An online version of star charts

In an era where you have a magazine designed specifically for your iPhone, is it any wonder that motivational kids’ star charts have gone digital?

Kidspoints is a newly launched (free) site that allows kids and parents to set up online interactive star charts with awards. You create an account and set up a chart with your goals to tally up each day. I avoided the rewards store where you can select toys for the child to earn (akin to paying for good grades where I come from). Instead we created our own reward – an extra ice lolly.

You can upload your own pictures to personalise your chart and the site has music, an animated racecar that charts the child’s progress and plenty of bells and whistles. Naturally the good old-fashioned paper-and-gold-sticker version still works fine. But for kids who are getting interested in using computers and learning rudimentary online tools, this will appeal.

It’s not yet available in an iPhone version, but who knows? Watch this space.

www.kidspoints.co.uk

Comments

[Chacha]

Just seen A Mother has already meantioned it but I will say it again. Before going down this route I would highly recommend reading,

Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise and Other Bribes by Alfie Kohn

I found it to be a real eye opener.

[LM]

We've used star charts a couple of times, once to reinforce potty training, then a couple of times for general behaviour back in the summer and again recently, when we started to get a lot of uncooperative & rude behaviour shortly after transitioning to preschool. So, first used at ~3 1/2 and now at just 4. We have a girl.

Wouldn't use an online version though as stickers are a current obsession with my daughter & she gets to choose what colour star she wants if she does something right. Our current system is a full complement of stars for a day means she gets to watch TV the next evening (we don't do morning TV, ever). On the list are things we've been having trouble with: dressing, mealtime behaviour, getting to loo ontime, getting ready for school, helpfulness (her job is setting table - she was refusing).

It helped get her back on track each time though we don't do them for long as they're a pain to remember to do. But when I was getting really angry & trying to come up with an appropriate punishment in the heat of the moment & chose exactly the wrong one then had to follow through because I'd said it, I realised it was better for us to go back to the sticker chart for a while so we didn't have to worry about devising consequences on the fly.

I see sticker charts as better with younger children, prob. not beyond age 6, tbh.

[Sho]

I've never used a star chart at all (which might explain why I appear to have two chimps instead of daughters sometimes) but I think I might give it a go for #2's awful fingernail biting habit.

Is she too old at 10?

But I definitely don't like the idea of bribery for things that are normal behavioural expectations. In fact the reverse of a star chart is probably what most of us do instinctively: not ready for school? no TV.

Although then again, internet twiddly things are always nice to play with.

[mumoftwo]

Hi KM, that's not silly at all, that's exactly the point the book that A Mother cites is making, that using systems of rewards either at home or at school is a way of ensuring compliance without thinking about why it might be good or not good to do the said behaviour (of course, some of us parents are happy with mere surface compliance...)

I have used star charts twice, used similarly to Weaslewords, for potty training for about a week just to get off the ground, and for staying in bed all night. I used them when my daughter was 2 1/2 to 3, so too young to really understand the intrinsic motivation for getting a good night's sleep, but too old to be getting out three times a night:)At that age, the star and the praise was plenty to keep her motivated.

But with older children, it wouldn't be my favoured method at all. Why should I bribe my children with lollies or a reward store to do things like eat nicely at the table, or not hit each other, or get dressed quickly? The way I see it, these are the normal expectations of being in a family. We all have different jobs and things we have to do (like go to school or go to work with our clothes on). Similarly no-one wants to eat next to someone eating with their mouth open, or talk to someone who hasn't brushed their teeth. I'm not above removing activities such as TV if they aren't ready for school, but to me that's not a punishment. I can't sit down for half an hour with the paper if I wasn't ready for work myself, so why should they (am I sounding heartless by now, oh dear?!)

I think star charts can be good for one off behaviours which you just have to drive through (like toilet training for nursery) or if you have a child with learning difficulties who might need simple messages about good and bad behaviour, or to kick-start better behaviour if things have been really going wrong. But, as someone says, only very much as part of a package of other strategies, if at all and certainly not online where the visual message is diluted and the 'bribe' aspect much stronger.

[Nicky]

I dislike the idea of being good for rewards, somehow.I'm not quite sure why. It's kind of ok as long as it isn't all you use I guess. I think they're better for specific issues - that's all we ever used them for, but they didn't really work for us, as we all struggled to remember, and my son wasn't really motivated by the star idea, though funnily enough if he got one in school it meant more to him.

It did seem to have the effect of him focusing on the item he wanted and doing a half hearted attempt at what he had to do to get it, which just seemed to me to be missing the point.

I did try it with keeping his bedroom tidy, but it seems nothing on earth will motivate him to keep his bedroom tidy!

As for the online thing, I'd hate the cheap bits of plastic, though it would probably work better for my son than a real piece of paper in terms of his motivation, but it seems a bit consumerist, somehow. Also, my son's a bit of a computer geek, so I actively try to avoid finding yet more reasons to go on the damn thing!

But I'm probably just biased because of how it didn't work for us. If it works for others, great.

[Gipsy]

Not sanctimonious at all KM. In fact that's been one of my concerns. I like the idea of doing it for specific problems rather than than as a permanent thing.

[KM]

Gipsy, star charts were brilliant for us in terms of reinforcing expectations, e.g. "have you been nice to your brother?"
But they are a hassle to remember to do every night and actually half the time I forget - I am increasingly inclining towards using them for a specific problem rather than permanently. I also have mild concerns about suggesting to my child that they behave well only because of a reward although that may be sanctimonious and silly on my part!

[Weaselwords]

ps: online star charts? har har har...

[Weaselwords]

I used star charts for potty training when my son was 2.5 and I've now managed to convince him to stay in bed all night, every night for 4 weeks also by using bribery - oops, a star chart. He is now 3 years 9 months. I think children can understand a points collection system for rewards from very young. (They also learn how to play the system very quickly too, so you have to watch out for that)

[A mother]

Worthwhile reading Alfie Kohn's "Punished by rewards" before embarking on this route...

[jen]

This is a bit of a copy of an American site, http://www.handipoints.com/ - which imo is a bit more 'fun' and interactive (and therefore will be more of an incentive!). That's just my personal opinion, and it depends if you can get past the 'Americanism' of Handipoints, which in this case I can!

[Wendy V]

Gipsy, I think it depends on the child. I didn't really need them with my daughters, but my son pushes the boundaries far more, and they're a nudge towards helpful, polite, co-operative behaviour. Currently the incentive is four stars for a Gormiti ("Invincible lords of nature" or rubbishy bits of plastic, depending on your perspective!).

I also need some threat of a penalty up my sleeve, which is generally something like, "This is a warning: If you do that again there will be no Super Mario for a week." That gets his attention as he knows I mean it. He's six. Best not to overuse penalties, though, or they lose their impact.

[Gipsy]

What age did you start using star charts with your daughter?

[Roberta]

Have just registered with this site and it seems like a great idea. I have a 7 year old daughter and she loves star charts and they have worked well for me in terms of behaviour and discipline. However, they can be a bit of a pain to maintain so I plan to give this new site a try and see how it goes.

[Gipsy]

I'm curious to know more about people's experiences with star charts. Do they work well? Do you find that you allow things to slip? How rigidly do you stick to the format? Did you try star charts, but didn't like them and are now doing something different - if so what?

Importantly at what age did you find they started to work well (please let me know if you're talking about a boy or girl)?

I'm just so not sure about star charts myself.

[whimsey]

Yes, very nice. Next subject please.

:)