Free Printable Reward Chart

Bob the Builder Reward Chart

More Reward Charts

Free Printable Reward Chart

Ninja Turtles Reward Chart

More Reward Charts

Reward Chart

Thomas and Friends Reward Chart (Letter)

Free printable Thomas the Train Reward Chart with a title “Thomas & Friends Reward Chart”

Thomas and Friends Reward Chart (A4)

Thomas the Train Reward Chart – size A4

Parenting Book Reviews

A selection of parenting books you might find helpful:

7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child

How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk

Parenting Books

7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child

By Naomi Steiner

The easiest time to learn a second language is as a child. During childhood, the brain is more receptive to language learning than at any other time in life.

Helping your child acquire an additional language is one of the best gifts you can give her. Raising bilingual children is not always easy. I have been trying to do this for years with little success. After I gave birth to my third child I decided to find a more successful method that would help me get my kids to cooperate and successfully raise bilingual children.

This book will help you create a strategy (a “bilingual action plan”)  that will work for your family. This includes determining who will speak the additional language, maximizing exposure to that language, utilizing community resources and formal education.  It is noted that plans and goals often need to be adjusted over time since every child and family situation is different.

The author, Naomi Steiner, provides tables and worksheets to help you create your bilingual action plan.

In addition to the strategies and the bilingual action plan the author provides a resource list as an added bonus. It points parents towards helpful tools that can be used, such as foreign language newspaper websites, educational activity websites, and other suggestions for opportunities to add extra language exposure for your child.

There is a chapter devoted to reading and writing with suggestions for each age range.

Naomi Steiner addresses and dispels the 7 most common myths about bilingualism and lists potential problems and suggestions on ways to overcome them. Some of the problems that parents encounter are concerns that they are not speaking the second language well enough, children who refuse to speak the second language, parents who don’t feel comfortable speaking a second language in public, developmental difficulties children might face, etc.

7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child by Naomi Steiner will help you develop a unique bilingual action plan that will work for your family.

Parenting Books

How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk

By Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

This book was first published in 1980 but has since been updated several times with over two million copies sold!

The authors, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, are internationally acclaimed, award-winning experts on parenting and adult-child communication. Their workshops and methods are used by many to improve communication between kids and adults.

In the book, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, discuss and analyze their own experiences and stories shared by parents during their parent-guidance groups. They offer tips and advice on how to overcome the challenges presented. Some of the many issues that are addressed are:

• How to listen to-and understand-your child
• How to get your family to cooperate
• How you and your child can deal with feelings
• How to find alternatives to punishment
• How to help your child attain a positive self-image.

There are seven different chapters in the book:

1. Helping Children Deal With Their Feelings
2. Engaging Cooperation
3. Alternatives to Punishment
4. Encouraging Autonomy
5. Praise
6. Freeing Children from Playing Roles
7. Putting It All Together

A situation is presented at the beginning of each chapter and you are asked to decide how you would approach the situation. The authors then present an effective method to handle that situation and the reason why this method is effective.

The authors also give some tips on how to get your child to accept what you say. For example, if you show your child that you are empathetic and understand how he feels you will start accepting what you say more often. The book discusses the importance of taking your child’s inner feelings into account.

This book will help you communicate with your kids so that they will listen to you and do what you ask them to do.

If you apply what you learn in this book you will find that your children will be more open, well behaved and emotionally mature.

If your kids are not listening to you and you are not communicating effectively with them then you should try this book!

The New Year is approaching and this is an excellent opportunity to make some New Year Resolutions in order to improve our parenting skills and become more effective parents next year.

Think about your biggest obstacles and difficulties and the steps that you can take to overcome them.  Don’t take on more than you can handle but try to think of two or three issues that you can work on.

Here are some sample New Year’s Parenting resolutions:

• I will have more patience with my children.
• I will try not to yell.
• I will be a good role model for my children.
• I will try to understand my child in order to understand why he behaves as he does before reacting. This goal can be achieved by spending quality time with your child, being patient and observant.
• I will encourage my child to exercise regularly. Enroll your child in a sports class or try to find an activity that you can do together such as cycling.
• I will teach my child to eat healthy. This means that you will need to be a role model and prepare healthy nutritious food instead of the ready made or junk food that is often easier or quicker to prepare.
• I will reward my child for good behavior. It is often easy to forget to praise good behavior. If you take good behavior for granted and only recognize bad behavior you might find your children misbehaving in order to get more attention.

Setting and achieving goals is an excellent way for kids to learn responsibility. As the New Year approaches it is a perfect time to set goals with kids.

Sit with children and discuss possible new year resolutions. Try and enable children to choose their own goals and do not decide for them. Help children choose goals that they can achieve so that they will not become frustrated.

The older the child the more new year resolutions they can choose and handle.

How do you make a New Year’s Resolution Chart?

• Either make your own chart or download a free new year’s resolution chart from Reward Chart 4 Kids.
• Each day, week or month mark the goals which have been achieved.
• Keep following up until all goals have been achieved.

You may want to decide on a reward once the goals have been met.

New Year Resolutions need to be adapted to the child’s age.

The following are sample resolutions.

New Year’s Resolutions for Preschoolers

• I will brush my teeth every morning and before going to bed.
• I will wash my hands after going to the bathroom and before I eat anything.
• I will clean up my toys and tidy my room.
• I will make my bed.
• I will listen to my mom and dad.
• I will never hit.

New Year’s Resolutions for School Age Kids

• I will do my homework everyday.
• I will do my chores everyday.
• I will get into bed on time each day.
• I’ll be nice to other kids.
• I will sit in the back seat and wear my seat belt every time I get in a car.
• I will try to find a sport that I like and do it at least three times a week!
• I will eat at least three fruit and vegetables every day.

New Year’s Resolutions for Teens

• I will eat at least five fruit and vegetables every day.
• I will do my chores everyday.
• I will try to find a sport that I like and do it at least three times a week!
• I will resist peer pressure to try cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
• I will limit the time I spend in front of the television.
• I will be respectful to my parents, teachers and elders.
• I will find a way to help out in my community or help someone in need.
• When I feel angry or stressed out, I will find positive ways to deal with the stress, such as exercising, writing in a journal or discussing my problem with someone I trust.

Printable Behavior Charts

Free printable behavior charts for the holiday season.

Printable Potty Training Charts

Free printable potty training charts for the holiday season.