Another Cute Behavior Chart!

Wendy-one of the great teachers I work with.  Put this cute behavior chart together.  This one is a little different then the ones I have shown in the past.  For this particular student she needed to illiminate some explosive mal-adaptive behaviors.  The student starts the day with 5 rockets.  If the student has an explosive behavior he looses a rocket. He gets certain rewards for keeping at 3-5 rockets intact.  She did a fabulous job individualizing this chart for this student.  Some behaviors need to be quickly illiminated and sometimes that requires taking something away or having a more negative consequence.  I love how Wendy made this very reinforcing and so cute looking even though it is related to some pretty intense behavior.  Way to go Wendy!  I love it!

Another behavior chart medium!

I did a little presentation last night and it was great!  Thanks any of you who are checking in here for the first time!  Welcome!  We had a great discussion and I will be sharing some tidbits in days to come. 
Also the new series I was talking about will be starting up soon so stay tuned!

This was one of the first behavior charts I made as a teacher!  It was nice because it is very concrete, sometimes even pictures as seen here are difficult for a student to understand what is going on.  This allowed for the child to see that as soon as all 3 "cups" were filled up he or she could get their reward.  This works well for younger children or children who function at a lower cognitive level.  Its made with a simple egg carton (reduce, reuse, recycle) and works great. 

For those who are new: Go here to see the basics of this type of behavior chart!  I know some of you last night asked about how to use them and here is some more detailed and important information to use!  Enjoy!

Great Job Chart!

Jeni sent me this fantastic job chart she set up for her 5 year old.  She attached this explanation. "Sara is required to do the top 3 jobs (making her bed, clean up toys, and pick up dirty laundry) everyday and gets 10 cents for each job.  Then she can choose from the jobs below.  Some days I'll have her do 2-3 extra jobs, sometimes just 1.  It just depends on what we're doing that day.  Unloading the dishwasher is only 10 cents because she just does the silverware.  I liked the setting the table clipart because it shows clearly where everything is supposed to go.  There's a little story with it (The fork is a princess trapped in a tower and the prince or spoon has to fight the gaurd or knife and swim through the alligator pond to rescue her).  The last category is if I ask her to do a big job and she does it, or if she thinks of a big job herself and does it well.  This hangs on our fridge and she uses a marker to check off when she's done a job.  Then we erase the checks as I pay her the money for that day.  If we forget to pay her one day she just makes another check by the chore for the next day as she does them...then I know what I owe her by how many checks there are. "

I thought this chart was amazing! I love that her little girl has to take the responsibility of checking off the jobs she has done.  That is extra motivating to a lot of kids and helps them learn a little independence!  I love that it is all visual, which is perfect for a 5 year old!  I love that its just another opportunity to teach (money) while serving other purposes.  This chart is so colorful and positive!  I want one for myself! I also LOVE how she has a method to cover her in case she has a busy day and doesn't get around to paying Sara for her jobs.....I bet all Moms can relate to this!  I also love and what to restate what Jeni said about setting the table.  The picture serves the dual purpose of showing her what her job is and how to do it!  Thats great!!!  Its also nice that not only did she include the required jobs but gave her some options to do more and earn a little more money.  Nice work Jeni.  This is so cute!  I love this chart and will most likely be copying it in the future!!!

More Simple Behavior Charts

Here are a few more charts made from different items or with different focuses. I did not personally create any of these particular charts but I did make some of them as recommendations and like I mentioned before I work with the most on the ball and creative teachers. Boy does that make my job easier!

This gem was created using milk carton caps!  Perfect huh?  Great thinking Kimber! A great way to reuse something you have plenty of.

You may notice the reward is not posted either in written or picture format, this is because this particular chart is paired with the reinforcer box see in this post. 

As you can easily tell from this chart it is similar to some I created and used while teaching-which you can see here or here.  But you might notice that the child this was created for has a little trouble listening and needs extra reinforcement and reminders when she does.  Its a nice specific chart. You may also notice she is working to be the teachers helper!  Nice!  No I don't recommend making one of these for your husband....I know some of you were thinking that.  Nice Work Kimber!

On the back there are a few other options for reinforcement.  Its all packaged together for easy use!

Chart By Wendy! This chart is made using little colored plastic ships and a piece of cardboard-it could also be done with a binder or other item.  The reinforcer icon is nicely placed on the board.  This student had 3 chips to earn before receiving the reinforcer.  He has since moved up to 5.  Woo Woo! 

For reminders on how to use a simple behavior chart click here!

More Behavior Charts in the future!  Share Your if you'd like!

More simple behavior charts!

