to do something to earn the toys instead of just giving them for nothing. They didn't have any leggos or a doll house over at our house, so that's what I got them. They're bored with their old toys and it's been really rainy, so I thought that would give them something to do.

I made them a sticker chart and told them every time they potty they'll get a sticker for the chart, and at the end of the week they can trade their stickers in for a new toy. They don't care at all. ardon: Lily used the potty once and then immediately wanted the toy and threw a fit when I explained it to her again. She didn't want the sticker on her chart, but got a little excited after DH and I made a big deal about how nice her chart looked with the sticker. Amelia isn't paying any attention to the chart at all.

Are they too young to understand a sticker chart?

I'm really wanting to give them the toys now and throw out the charts, but DH insists we stick with it.

 

Hmmm, I don't know, Aimee, I think they may be a bit young to understand the cause & effect of getting the stickers which add up to a new toy. Plus, their concept of time isn't great at this age, the end of the week probably means little to them. Instant reward & discipline always worked best for me at that age. You would know best since you are with them all the time, some kids get this type of idea sooner than others. Do you think they understand how it works?

 

Well, Amelia just screamed she had to potty and asked for a sticker for her chart, so maybe she just hasn't felt like she needed to go until just now. I don't think they understand that they will get a toy at the end of the week for it though, I think I should have just left that out b/c it only teased them. I think the sticker on the chart is reward enough for them, but we'll see. DH wanted me to write out the days of the week on the chart and I was like "they have no concept of that!"

 

At their age, developmentally, the rewards probably need to be more immediate. Toys at the end of the week probably seems very abstract to them. Maybe you could get some small, dollar store type, toys that they could earn at the end of the day - and then throw the new (cool) toys in at the end of the day once or twice? Good luck!!

 

I totally agree with the pp's about a week probably being too long. Also for us we had to find the perfect reward and the timing for it. My oldest could care less about new toys but a stop at the ice cream shop or dessert at the end of the day really moved mountains around here :laughing: Sometimes it's just finding the right motivation. Good luck!

 

For my DD, just getting to put the sticker on the chart is enough. Originally after every 3 stickers (which equaled 3 successful potty trips) she got a little dollar store toy. But I quickly figured out she was happy just with the sticker on the chart. She loves to show people her chart all full of stickers.

 

Same here for my two. :good: :good: The stickers were enough. :lol: I did hold to my promise and when they got five I gave them a gummy bear treat but they would have been okay with or without it.

 

When I did the sticker chart, the girls were thrilled with their stickers and that was enough for them. If they aren't interested then you need to motivate them in a different way. Maybe setting a timer and giving them 30 minutes of playtime with a new toy every time they potty. When the timer goes off, the toy goes up until they potty again. I think the sticker chart needs to be thrown away

 

Where did u get the chart? I need to do this for going to bed at night w/o calling me in there a gazillion times to cover them up!

 

At our local Ben Frankin's in the posterboards, they usually have one with grids. That's what we used. Of course, A&R just put stickers on there anywhere, in fact, in one large lump, but hey, they're having fun! It's the one place in the house they're allowed to put stickers, so we don't have stickers everywhere.

 

I just made them out of a big piece of paper and created 7 columns with the day 1-7 written on top. The girls got to pick out and place a sticker in the appropriate column each time they peed or pooped.

From what you wrote Aimee, it sounds like the stickers might be enough reward. We only used the sticker chart for a week when PT'ing at 3 y.o., and I don't think they would have understood the abstract concept of earning a toy.

GL!!!

 

I went through the process of making a chart with grids out of posterboard, but like I said, my DD is content just to stick a sticker on a piece of paper hung on the wall. WIsh I would have known that before I spent an hour making a chart!

 

I just print our charts off this site and let them pick which one they want. It has worked out well for us.

My girls were extremely motivated by sticker charts in the beginning. However, I never told them at the end of a certain period of time they would get a special reward, I told them after their chart was all filled up with Stickers they could go to the Toy Store and pick out a new toy. They caught onto that real quick. I have to say though, the interest did not last forever. After they filled up the first 2 charts they were kind of over it.

 

We've been using sticker charts for months, probably shortly after 2 years. It works wonders for my 2. They like the sticker on there & like to know they're working towards something. The first few we did, we put a picture up at the end of a row of boxes of what they were earning (ie Playdoh). I had printed some off line that were generic. I've made the last 2. Our current ones are for behavior. I drew a picture of an ice cream cone, a piece of candy, a moon, & a store. Inside the pictures I made boxes. When they put stickers in each box & fill up the entire picture, they get that rewards (ie an ice cream cone, candy, staying up late, or going to the store alone with mom or dad). They're super excited & are so pleased when they fill up their items (so far, they both have had candy). We did start making them take stickers off for super bad behavior & that is good enticement now..."Don't do that or you'll lose a sticker!"

Good luck...I'm so glad mine respond well to sticker charts! I'd never just GIVE them stickers...I HATE stickers......

 

We are doing the sticker charts too. I think I got it from the same site Kyrstyn linked. It's a train track and when they fill up the track they get a toy. They are thrilled with the stickers and even more so with the toys. I did pick that one because it wasn't related to the days of the week or a certain number of times a day, etc. My only issue is going to be when one kid fills up the chart and the other doesn't. I can see the meltdown coming. So far they've kept them even because if one has to potty so does the other one, but the novelty of that has got to wear off soon. They seemed to pick up on the concept quickly though.

I also told them they could have a toy immediately if they pooped in the potty the first time, but that hasn't do ne a thing to help.

 

Good question Aimee; I've been wondering about this too. My Mom was rewarding Eli with yogurt covered raisins for peeing and pooping on the potty. Well those daggone raisins are $4 a for a relatively small pack of raisins.

My new reward for him is that he gets to turn the fan on in the bathroom--LOL, it's a lot cheaper than yogurt raisins, and he loves it.

But I need something to help with the horrible bedtime and fighting problems we've been having; I was contemplating a reward chart.