pajamas watching cartoons when the car in the drive honked. Mom
then calmly sent her son off to school in his pajamas. The child spent
three hours with his peers while wearing little flowered booties and
with butterflies all over his chest. At our next session a relieved mom
reported to me that, since that day, she never again had a problem
with her son being ready for his ride.
- Charting
Charting is a very friendly motivational technique. With charting you
use something like a calendar to keep track of how well a child is
doing with different Start behavior routines. You can put the chart on
the refrigerator door, if public acclaim is desired, or on the back of
the child’s bedroom door, if privacy is desired. The days of the week
usually go across the top of the chart, and down the left side is a list
of the tasks the child is working on, such as picking up after herself,
getting to bed, and clearing the table after supper. If the child
completes the task to your satisfaction, you indicate this on the chart
with stickers for the little kids (approximate ages four to nine) and
grades or points (A–F, 5–1) for the older children.
A typical chart, for example, might have three to five items on it—
nothing too complicated, but satisfying to complete.