As promised here are a few of my other simple behavior charts.  I love these ones.  They are great for the purse!  All you need is the chart and a dry erase marker and you are good to go!

 This was a very simple chart I had lying around and would use if I found a student becoming restless during work time.  They were very motivated to work when there was a reminder of what they were working for. 5 stars or smileys or sometimes crazy faces (whatever they wanted)= a short play break. It worked for me and it worked for them!

 Occasionally when I was feeling like a really nice teacher I would surprise my students by handing them one of these computer points cards.  Everyone got one and when they were working hard or did something nice throughout the day they would get a star.  As soon as their card was filled they could head over to the computer to play an educational game.  It was very effective.  They all loved the computer and it was a nice way to reward them for the simple things. 

 There are a few things that I love about this chart.  First its simple, just the dry erase marker and the chart (like the others), second there are reinforcer choices at the top so the child could choose something different every time, next there is a visual reminder of the expected behavior (in this case keeping your hands to yourself).  Clearly this was used with a student who needed a little extra reminder and motivation to keep their hands to themselves.  The best bonus about this chart was it kept those little hands busy, as the student would carry it around with them, thus making it a little more difficult to give someone a little push or poke.

This chart is a simpler version of the one above.  It still contains the reminder of the expected behavior but in this case has one choice of what the student is working hard for.  The other choices weren't really needed for this student as he/she would do anything to have a "teacher job" ie. passing out papers, stacking chairs, erasing the board, etc. 

These charts help you avoid having all of the individual icons lying around or in your pocket.....or worse no where to be found. 

Basic Behavior Chart

In my current job I do a lot of consulting on behaviors throughout the school district in which I work.  I help teachers figure out how to manage challenging behaviors.  I thought I would share a basic behavior chart with you and outline some Behavior Chart Basics.  These can be great for home or school so go ahead and make your own!  Then as time goes on I hope to build apon it with more complex behavior charts (some little ones just need a little more) that I have created and have been used for many students.

About this chart:  This chart was made using Boardmaker software (oh I wish I was rich enough to own it!) it has great pictures of pretty much anything.  You can use anything from original photos, clip art or laminated stickers to create a chart! 

Using this chart:  This chart was for a student who was working for a walk in the school hallway.  Each time he filled his chart he would go on a walk.  When the walk was over we would clear the chart and he would start again, he could work for the same thing or choose something different.   

Why I love this type of chart: I love that this chart is so positive.  It is a "glass half full" chart in my mind.  There are no gaping holes of items that have been missed -no reminders of errors or problematic moments ( see my personal experience below) only good deeds/ behaviors done.  Each time is a fresh start.  It is very easy to use and cart around.  I always found extra icons in my pockets after work.  MAKE EXTRAS!

Here are some Dos and Don'ts of a Basic Behavior Chart!

Do's:

Do allow the child to understand the chart by earning quickly and successfully the first few times

Do have a variety of choices of items for kids to work for, especially older children

Do let the child choose- this allows them to feel more in control and be more motivated and invested

Don'ts: 

Don't take away already earned stars, smileys, stickers etc.  This has a very negative effect. Once its there keep it there

Don't abandon the whole chart half way through just because the child might be being "a turkey"   

Some commonly asked questions about behavior charts:

Q: Whats so wrong with taking away the smiley or star that was earned?

A: This tells the child that their good behavior can be undone.  If they have earned it and it is there it is theirs, it also serves as a reminder of a success that can be duplicated when it remains in place.

Q:What can I do if the child is misbehaving since I can't take away already earned items?

A: You can flip the chart over or take it away and put it on time out.  Then you can say, "you cannot earn ____ right now.  I will wait until you are ready" or something along those lines.

Q: Is there a time frame for each sticker?

A: No some days the student might need to earn one sticker or item for each positive behavior, or every minute or every time they answer a question.  It is all individualized.  This will be discussed in greater detail in subsequent posts.

Personal Experience: In first grade I had to have a behavior chart-pu into place by my teacher, believe me when I say that it was all due to a little misunderstanding.  Each day I had the opportunity to earn`1 sticker. My chart encompassed a whole week.  If I didn't earn on Wednesday there was a gaping hole there all week.  There was no fresh start -just a constant reminder that I had fallen short.  As you can see it has scarred me for life- none of us are expected to perform 100% all the time- we all fall short.  I recently came across one of these actual charts of mine while goin through the attic- it gave me the heebie jeebies.  Don't do that to your students or kids. :)

Calling All Examples

  If you have an example of a basic behavior chart I would love to post it. 

In addition if you have any questions you can email them

highheelstosneakers at gmail dot com