How to Reward Kids Without Using Food
How to Reward Kids Without Using Food
Every Monday, we revisit one of the listener questions we’ve answered in a previous episode. It’s been edited for clarity & brevity here. If you want to get the full version, links to the full episode are below the text.
Patrick:
This question is in our Eat category. Here it is:
I’m a middle school teacher. I often bring candy for my students as a reward. (Middle school kids can always be encouraged by food.) What would be a good food reward for children in the classroom that is not candy, donuts, pizza parties, etc?
Ben:
The question is: What’s a healthy food to use as a reward? The simple answer is there isn't one. Food shouldn’t be used as a reward.
Using food as a reward creates habits around emotional eating. It links emotions with food in children's minds, which isn’t what we want.
To be clear, we’re not talking about celebrations involving food, like birthday parties or Thanksgiving. We’re talking about "intermittent reinforcement," an environment that can sometimes lead to an unhealthy focus on the reward rather than the behavior leading to the reward. This approach can also discourage positive behavior, as actions don’t always result in rewards.
There’s a better way: Public praise.
If Johnny does something worth celebrating, take a minute to praise him in front of his classmates. Highlight his focus or perseverance or creativity.
That way, you avoid offering less-than-healthy foods as rewards while at the same time boosting self-esteem, teaching the other kids about praise-worthy behavior, and encouraging more of the positive behaviors you want kids to practice.
Children love rewards.
But those rewards do not need to be Hershey Kisses.
Full Episode: