Tying Shoes

This is an interesting situation. Kaleigh and Cole went to different pre-schools. Kaleigh learned to tie her shoes early (when she was 4) because it was something the preschool teacher requested that we work on. If the students at this preschool learned how to tie their shoes they were rewarded with a little shoe on a banner. Each child had their own banner and each received rewards for accomplishing something. Address, phone number, colors, shapes, counting, shoe tying and so on... Now in Cole's preschool class the teachers did not have this incentive. It is brought up in Kindergarten but not with a reward system. Therefore there is no real incentive to learn how to tie your shoes. Plus, most kids (especially boys) tend to have velcro closures or straps of some sort. Cole is in Kindergarten now and is just starting to learn to tie his shoes. As you can see this morning Kaleigh was helping him. We are working on it, but HE does not come up and ask us for help like Kaleigh did. No incentive to do so... So it is really up to us to force it on him. I know with a reward he would be trying harder. It isn't that we want him to get rewards for everything, just the things that seem unnecessary to him.

It is the same when you want them to take a nice photo. It isn't anything they really get out of it, so when they do it because I ask nicely, they get rewarded. Rewards, when used correctly make life a lot easier. Notice I say when used correctly! That does not mean that when my kids act up (they never do anyway) I pop a candy in their mouth to appease them. I am talking about when they do something either the first time I ask or they do it on their own, they either gain some play time with me or they get to do something they like, like playing on the computer. Rewards should be just that, something to show you appreciate what they are doing. Kaleigh and Cole get to go out for lunch with me tomorrow because they have been working together to get ready in the morning, i.e. Kaleigh helping with Cole's shoes! Nice work, guys!