Positive Reinforcement!

The goal of positive reinforcement is to change undesired behaviors by positively reinforcing the good ones.  This could be with a high five, a smile, a sticker, a hug, clapping etc.  It doesn't have to be a physical reward and you can definitely get creative with this.

This is our current behavior plan:



We started by reading the story Have You Filled a Bucket Today? Basically the premise of the book is that everyone in the world has an invisible bucket that needs to be filled up with good thoughts.  You can fill a bucket by being a good friend, using your manners, using kind words or any other kind gesture.


After we read the story we had each of the children create their own bucket:




and then we made a collaborative class list how each child can fill and dip into each others buckets:





We then purchased a silver bucket that mirrored the appearance of the one in the story, drew a face on it and started a "good thought bucket" of our own.   Whenever the kids are "caught" filling a bucket they are asked to add a good thought in the bucket.  Our "good thought" is a pom- pom that we keep in a bucket nearby.  Your good thought could be anything! This is awesome because you can really focus on the desired behaviors that the kids are struggling with! This week for us we are working on manners, covering our mouths so we don't spread germs, and sharing with our friends.  When the kids dip into each others buckets with tattling, invading personal space (popping each others bubbles) or any other behavior that is not desired they have to take a good thought OUT of the bucket.








As a class we chose a goal (10 good thoughts) and a reward (a bike day, where all the kids can bring their bikes to school and can ride them during outside recess time).  If 10 becomes to easy then you can re-negotiate the terms.

Behavior Management Plan: 

I created this behavior chart to map behavior for children in need of special attention to what time of the day certain behaviors are exhibited.  It is not something that is necessary for all of the children but a good back up plan if nothing else is working.  After each time interval has passed I call the child over and discuss their behavior and what we have added to the sheet for that activity.  This way the child is aware of what their parents will be reading and is held accountable for his/her actions.  If the child recieves a number higher than 5 they are given a sticker to put on the chart next to that activity.