A few weeks ago, I was at the mall with the kiddos. They do fine while we're walking up and down the main strip or looking at "kid stuff", but when it comes to finding a new shirt for mommy, well, they're less than patient. They have nothing to keep them interested (aside from racks of clothes which they've been told not to jump into). So in a pinch, I pulled out some pennies from my purse. I gave them to Courtney (age 4) and told her they were "Good Attitude Pennies". If she was behaving, she could keep them and put them in her piggy bank when she got home. If she misbehaved, not only would she receive the usual consequence but would have to give me a penny as well. It worked GREAT!
I've used similar reward systems several times since, at different places, using different objects from my purse (today we used an old sticker with no sticky left to it) and different prizes: get to play at the mall playground an extra 5 minutes, get to pick the flavor of yogurt we buy, get some gummy fruit snacks when we get home, get to pick if we have green beans or broccoli at dinner, etc. Nothing extravagant. Just privileges she would already have, if her behavior were good.
This serves merely as a reminder to help her think about how she is behaving in the moment. She carries around the object and I ask her every 5-10 minutes if she still has her "Good Attitude" with her. Another plus is that it's a GREAT distraction when I need her to sit still for a few minutes. Kids can make up all sorts of games on the spot!
So today I had my sewing machine out, finishing Matthew's new crib sheets. Before I put it away, I made little trinkets (bean bags) to serve as my new "Behavior Beanies" (because anything that ends in an "ie" sound is automatically fun for a 4 yr old, right?). If you know how to sew, you probably don't need to continue on with this tutorial but if you're new to this, here is what I did:
STEP 1
Fold fabric in half so that it is 2 layers thick. Trace a pattern onto the back side of fabric. Then, with front sides together, cut out shapes.
Sew around the shape, leaving a space large enough to turn your fabric inside out and put beans inside:
STEP 3:
Turn right-side-out (a pencil helps) and fill with beans. Not too many, just enough to make an interesting texture to keep your child busy:
STEP 4
Fold in the open top (use that pencil again, if you have to) and sew closed. You can hand stitch or use your machine, as long as you don't have too many beans in there. And that's it! I made different shapes to keep things interesting. If you mess up, don't sweat it. Just make it fun:
And so, these little guys live in my purse now, along with who knows what else?!? But at least I'll have them in a pinch, when Courtney needs a little help remembering her good attitude and manners.
Clever. I can't sew, but if I did, I imagine I would make a few of these handy beanbags! :)
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