Reward for All A's

Hi S.!
When i was young, my parents gave me $5.00 for each a that i got. Then if there were something that i wanted to buy with some of the money, we would go shopping. I did the same thing with my daughter!

Good luck on what ever you choose to do....

Hello S.,
That is wonderful! Great job!
I would say give her something that she will carry with her and remind her of her accomplishment.
I just got my daughter a beautiful necklace because of her great job in school and dance. It was not very expensive and I had it engraved. Although she is only 6 she really appreciated it and we put it in a safe place so she can wear it on special days or on days she may need some cheering up.
L..

Well, you definitely want to celebrate her success, but my biggest advice would be to focus on her efforts and not the results. You know, really encourage the effort and discipline that went into those grades, so you're encouraging the behavior as opposed to solely recognizing what she achieved. It's kind of like how you want to focus praise on character more than something beyond your child's control such as good looks (or intelligence in your daughter's case). So just make sure the emphasis is on what really matters and what really is within her control--her hard work. You just want to be careful to make sure that she realizes that you'll be proud of her if she tries her hardest, no matter what the results are. This is coming from a person who never earned anything but As my whole life, including college. My parents never put any pressure on me, but were sure to admire and recognize my discipline. And while they also admired my natural smarts, they made sure to place the emphasis on something that was within my control and a reflection of my character.

Also, I would make sure to emphasize how maintaining this type of effort and the resulting grades will help her in the real world, because when it comes down to it she is the one who benefits from this, so draw that correlation. Doing well in school will effect her future very positively, and that's the true reward. So encourage and praise the heck out of the wonderful little girl she is.

Hi S.!
My parents made making A's really fun! They would give my sister and I money for each A made. The price per A went up with each grade, so don't start too high! It's better to give her more money for A's in high school than in the 5th grade, you know? There were some stipulations. If I got a C or lower in any class (which never happened), no money for any A's was given. To be rewarded at all, I had to have everything above a C. If I got straight A's, the payout would double (for example with 5 grades, 4 A's and 1 B equalled 20 bucks at 5 dollars an A. But if all 5 were A's, instead of $25, I got $50). With the straight A's also came dinner at a restaraunt of my choice. It was so fun to be able to pick the place and Dad always insisted that I get dessert. :)
I hope this helped. Congrats on your smart daughter!!
L.

What about a mother/daughter dinner and movie date?

My question for you is.... did you reward her for the first 3 quarters of school?

If you did then I would do something small like a $25.00 gift certificate to the store of her choice.

If you didn't then you could do the above then maybe a ladies day out ... go to a fast food resturant of her choice and do a manicure and pedicure.

It is so special when kids work so hard in school... I should know my oldest daughter is emptying pockets fast.

Hi S.,
What about simply an outing with you and Dad to celebrate(vs. reward) her accomplishments. Letting her soak in the feeling of her hard work, and encouraging her internal motivation to always do her best. Yes, you are proud of her(rightly so), but important for her to feel this pride in herself. This is the reward. Maybe she could pick out a new outfit before your celebration. Just another way to look at it.
Congratulations to her on a job well done and best wishes for the years ahead. Sounds like she has a great work ethic!

Take her on a special "Date" just you and her, or you her and her dad. Whatever the combination take her somewhere without the brothers and sisters. Maybe once dad gets home from work (or get a babysitter for the evening) you guys can go out to dinner, let her pick the place, give her a few choices in your price range. After dinner maybe go out to a movie, or over to a favorite store, (Wal-Mart, Target, the mall) and let her pick a new outfit for summer, or a new pair of sandals, then maybe an ice cream on the way home. Make a big production of it. Paint your nails and do your hair together while getting ready for the date. Then maybe you can use this example by letting the other kids be able to pick their date with you for future rewards, movies, the zoo, dinner, lunch, shopping, whatever the kids likes to do.

My parents would let my sister and I choose any restaurant we wanted to go to for dinner for straight A's... for the whole family... must warn you though, we picked the most expensive things we could think of!

Hi S.,

Chuckie Cheese's gives the kids tokens for their grades, the better the grades, the more they get, up to 15 each I believe. It is a fun way to reward all of the children and they will tell the kids how many they are getting and for what. If your daughter reaches the maximum but would still have gotten more you can always give her the difference. I know that would be a lot of fun and not too much money. Also, you can register online for coupons from them and it saves you even more money. Good luck and tell your daughter congratulations on a job that was so well done.

D.

I would take her overnight somewhere. Someplace with a pool, nice restaurant and maybe a regional theater that she can dress up and go to a show.

