Reward For Good Grades: Pros And Cons

Giving children rewards for good grades can be both positive and negative. Many parents choose to use a reward system to make sure their children get good grades. But is it right to do so to encourage children to get good grades through gifts?

It is extremely important to praise and congratulate children when they get good grades, but one should never bribe them with gifts. Your children’s sole responsibility is to study, which is why you should give them recognition and support, even when they fail. Make sure the end goal is not a gift or a reward.

Keep in mind that if your kids get good grades, you can also celebrate it with their favorite, you can bake a cake for the whole family or watch a movie they like.

Pros and cons of rewarding good grades

Remember that material goods are not the best way to reward children for their efforts. It is important that you teach them to work hard. In doing so, they will be proud of themselves when they have worked hard to achieve their goals. 

Advantage

1. Positive reinforcement. It is positive to reward your children for a good effort or recognize it in the form of an ice cream or an extra hour of computer games. However, you should try to reinforce positive incentives instead, and it does not necessarily have anything to do with gifts and rewards.

2. Immediate results. Behavior can be changed quickly and effectively with both positive and negative reinforcement. Your child usually responds to such methods with actions from an early age. But it is essential to make sure that this does not become the only way to control their behavior or motivate them as it will slowly lose its effect.

3. Discipline. While rewards and punishments can help encourage discipline and good behavior in children, parents should never use this technique alone. It may work well in certain situations, but what happens then when there are no punishments or rewards?

Disadvantages

1. It stops their will. If you apply discipline solely on the basis of rewards or prohibitions, they will never understand the true value of discipline. Instead, they will only listen to you to get a reward or avoid punishment.

2. They only chase results to get a gift. This can happen with grades in school when children value gifts or rewards higher than learning. They either do not want punishment, or they want a new toy. To achieve this, they may begin to cheat or remember things without actually learning it.

3. There is only focus on rewards. If children act only on positive rewards or negative punishment, they lose sight of the real goal. They may concentrate more on the results of a test than what they do and learn.

Arguments for and against rewarding good grades

For rewards

• If you give your children gifts, they will learn that effort and perseverance give good results. Gifts help keep kids motivated.
• But if you decide to give them a reward for good grades, consider whether it is appropriate to give them material things. Maybe you should just congratulate them or give them a hug or a kiss. Your children will be happy that you recognize their work and efforts.
• While there is nothing wrong with rewarding your children’s efforts, it will be best if they do not automatically expect anything when they get good grades. By doing so, they will understand that rewards are a result of their work, and not something they should always get. In doing so, they will remember the importance of hard work and perseverance.

• You can also use gifts as an incentive when your children start to lose heart. Try to make sure that they consider the gifts as motivation. It is best for children to work hard every day, and not just when they are rewarded for it.

Against reward

• Children need to understand that it is their responsibility to read homework and get good grades so that they have a bright future. Do not let them get used to being rewarded for their achievements. 
• Gifts can be counterproductive when children think you should reward them when they read homework, even if it is their primary responsibility. As time goes on, they will simply demand more and better gifts or rewards.

• Rewards cannot be used as an end goal. Children can see rewards or gifts as something they get back when they read homework. Thus, you run the risk of them thinking that gifts are something they get when each school year ends. Giving gifts will no longer be effective if they expect them, even when they get bad grades.
• It can also be harmful to promise them gifts to pass all their subjects as it can make children feel like a failure if they do not reach their goal.
• It is much more effective to give them time and love. The most valuable things you can leave your children behind are values ​​and a solid foundation for adulthood. Material things are short-lived.
• You need to be aware that children sometimes deserve a gift to get good grades, or punishment if the opposite happens. The important thing is to make sure that rewards are not the only thing that motivates them to get good grades as it can stop their willingness to do well on their own.