Benefits Of Providing Rewards For Good-behaved Children

JAKARTA - Providing rewards or awards to children has benefits in shaping behavior in a better direction or building good habits starting from small things such as tidying up beds to helping parents clean their homes.

Child and adolescent psychologist Vera Itabiliana Hadiwidjojo, S.Psi said rewards also have three other benefits in addition to shaping children's behavior, one of which is increasing self-esteem or self-esteem in children.

"First, increasing the self-esteem of children, by getting rewards, of course the child will feel that he has succeeded in achieving something so that it creates a positive view on him," Vera said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, October 26.

Furthermore, he explained two other benefits, namely strengthening the relationship between parents and children, by paying more attention to good behavior than bad behavior, which will lead parents and children to more positive relationships.

Finally, the third benefit is to encourage children to learn to master the skills or abilities they expect. Rewards cannot be separated from motivation. In children, the motivation that comes from outside is still dominant. Children's behavior still depends on rewards or the consequences they get.

There are several things that need to be considered so that the provision of rewards is effective in shaping good behavior or desired behavior in children, one of which is reward must be something meaningful for children, such as chocolate's favorite or favorite activity.

Then, rewards can also have a varied form or not only material rewards but can also be interspersed with social rewards that can be agreed with children such as actions in the form of affect, praise, and joint activities.

A reward is given immediately after the expected behavior appears so that the pattern of connection can be created closely between rewards and behavior. Parents are advised to avoid delaying rewards for too long.

It is permissible to give rewards as long as it is not excessive so that the child feels too easy and finally rewards for loss of meaning. Rewards can be made in a system where new children will get rewards' after behavior appears at a certain frequency or within a certain agreed period of time.

Rewards can also be given in conjunction with efforts to create intrinsic motivation within children so that children's behavior does not depend on external rewards forever.