Look into places that serve a girly afternoon tea that she can invite 3 friends to and take them to tea. Girls love that.

Hi, I rewarded my children with money. As you know at this age they really have a hard time making money. I think it also gives them a good feeling of self worth. I gave;
A-$5.00
B-$2.50
C-Nothing
D-They owed me $2.50
F- They gave me $5.00
Our son did a couple of F's in high school and he did pay me back. They love getting the money but didn't like paying me for messing up in a quarter. Sure didn't take him long to realize he didn't want to do that. He'd rather be on the receiving end. I do the same for my grandchildren and they lvoe it!

There are a lot of great ideas among these responses! I may use some of them myself in the future!

We let our daughter have a pool party for her good grades this year.

In the past, we've had spa days, shopping sprees (with a set dollar amount, of course) lunch or dinner at the restaurant of her choice, dinner theater (Broadway Palms or the Mystery Mansion are both fun, but Broadway is probably more age appropriate for her), the day at Arizona Science Center, a day at Castles & Coasters or Golfland....the list goes on. Maybe you can just give her a list of suggestions and let her pick the one that would make her feel the most special.

Have fun!

Sounds like you are busy so I bet the thing your daughter would love the most is a whole day with just you. Go to lunch, a matinee and then window shopping. Then surprise her and let her buy something inexpensive. She will appreciate the fact that you will make the time for her.

As a reward for my 5th graders good grades (not all A's, but as you know it's all relative!) I'm going to surprise her w/a trip to Limited Too (her favorite store) followed by dinner -- mom/daughter time. Lmtd Too also gives kids credit ($5 or $10) toward their purchase when they bring in their report card and my girls seem to be so proud when they do. Anyway, just and idea -- hope you find something wonderful that works for you!

Lots of great ideas mamas! I was the oldest of 3 and did very well in school. My parents never rewarded me for it - sure a nice job was given - but I had friends that got rewarded and it did bother me a bit so, I think it's great you are acknowledging your daughter with something special.

I like the idea of a "Date" and allowing the child to choose within financial guidelines - it would be really nice if both parents were involved and able to get a sitter for the siblings. But, I know sitters can be hard to come by.

Hi, S.
I wouldn't go too far with rewarding as this may end up costing you for you have other children who will be expecting the same. The best way to reward is by praising your child for her outstanding accomplishments. Post her grades where everyone can see and express to them how proud you are of her hard work. Also, if you want to reward her, then do family night and go out for to dinner or pizza!!

Congrats to your daughter! What my mother did for me and what I have done and will continue to do for my 13 year old, is let him pick a restaurant of his choice, and all the family enjoys a nice sit down meal, including my 15 month old daughter, and gloat all over him throughout the entire meal! Showering him with compliments and making it about him, in a positive way! Again, the entire family enjoys it, it's also verbal praise through family conversation and it's not too expensive of a reward. Good luck!

Don't go overboard....I've always believed that one should teach thier child that they should try to get good grades even if there is no reward. Let's face it, in life we aren't always rewarded for a job well done. It's like helping around the house and yard....although we have been known to give our kids money for certain jobs....they NEVER get paid for doing daily chores such as keeping their room clean, taking out the trash, etc. We feel, if you live in our house, you help out....everyone pitches in.

However, we've always rewarded our kids with dinner out for all A's or A's and B's...thier choice of restaurant...within reason of course! :)

pedicure and manicure, just the two of you or just her and a friend.Jamba juice. jeans from old navy, aeropostle shopping spree, picking the dinner menu for the week, no chores for a week, control of the remote for the week,....let her brainstorm with you. comic book subscription...we just did the cell for and if you get a "B" you loose it.

I think a special girl's day out would be a great reward. You could go to the movies, have your hair done, nails done, go to an expensive restaurant together, or have a mini shopping spree where she gets to pick out a few new outfits. Not only would this be a great reward for her, she is also getting to spend quality time with you. I would have loved to do this with my mom at that age. We did it a lot when I was a teenager,but not when I was younger. How special and loved that would have made me feel!

When I was about that age I did get straight A's. The first few weeks of summer I went to visit my grandma and when I came back my mom had rewarded me with a NEW room. She had painted my room, cleaned it for me and got me new bedding. When I would lay in my bed at night I would look at my 'special' room and reflect on the reasons I had such a nice room. I continued to strive to please my parents and got straight A's most of the time. I, however, was not awarded EVERY time! It just came to be expected that I would work at my full potential.