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Reward the Behavior You Want Repeated
This Month's MK App Review: iRewardChart
By: Melissa Hucal
It’s the oldest piece of advice in the parenting book. And now technology is bringing a new twist. The iRewardChart app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad is the 21st century replacement for the stickers on bulletin boards that show your child when he is doing a great job or where he could use more work.
The app, costing $3.99, is a great way for parents to track progress on chores and behaviors, while keeping your kids motivated and focused on a prize. We’ve recently started an “allowance” program for our 7-year-old, and this app has been a great way for us to monitor, motivate and reward him.
It’s easy to customize children’s profiles with their name, picture, specific tasks or behaviors that they are responsible for and rewards. I love that there is a preloaded list of tasks and rewards to give you a place to start, but you also have the flexibility to add those that are right for your child.
The tasks you set up can be as specific or abstract as you want, again, allowing you to customize to each child. No tattling was a behavior quickly added to our list! Want to track time spent practicing piano or reading? You can set up a task for that as well, and reward it accordingly. A single tap in the weekly chart is all it takes to add a star to the bank. And as stars are earned and accumulated, your child can pick from the list of rewards. Preset award includes incentives like "$2 Pocket Money" or "One Hour Of TV.” We added a new Nintendo DS game to our list as we have learned that is a big motivator!
An added bonus? Kids learn the difference between instant and delayed gratification and what it means to save up for something you really want. Sure, you can cash in 10 stars for a box of crayons, but then it might take longer to save up the 100 stars needed for a new video game.
When your child “cashes out” any of his stars, you can share his accomplishments on Facebook and Twitter. (And we always want new ways to brag about our kids, right?)
So far, I can only see one problem with this app: you can’t sync it with more than one device. But, this seems to be the most requested feature, so I’ve read that it is in the works for an upcoming version!
A full-featured Lite version is available for free, supporting a maximum of one child and four tasks per week.
This app has recently been awarded the “Best Parenting App” designation in the 2010 Best App Ever Awards and Macaroni Kid says it's a smart choice for parents!
The app, costing $3.99, is a great way for parents to track progress on chores and behaviors, while keeping your kids motivated and focused on a prize. We’ve recently started an “allowance” program for our 7-year-old, and this app has been a great way for us to monitor, motivate and reward him.
It’s easy to customize children’s profiles with their name, picture, specific tasks or behaviors that they are responsible for and rewards. I love that there is a preloaded list of tasks and rewards to give you a place to start, but you also have the flexibility to add those that are right for your child.
The tasks you set up can be as specific or abstract as you want, again, allowing you to customize to each child. No tattling was a behavior quickly added to our list! Want to track time spent practicing piano or reading? You can set up a task for that as well, and reward it accordingly. A single tap in the weekly chart is all it takes to add a star to the bank. And as stars are earned and accumulated, your child can pick from the list of rewards. Preset award includes incentives like "$2 Pocket Money" or "One Hour Of TV.” We added a new Nintendo DS game to our list as we have learned that is a big motivator!
An added bonus? Kids learn the difference between instant and delayed gratification and what it means to save up for something you really want. Sure, you can cash in 10 stars for a box of crayons, but then it might take longer to save up the 100 stars needed for a new video game.
When your child “cashes out” any of his stars, you can share his accomplishments on Facebook and Twitter. (And we always want new ways to brag about our kids, right?)
So far, I can only see one problem with this app: you can’t sync it with more than one device. But, this seems to be the most requested feature, so I’ve read that it is in the works for an upcoming version!
A full-featured Lite version is available for free, supporting a maximum of one child and four tasks per week.
This app has recently been awarded the “Best Parenting App” designation in the 2010 Best App Ever Awards and Macaroni Kid says it's a smart choice for parents!
© 2013 Macaroni Kid, LLC