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Kim McVicker |
It's that time of the year again, when children are at home, family are coming to visit, and the usual daily structure goes out the window.
It's also a time for eating more, relaxing, and socialising with friends. For parents, this is a great time to schedule in time with the children, including fun adventures and daily outings.
Spending more time with your children during the holidays is great, creating lots of good times, but sometimes we know it can be tough with challenging behaviour. Rewards and incentives are an effective way to encourage positive behaviour.
Rewarding good behaviour is a common practice and an important way to encourage and promote self-esteem. Children with high self esteem will be more likely to make friends, be involved in new activities, manage their behaviour and will be more willing to help out others.
While we all know the ‘be good in the supermarket and I'll buy you a lollipop' may be helpful in some desperate moments, do we really know what it is doing for our children long term? Could this lead to an unhealthy obsession with treat food, and an unsustainable habit that our children get into, for example good behaviour equals yummy reward.
Below are some alternative ideas to reward your children, which lead to being active, without filling our pukus (stomachs) up with unhealthy treats.
- A day at the park, or a visit to Rainbow Springs.
- A special day shopping with Mum or Dad.
- Going to the movies or library.
- Having a friend sleepover.
- Spending a day at the aquatic centre.
- Having a picnic at the Blue lakes, followed by a walk.
- Going for a mountain bike on Tahi, Dipper and Creek track.
- Playing backyard cricket.
- Helping around home, in the garden, washing cars, or cleaning out the garage.
The above are all great activity ideas that the whole family can be involved in. Rotorua is a great place to be active in; with the wide variety of outdoor activities available, there's something for everyone.
If you would like more information on any of the ideas provided above – feel free to contact Kim, the family lifestyle coach at Sport Bay of Plenty by emailing: kimm@sportbop.co.nz