How to Make a Catch Them Being Good Chart
"Catch them being good" -- this single piece of advice is repeated often by pediatricians, teachers, child psychologists and behavior experts. Parents and teachers sometimes are so busy stopping or preventing a child from doing the wrong thing that it becomes easy to overlook the good behaviors children display. According to experts at Children's Hospital in Boston, praise for a specific behavior when you catch her being good makes it more likely that she will repeat her positive behaviors in the future.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 1 sheet of lined paper
- Complete class roster (if chart is for school use)
- 1 sheet of 36-by-24-inch heavy-weight poster paper
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Markers
- Bright, colorful stickers
Instructions
-
-
1
Write a list on the lined paper of eight to ten positive behaviors you plan to track. At school the list might include sharing supplies, inviting a new student to play at recess, picking up lunch trash without being told, being quiet during reading time or offering to help a classmate. Home versions of the chart may list doing chores without being reminded, helping a younger sibling get his coat on, behaving in the grocery store or holding the door for an elderly neighbor. The behaviors included in your chart will vary depending on the ages of the children involved.
-
2
Draw a simple chart diagram on the poster paper. Use the ruler and pencil to draw a straight line three inches from the top, extending across the page. Draw a second line vertically down the page, three inches from the left edge.
-
-
3
Make horizontal rows on the chart by adding additional parallel horizontal lines below the first. Each horizontal row should be two inches high. Make sure you have one row for each positive behavior. Use colored markers to write in each behavior, one per row, at the beginning of each row.
-
4
Make the columns by adding parallel vertical lines extending to the right across the poster. The columns should be two to three inches wide, with one for each of the children in your family. Write each child's name, one per column, across the top of the chart.
-
5
Reverse the layout of the chart for classroom usage: turn the poster sheet sideways, so the long edges are at the top and bottom of the chart. Make one-inch columns across the page, one for each child. Draw two-inch rows down the page, one for each positive behavior.
-
6
Explain to the chart to your children. Tell them they will receive a sticker each time you personally observe them displaying one of the desired behaviors. Let them know they will receive a small treat or privilege when they have earned a predetermined number of stickers -- at least five for very young children and up to 10 or 15 for older kids.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Regularly reinforce positive behavior choices by verbally praising the child when he does the right thing without being told.
References
- Children's Hospital; "Pediatric Views"; "Why Does Your Child Misbehave?"; October 2005
- Keep Kids Healthy: Catch Your Child in the Act ... of Doing Good!
- Davis School District: Caught Being Good -- Classroom Management
- Children Today.com; Catch Them Being Good; Reviewing the Reward System; Lisamarie Sanders
- Behavior Advisor.com: Ways to Catch Kids Being Good
Resources
- Photo Credit Seiya Kawamoto/Lifesize/Getty Images
