May 3, 2011 Star Power
Scientists have finally confirmed what parents have long known: REWARDS WORK.
Yup. Find the right reward and you can get your kids to do pretty much anything. Even gobble up the greens
Even gobble up the greens before they pound down the pasta.
You don’t even have to resort to ice cream, cake or the other tried-and-true yummy rewards. Kids will eat their veggies in order to earn... stars? Yes, stars!
Want to hear something even more remarkable? Researchers have figured out that kids will voluntarily select healthy drinks to earn stars. Plain milk instead of chocolate milk? Those must be some pretty powerful stars!
The study I’m referring to is a school-based initiative called the Kid’s Choice Program, but there’s no reason you can’t use it at home.
Here’s what you do:
1) Tell your kids they will earn a star every time they...
- Eat their vegetables before the rest of the meal.
- Choose to drink a low-fat, low-sugar drink such as plain milk or water. (The researchers also included 100% fruit juice on their healthy drinks list, but you know how I feel about fruit juice. If you don’t, read Training Tiny Taste Buds and Coke Beats Juice.)
2) When your kids earn 10 stars let them “buy” a little toy or some other small reward.
Here’s the only caveat: You have to make sure you serve an extremely small serving of vegetables—no bigger than a golf ball. Read When Less is More.
You’ve probably heard that it’s not a good idea to bribe kids into eating their peas, so I wouldn’t blame you if you were skeptical.
But this system works because:
- The goals are well-defined, small and easily achievable. (If your kids are young you might consider reducing the number of stars they have to earn from 10 to 5.)
- There is almost no pressure because the choice of when and how many stars to earn is left entirely to the children. (Some days they might decide to earn 2 stars, other days they might decide to earn none.)
- It side-steps the problem of kids filling up on the pasta before they get to the peas because it rewards them for eating their veggies first. In other words, the system works because it's easier to get kids to eat veggies when they are still hungry than when they're already full. Read Playing for Peas.
Most importantly, the star system works because it rewards behavior.
So often we think that kids need nutrition education but research has shown that increasing knowledge doesn't necessarily impact behavior. This system will teach your kids how to behave in relation to food and that is what they need to know for a lifetime of healthy eating. Now that's what I call star power!
~Changing the conversation from nutrition to habits.~
=================================================
Source:
Hendy, H. M., K. E. Williams, and T. S. Camise. 2011. “Kid's Choice Program Improves Weight Management Behaviors and Weight Status in School Children.” Appetite 56: 484-94.
Reader Comments (10)
We use a general behavior chart with stickers for several responsibilities and eating (and behaving during) meals is included in that chart. Instead of buying something we use an extra story at bedtime as a reward and it works great.
The question is not whether reward works or not (Skinner took care of that one in the 60s), but if and how we want to use it when raising our children. When it comes to healthy kids I am far from convinced that star power is what I want to rely upon. You have presented many other ways of getting kids to improve their diet that leaves me convinced that I do not have to resort to charts and stickers any time soon.
Liz: Thanks for letting readers know that a bedtime story can work as a reward. Great idea.
Thy: Every family needs a bag of tools. Don't discount this one. You might find yourself using it one day!
Dina
We've recently started something very similar called a "Trying Chart". My nearly 4 year old daughter often decides by the look of foods if she will like them or not. We offer a sticker for her chart for every new food, or differently prepared food or for new food combinations that she tries. The rule is that she has to take a bit and actually chew the food and taste if for a second before she decides if she likes it or not. She comments over and over "I didn't know that I liked that" on nearly every new food she has been trying. We started with a small prize for 3 stickers and now that she has the idea, we've upped it to 5 and then 7. It's been a great new tool for us.
Try Baby-Led Weaning to teach kids to eat right.
My 19-month-old asked for peas for breakfast today, and he happily munched on his broccoli with dinner. No stars required.
Read some Alfie Kohn to find out why rewards don't work in the long term. Just keep offering yummy fresh foods.
@BLW Mom I was thinking along the same lines.
I think the question is, does a star chart/reward/incentive program work for the long term? How many stickers will it take to get your child to eat broccoli first once they're a teen? My real goal is not to get my 2 year old to eat her sweet potatoes, it is for her to eat mostly healthful foods and to enjoy the sweet stuff in moderation. Reward programs cannot do that in the long term!
I recommend Punished By Rewards by Alfie Kohn.
I know the objection to rewards, but the goal is to change the dynamic around food for your child and phase out the stars as the new behavior becomes a habit. Of course you don't want to have to use rewards forever!!! And Heather: I applaud the goal of getting your child to eat mostly healthful foods rather than to get a particular food into her. I definitely agree that that's the right approach. In fact, it sums up my entire philosophy quite nicely!
Parents need a range of tools at their disposal. I think the point isn't to rely on any one tool too much, or forever. Rather, we need different tools at different times and stages. BLW: You might find rewards are something you'll need when your child gets a little older.
If rewards work for people at a particular time, I don't see the harm. In fact, I've used them (and moved on from them) with my own child quite successfully.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments and I'll check out the books that have been suggested.
Dina
Great post and really interesting comments too. I'm seeing this in action right now with a program at my son's school called the Health Challenge, where students earn points for making healthy choices (no screen time, fruit for dessert, trying new foods, etc). It's been fascinating to watch how motivated he is and how willing he is to make those choices b/c of the prizes (a "bounce" party for the top 20 point-earners and a pool party for the top-earning class). He has tried new vegetables, ignored the TV for most of the week, and happily avoided all of his leftover Easter candy. Several parents at the school have said, "We wish the Health Challenge was every week!". So a system like you describe really could be helpful and effective for a lot of children. If kids make these healthy choices again and again, it ultimately becomes habit, not something they're simply doing for points or prizes.
There is a good amount of research that indicates that when kids are rewarded for eating, they value the reward more than the food they ate. Rewarding using programs such as the one you describe may work in the short term (you get your kid to eat what you want them to or what you value as healthy food), but does it work to a) increase intake and b) value these foods in the long run?
How can kids learn to value foods such as the vegetables you describe (and eat them) without a reward?
I will be convinced when I see outcome data that indicates that behavioral change (choosing vegetables independent of an associated reward) has actually occurred in the long run. Otherwise, this is just a tactic that may or may not work (in the long run).
Jill,
Yesterday's post To Reward or Not, That is the Question shows some research where the reward had an effect that lasted 6 months after the study (not that long, but still a sign that there can be durability). More importantly to me, the study showed that there was a contagion effect from the reward: kids ate more of the non-rewarded fruit and vegetable served at the reward meal, and ate more of the fruits and vegetables at lunch when they weren't being rewarded.
I know there is a problem with rewards becoming the "end game," but I think if you use a small reward and you phase it out once the behavior is becoming habituated you can offset some of the problems with rewards.
But, I hear your objection—many others share it—and appreciate your comment. I would love to hear what you think of the post To Reward or Not.
Best,
Dina