Kid's toys aren't just for fun. Toys make amazing rewards that can encourage kids to behave. Toys can be used to encourage general good behavior or you can use them to teach manners, stop phone interruptions and more. The power of kid's toys is utterly amazing when you start using them as leverage for positive behavior.
How Kid's Toys can Encourage Overall Good Behavior
Get three of anything. It can be three pennies, three rocks, three small toys etc... Put the three items in a drawer. Get a plastic cup and put your child's name on it. If you catch your child doing something really nice during the day like using good manners, doing chores, being nice to a sibling or more then pull out one of the three items and place it in your child's cup.
Tell your child that he earned 1 point for his good behavior and compliment him on a job well done! Explain that if he earns 3 point in a day you'll play with him and his favorite toy at day's end. Now if 3 points are too easy, you might want to push it up to 5 or more, depending on your child. When play time arrives, count up the points and if he's earned the right number let him go and get his favorite toy of the day and play with him for at least 30 minutes. You'll find that doing this will improve your child's behavior very quickly and once he learns that you'll play "his way" for 30 minutes he'll be very determined to earn those points every Tag!
The Kid's Toys to teach Manners
If your child has a favorite doll stuffed animal then you have happiness. Please help his furry friends, teach them good manners. You must first write a list of good manners that you learn your child. Want to teach table manners and say please and thank you help a lot? They want to know as adults, like Mrs. Smith, name address instead? Want to teach him how to sayhello and goodbye on the phone and in person? What you teach your child is up to you, but it's a good idea to write a list and practice often till it sinks in.
To teach table manners, have your child bring is favorite stuffed animal or doll to dinner. Ask him how his doll should be sitting and have him place his doll in the appropriate seated position. Then ask your child to do as doll does. Then ask him to tell you what his doll should do if he wants to talk, but has a mouth full of food. Use his doll as an example for every table manner you want to teach your child. You can even have him place a napkin on dolly's lap. You could have your child roll play his "inside" voice talking through his doll and even talk about how dolly could use his manners at a restaurant.
After dinner, head to the family room and sit your child and doll on the couch. Ask your child to have his dolly use the words please and thank you correctly. Roll play with the doll. Encourage your child to have fun with the roll plays to really "show off" his knowledge of good manners. Let him add lib and make things up and ask him to have dolly show you all the good manners that he has. This can be very fun, as well as, quite educational and effective at teaching manners.
Using Kid's Toys to Stop Phone Interruptions
All parents have been on an important phone call and had their child yell, "Mommy!" over and over again. This is annoying for mom and annoying to the caller, but it can be prevented by simply creating a phone call kid's toy box. First step is to get a box. You can choose a pretty handbasket or plastic bin depending on where you want to keep the container. Get a box that's big enough to fit 2 or 3 kid's toys. Then you'll want to choose some toys to put in it. I'd advocate choosing toys that encourage long-time play such as: blocks, pretend play toys, puzzles or anything else that will keep your child's attention.
Discuss, with your child, the importance of letting you have a quiet phone call. Let him know that he now has a special "phone toy box" that can only be opened when you're on a phone call. Show him the box and the special toys inside. Tell him that every time you're on the phone he can play with those toys. Let him know that if he's really good you'll let him choose some new toys every 2, 4 or 6 months (depending on what you decide and your budget) that he may in his toy box section.
If he is quiet while on the phone, he can continue playing with his special toy, the call ends. If it breaks, then back to the toy on the shelf right away. If you need to tell you something "important" you can practice taught him to break the good way. Let him walk on you and put your hand on your arm or knee, and wait for the excuse of calling. Teach him not to make noise, asapproaches.
As you start using toys as rewards you'll encounter how much fun it can be to teach your child good behavior without having to use negative consequences. These techniques are a win/win for you and your child because each of you will get what you want in the end!
