My friend does this with her daughter. It is such a brilliant idea that I just had to share it here (thanks E!).
To encourage her daughter to learn how to tie her laces, E said she would give her daughter, R, 50sen for each lace that she managed to tie on her own. R is motivated to earn the money because she wants to buy herself a Barbie doll.
Some people might criticise this tactic saying it teaches a child to become mercenary. I disagree. I think it teaches a child some very valuable lessons about life.
Why I think this is such an excellent idea:
- it achieves the aim of getting R to learn how to tie her laces
- it teaches R delayed gratification – since she has to earn the money before she can buy her Barbie doll
- it teaches R the value of money – she has to earn the money in order to buy her Barbie doll
- it help R focus on what she wants – without focus, she won’t save enough money to buy her doll
I’m going to have to come up with a modified version for Gavin – something revolving around Thomas and Friends…
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