Reward Charts are fabulous. This chart can be used to re-engage a child to school, change the way kids speak to siblings or introduce a new habit. For example; put your PJ’s under your pillow, brush your teeth or change eating habits. If you have tried using reward charts before and it has not worked, then you are in a group with every other primary caregiver (including me!).
This is the part you have missed. Reward Charts are very successful, when you are using them short term and to focus on changing a particular behaviour. Read that again.
Short term use        Changing one behaviour
Particularly for our ND kids, the dopamine hit (the reward) will only last a week or two if you are lucky. The other key is to make the reward meaningful to the child and something they actually want.
Other ways to help a reward chart work well:
Develop it with as much buy-in from the child as possible. Begin in pencil and ask them how they feel, make suggestions, offer ideas, compromise, remember it is short term.
Ensure the rewards are appropriate and motivating enough to encourage change.
Remember that you are helping teach your child. In learning we are rewiring brain patterns, and that can be hard and feel scary. Make it enjoyable, positive, and focus on any step towards the new behaviour.
Have 2 or 3 goals that they already do each day so they get the hang of ticking off achievements.
Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate. Use language such as “I'm so proud of you, how do you feel?”
Use daily, weekly and monthly (if appropriate) rewards and practise ‘grace’. For example if there are 15 ‘ticks’ on a chart, and the child achieves 12, they can have the reward. Affirm that it's okay, we can not remember everything.
Display the chart on the fridge with a texta for easy access to tick, or laminate and use a whiteboard marker, my favourite is printed out and adding a sticker. Stickers are a reward in themselves and give a positive nudge.